Concrete Slab or Crawl Space? (Columbia: houses, buying, construction) - Columbia - Lexington - Irmo - City-Data Forum

ShanaP · 04-16-2008, 02:51 PM

In Houston, all homes are built on a slab - there really aren't any basements or crawl spaces because our elevation is so low.

While looking at homes in Columbia, I've noticed quite a few have crawl spaces and some even have basements. Since I've never been to this part of the country and have never seen a crawl space, I was wondering if there are any benefits to building this way.

In looking for houses, which foundation would be more beneficial?

Sorry if this is a foolish question but I have no experience with this sort of thing.

Brandon Hoffman · 04-16-2008, 03:52 PM

It doesn't matter either way. Location makes a difference on what foundation is used. SC is fine with either, many of the newer homes are built on slab. Personally, I like a slab because I don't have to worry about moisture underneath a home but it really depends on elevation.

Barber_kid · 04-16-2008, 03:59 PM

Crawl space, much cheaper should you have to replace or work on your plumbing. Slabs are harder on your feet after a while, and should you get a heavy large rain you're chances of getting water in your home is decreased. I have done all the research on this before buying, and I chose a crawl space. Oh, it also helps the homes value a bit.

waccamatt · 04-16-2008, 04:37 PM

Having owned homes both with a crawl space and a slab I will unequivocally put in my 2 cents for a crawl space over a slab. Number one, you can use the crawl space for storage, number 2, like the other poster stated, it is much cheaper to work on the plumbing and number 3, you will have fewer bug and moisture problems with a crawl space. I have generally noticed that only more cheaply built homes in Columbia are built on a slab.

Brandon Hoffman · 04-16-2008, 07:22 PM

It is cheaper to build on a slab. Crawl spaces can have problems of their own. Moisture evaporating from the soil in the summer after a rain or in a wetter area can/will cause the sills and joists to dry rot and are more susceptible to mold or allergenic problems. The newer homes don't have all the pipes and plumbing run through the slab like they used to do on the older homes and have flexible piping to allow for movement and expansion/contraction so the plumbing thing isn't as big an issue. You could still have problems.

I don't believe there is a strong differentiator b/n the 2. Slab is more affordable, crawl spaces tend to be more aesthetically appealing. In terms of repairs they both have faults/ advantages.

The best advice I can give is pick the "home" that feels like home and don't let slab vs. crawl space influence you too much unless you really take a strong liking to one over the other.

marndt · 04-17-2008, 06:10 AM

Lived in Houston for 2 years in the early 2000's and our home was on a crawl space. Problems with the 'Texas Gumbo' soil...so we had to get our foundation adjusted with shims every year. While we lived in Columbia we had both and found the crawl space home to be much better built... Easy access to plumbing, heating and air and so on. I have always felt wary of slab construction... What if the slab cracks or the plumbing that runs through the slab breaks... Anyway, I like crawl space homes and would recommend over slab, in my opinion.

Tommy1981 · 04-17-2008, 06:28 AM

I cast my vote for Crawl Space. All of the cheap builders here build on Slab and consider Crawl Space an upgrade. Some of the builders don't pay good attention when they're laying slabs, and end up causing way more problems down the road. Crawl Spaces can be screwed up too, but they're generally much easier to maintain/repair.

Many people counter the problem of moisture coming from the ground by putting down plastic. The house I'm buying has plastic down.

Another big advantage of the crawl space in my mind is a place to run cables. If you've got a slab, the only option you would have to run cables is through the attic. Most of the time drilling a small hole in a baseboard and running a network or speaker cable under the house is soooo much easier that trying to do it through the attic.

Wanna put in a new bathroom? Good luck on a slab. Its a piece of cake on a crawl space. Adding a new room off the back side of your house? You'll have to pour a second slab, and almost certainly have a step between the rooms. With Crawl space you can add onto the foundation and keep everything on the same level, which makes the equity pay off much higher with a Crawl Space.

For the first owner, a slab and crawl space might be a legitimate debate, but in the long run its almost always better to have a crawl space.

mpaquette · 04-17-2008, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman

It doesn't matter either way. Location makes a difference on what foundation is used. SC is fine with either, many of the newer homes are built on slab. Personally, I like a slab because I don't have to worry about moisture underneath a home but it really depends on elevation.

So moisture doesn't have the ability to penetrate a concrete slab?

I'll toss my vote in for a crawl space. I believe a properly constructed and ventilated crawl space will have fewer moisture problems than a slab.

Chi2Midlands · 04-17-2008, 02:52 PM

I'll be another heretic and say slab isn't always a bad option. Our builder asked for $9000 extra for a crawl space. Our land is relatively flat so I don't think our crawl space would have been terribly useful for storage (and I wouldn't have liked to poke around crawling on raw ground - I'm a spoiled Midwesterner used to basements). I don't want to have to pull out storage items covered in dirt, insects, etc. We have a finished third floor attic space and a two-car garage, so we have plenty of storage space otherwise.

We have a stem-wall slab, which I understand holds up better than monolithic slabs in terms of heavy rains, surges, and water pressure. The stem walls go down deeper and is seamlessly connected to the slab, so the stem walls kind of act like "roots".

We have full-blown insect treatment for the house for $400 per year, so if insects were the only factor, it would take over 20 years for a $9000 "upgrade" to pay off for insect protections (and we'd probably still need some sort of insect protection with a crawl space).

I will admit, any major renovations in the house that would require relocations of pipes, electrical lines, etc., would be more of a pain and expense with a slab compared to a crawl space, but it's not impossible. I'm sure folks in Texas, Florida, etc. do it all the time. Since we bought the house knew and laid out the way we wanted, we're not about to change those sorts of things anytime soon anyways.

Tommy1981 · 04-21-2008, 07:26 AM

Chi2Midlands: In your situation, I agree with your decision to go with the slab. $9000 is a major penalty for an upgrade. I looked into KB and Mungo at one point, and both charged less than $5000, but they may have been smaller houses.

Crawl Space on Flat land does cost more to get further off the ground, so you don't get benefits of the storage space. I've probably been under 10 or so houses with crawl spaces. Most were well maintained with plastic on the ground, and I couldn't see much of any insects. I think crawl spaces are more often used as housing for rodents (possums, racoons, birds, etc). You have to make sure your vents are well secured so these kind of critters don't get in.

Slabs definitely have their place. I think its hard to make a general statement about one being completely superior to the other, but Crawl spaces are probably the better choice in a wider variety of circumstances.