Type of Foundation - full basement, slab, piers?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

6x6 treated timbers would be considered "posts", not piers.

Unless they're set sideways (like skids).
iirc... many cabins are done like this in Maine to avoid the tax issues of a more permanent method.

[earthlyfather]

Appreciate the clarification in the use of the terms. The "posts" in my crawl space sit on, probably, 18" square slabs of concrete. Could this be adequate support for the house? Is it accepted proactice?

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

6x6 treated timbers would be considered "posts", not piers. They would still likely need the same size footing as piers.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by earthlyfather

The "posts" in my crawl space sit on, probably, 18" square slabs of concrete. Could this be adequate support for the house?
Is it accepted practice?

Quite adequate and generally accepted *depending* on frost issues...
and how far down into the ground that concrete is set.

If you're south enough it's no problem at all even with just the minimum concrete needed to carry the weight load.

hth

[Lightning0706]

Wow, in the pictures barking spider posted, I realized I must have a pier foundation also, but I do have a partial basement just outside of that area. In the second set of pictures, what is the plastic for that is covering the dirt ?

[PAhippo]

I live in NE PA and vertical wood piers wouldn't last no matter what they're treated with.

In this area piers are usually cement and hold up single wide or double wide mobile homes. (Pros and cons of this type of housing has been beaten to death on numerous other topics). This is the cheapest and fastest type of foundation.

Slabs are big cement, well, slabs. The home does not sit directly on the slab; it still needs some support. It's the next cheapest and fastest.

Both piers and slabs leave a space that is usually covered by skirting of some kind. Also heat tape around water pipes to keep them from freezing. Oh, and the home has to be tied down to keep it in place. And of course the water heater & furnace will have to be in the house some place, and the fuel tank will sit outside.

Crawl space (usually cinder blocks, sometimes cement) is kind of like a mini basement. There again, no room for furnace, etc but the house is directly attached as with a basement.


and most expensive and time consuming to build, the basement. Probably the best for resale.

[Barking Spider]

The plastic on the ground acts as a vapor barrier, to keep ground moisture from condensing on the wood framing. In my area it is required.

[TechGromit]

Originally Posted by Barking Spider

Here are a couple of better photos showing pier construction. This was from this mornings inspection

I thought houses built on pilings were considered pier construction. The photos you have listed, clearly show a typical foundation wall with footers on the outside walls.

[Bonewibb]

I have a house with piers. Had to add 24 steel piers around perimeter of house last fall and reshimmed the piers. Now, piers seem to still be settling in the clay soil. Do I just keep reshimmimg every few months or can I take the footing for the piers deeper

[emm74]

If basements are common in that immediate area, it was probably a financial decision. IIRC, it was a $12,000 construction upgrade to get an unfinished basement in my house, and some people in the neighborhood opted to go without. It's pre-plumbed for a bathroom, but I don't expect to ever finish it as there is enough living space in the rest of the house. I still thought it was better to have it, just in case.

[Joe33]

Originally Posted by TechGromit

I thought houses built on pilings were considered pier construction. The photos you have listed, clearly show a typical foundation wall with footers on the outside walls.

Those are concrete columns sitting on either caissons or most probably piles that are driven into the ground with a really big hammer.