Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Three dogs = no wasting money on real wood floors. Laminate or vinyl plank is perfect. Or even ceramic tile - I'm actually hoping for lots and lots of ceramic tile. Since my next move will likely be to Florida, there's a good chance I'll find exactly what I want! As for termites - don't those eat up houses with crawlspaces too?
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Originally Posted by Minijay
And complete nightmare the first time there's a plumbing issue.
I've owned three slab foundation homes and had zero problems, plumbing or otherwise. Crawlspace is much more of a pain, imho. Slab usually means a flatter lot as well.
Three dogs = no wasting money on real wood floors. Laminate or vinyl plank is perfect. Or even ceramic tile - I'm actually hoping for lots and lots of ceramic tile. Since my next move will likely be to Florida, there's a good chance I'll find exactly what I want! As for termites - don't those eat up houses with crawlspaces too?
I've owned three slab foundation homes and had zero problems, plumbing or otherwise. Crawlspace is much more of a pain, imho. Slab usually means a flatter lot as well.
Ask people who are actually in the business of building homes which they prefer, crawlspace or slab. And I don't mean those who build slab homes for a living, I mean those who build both.
They will tell you they want the accessibility of a crawl or basement for the plumbing, ductwork, electrical, etc. You were lucky if you had no plumbing problems in a slab home or maybe just weren't there long enough. True, you could go a long time with no plumbing problems, but when you do you end up tearing up the entire floor -- it will happen sooner or later. Termites can get into crawlspaces but are easier to detect and remedy before they get into the framing, which is typically much more expensive to fix. Crawlspaces are also nice to have if there's ever any water intrusion / flooding / draining problems -- does the water pass under the house or straight into the living area ruining everything?
Slabs have the advantage of being cheaper. That's about it.
The flatness vs slope of the lot is another story entirely. If you mean a slab provides a more stable foundation, not really. Concrete almost always cracks with time.
Nice having you here in NC, enjoy Florida and watch out for those sinkholes. Goodbye.
I've lived in a slab home. Never again. Too many issues. It's never warm feeling, it can easily crack. Bugs can just walk right in over the threshold. You can't run wires or plumbing. It just looks weird for the street.
In hot humid climates like NC, weather barrier yes. Vapor barrier, no.
Vapor barriers are better further north where you're trying to keep the inside humidity higher.
A true vapor barrier in the South is more likely to trap moisture in the wall.
Weather barriers like fluid applied, zip systems, and blueskin (the breathable choices) will keep moisture out but allow wall to breathe.
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Let's talk termites.
