Why is slab bad and crawlspace good? (Wilmington, Knightdale: renting, houses)

[scorp200]

(I'm a renter)

I was just reading the Brightleaf thread and some people wanted to pass up the homes built on a slab. I'm pretty clueless about these things, why is it bad? Or maybe it's the obvious - that water can get under there, or you can't get under to fix things?

Thanks, not planning to buy anytime soon, but am curious!

[NewUser]

Something Interesting On Types Of Foundations Here

[coltank]

As you'll read in the thread from the post above, there are good and bad points to both types of foundations. I prefer a crawl because it gives you more access to your home. I have a slab foundation now, and I'm very limited to improvements I'd like to make to my home because of it. It also costs more to build on a crawl versus a slab, and many times, cost is related to quality.

[just_sayin']

Well I wouldn't necessarily say "slabs are bad and crawl spaces are good" as that's too broad of a generalization. But I prefer crawl spaces and believe most others do because they offer you the ability to access your plumbing should anything ever go wrong with it; it elevates your floor so it isn't right on the ground (with a slab the floor sucks the heat out of you if you are walking on it in winter) and in general houses on brick foundations (which is when you have a crawlspace) have better curb appeal. Houses just tend to look "nicer" when they are elevated a little with nice steps up to the front porch, than just flat on the ground.

[RDSLOTS]

Doesn't some of it depend upon where you may be building?

One of our homes down on the coast was on a slab, and one of the advantages was the house did not settle. It was also designed as a passive solar home, and the concrete floors absorbed heat and kept the house warm in the winter. In the summer, the sunroom was closed-off from the rest of the house, and windows in the clerestory were opened to help pull heat out of the house. Another home we owned at one time, in Wilmington, was on what is referred to as a 'raised slab.' I think sometimes a slab carries the connotation of 'cheap?'

I grew up in homes on a crawl space, and my current home is also on a crawl space. Homes built on a crawl space will often settle, creating cracks in plaster and concrete, and other similar, and (hopefully) often minor problems.

I'm not sure I have a preference for one foundation over another -- maybe depending upon the style of the home? Our true 'slab' home was contemporary, whereas the crawl space homes have been more traditional. Would that even have any bearing? No pun intended.

[SP2SCV]

Slabs in an area such as ours are more stable than any other type of foundation, as they are reinforced and meant to "float" with the expanding & contracting clay soil. Crawl space & full basement suffer from movement & shifting, which can damage the house. However, crawl space offers great access that may be needed for repairs.

If you get a slab, must make sure that most utilities come in from the side and not through the floor. This will help eliminate many issues, should you need a repair.

I was a non-believer in slabs myself, until I did a lot of research and found that I was way off base with my criticism.

[House Lady]

folks with disabilities or that do not want steps for other reasons. They sit very close to the ground and usually have no or only one step. My neighbor has a business that requires her to haul vast quantities of heavy things in and out of her house. She uses a cart and the steps are a bugger for her. I am getting ready to build a house that is of universal design, but I am on a tight budget. I wanted a slab, but my builder says concrete is outragously expensive right now and lumber is fairly reasonable, so the crawl is actually cheaper. I guess I will be doing a crawl and building a ramp!
Some people think they are more attractive on a house. It is all in what you are used to. As long as they are done properly, either one is fine. I will research it again, but I do not remember there being more heat loss with a slab in this region.
The one thing that worries me here is that code is now allowing termite bait systems instead of pretreating the soil beneath a slab. If you get termites coming in through a crack (and all concrete can crack!) you cannot see them and I am not sure the bait traps are 100% effective like chemical treatments are. I would prefer a slab built over well-pretreated soil, even though I wish chemicals were not needed. I saw one 'hood in Knightdale with a little spout in the exterior wall to pour in chemicals if needed. If anyone knows about this system, please tell us. It was interesting.

[targetmom68]

Houses built on slabs also "settle" and create the problems with cracks along walls. I grew up in a house on a slab, which my parents still live in (you can't tell from looking at it that it is on a slab but they have had a lot of problems over the years and so have many of their neighbors) I just know that I personally prefer to have a crawl space, not to say that both do not have their problems.

[MrsSteel]

Slabs can definitely settle. I know of homes on slabs where this has happened. There's a chance that recent technology has improved in this area & maybe newer slabs are more resistent, but I certainly would not say that all homes built on slabs are immune to settling.

My parents have a home that is built on a slab. Their ventilation system has developed some problems on the ground floor. When there is a heavy rain, water somehow seeps into the ventilation system. You can easily hear it gurgling away when the heater kicks on. The repairs will be expensive - mainly because the workers will have to dig down to fix the problem.

I'm not trying to say that crawl spaces are superior. They both have their pros and cons. This is just one of the cons.

[momof2divas]

We have a crawl and when you open the cabinets in the bathroom you can smell the crawl for some reason. We are renting right now so no biggie but we are looking at building and I like a crawl for the access but if I have a musty smell when I come into the house all the time then I would rather not have a crawl. Anyone else experience this?