Crawl Space vs. Concrete slab?

[fisher33]

hi everyone - i started a thread about this over on the house forum and look at the responses (if you don't mind skimming through them)... why are the opinions so drastically different? http://www.city-data.com/forum/house...oundation.html

as you can see from my op, i'm in search of some good advice and felt like the general consensus was good quality is good quality, but after reading through these three pages and this being a sc thread - would the house being on slab be a deal breaker??

thanks everyone!

[Frankie117]

Interesting arguement.

I have lived with both foundation styles, and more recently moved into my first house with a basement.

It seems to me that a crawl space makes winters so much colder, I guess it is because of the airflow, but my heating bills were always off the charts. Another gripe is that you can definately feel the house settle a lot more with a crawl space.

On the flip side, slabs can be a pain if you need to install new pipes or wiring, but it isn't that big of a deal. I also noticed back pain, probably from the concrete, but a double layer of carpet padding fixes that problem.

I would recommend a crawl space if you lived on a hill and if you live on a more solid area. If you don't then it can be a hassle keeping water, snakes, spiders, etc. from coming into the house. Alternatively, slabs should be better used on sandy soil as to better distribute the weight of the house. I think slabs take weather better than crawl spaces do.. Seems like a house bolted to concrete would survive better than a brick facade and cinder blocks.

[Geechie North]

I was raised in a house West Of The Ashley that had a concrete slab, as most of that vintage did/do. Thought it was superior (yes, you have bugs, ants, the occasaional snake- snakes are rare, though.), but welcome to the Lowcountry. Then we discovered termite damage in our heavily shellacked living room walls. That's when Charlie Ledford ( Ledford's Exterminating) told me that the first crack, and they are inevitable, in a concrete slab allows termites to access the house and have a water source. And that's all they need.
I'm told crawl spaces lessen that problem- as long as the ground under them is properly treated. But then now that the Formosan Termite is established in SC, nothing at groundlevel is 100% effective against the beasties.

[fisher33]

mmm, i think there's no clear cut answer - but this has enlightened me SO much on all the options!! thank you!

[GreenGuru]

It doesn't appear anyone has addressed the issue of energy efficiency when deciding on a crawl space or a slab. In this age of rising energy costs, does anyone really want a higher utility bill??? Assume you're building a new house and you are doing your research to obtain an extremely tight shell in order to prevent air from going through your home and, thereby, increasing the amount of heat and air necessary to keep it at a comfortable temperature. Then, you add an unconditioned air space below your floors. This air is not heated or cooled so it contains moisture, which not only causes mold and mildew issues in the crawl space, but provides a great home for creatures such as snakes and rodents, which is not uncommon. The intake for your HVAC is most likely taken from this unconditioned space which is now pulling in, for lack of a better term, "unfresh" air. So, you go to all the time, energy and expense to ensure the shell is tightly sealed, then put an unconditioned crawl space underneath it, which allow energy to go in and out of the house like a sieve. And, if you condition the space, you might as well spend a couple thousand dollars more put a basement under it.

Also, there are not many homes that have issue with their plumbing in a slab situation. In fact, the pipes are much better insulated from the concrete than from any crawl space.

Another thing to consider with a crawl space is the added amount of concrete, rebar, exterior materials (siding, brick, stone, etc.) needed. Again, if you're going to put a crawl space under your home, you might as well add a full basement for a few thousand dollars more. You can always finish it out at a later date!!

One last thing, ensure a dimpled waterproofing membrane (such as Platon) is put under the slab, between the concrete and the gravel. This keeps moisture out and also maintains a layer of air which will ensure the slab remains room temperature.

[GVmove]

We are considering a move to Greenville, SC. We are very nervous about crawlspaces and have tried to research as best we can. It appears that if you have to build on a crawlspace as some of the communities only permit this, a sealed system is better than a vented system.

Does anyone out there have a sealed crawlspace and can you give me any information as to problems, how you like it, etc.

Thank you

[itamar]

i am buiding a home in israel.hardly anyone builds wooden houses here and the ones who do have concrete slabs.after a lot of reaserch i have decided to build a crawl space with pine hardwood floors.the crawl space is half a meter and over a dirt floor.does any one see any problems with a dirt floor in a dry(non humid) climate where it rains december until march?will i have mold problems?

[Pruzhany]

Originally Posted by itamar

i am buiding a home in israel.hardly anyone builds wooden houses here and the ones who do have concrete slabs.after a lot of reaserch i have decided to build a crawl space with pine hardwood floors.the crawl space is half a meter and over a dirt floor.does any one see any problems with a dirt floor in a dry(non humid) climate where it rains december until march?will i have mold problems?

Pine is not readably available in Israel. Acacia is the wood that is available. Most people who want wood put down laminate on top of the concrete.

http://www.buyitinisrael.com/choose-the-right-floor-in-israel/