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I will be looking for a house soon in the area and I am wondering if others who live there, can give me their preference for owning a house on a crawl space or slab and why? Does property slope matter?
Personally, I am a huge fan of basements. There aren't many in the area, but if you can find one, I would recommend it. I love having all the wiring, plumbing, etc. readily available without having to crawl under the house.
Growing up in the NE, I was never a fan of basements until it wasn't an option in most neighborhoods. But on topic, I believe crawlspaces are factored more favorably to slabs economically.
Our first house was on a slab. About the only thing that ever worried me about being on a slab was the "what if." Specifically, what if something happens to the plumbing. Because it is all running through concrete. There was one conversation about changing the master bathroom, that never got further than a conversation because of the plumbing in concrete issue.
One HUGE positive? Your floors will never squeak :-) I grew up in an older home on a crawl space. There's always one spot that creaks/squeaks when you walk through . . . never once had that happen in my house on the slab.
I lived on slab homes for 30 years. They are very hard on the feet and back due to the unyielding floor. Professional dancers never dance on concrete. If I were to live on a slab home again, it would have to have a floor suspended over the slab, rather than directly on the concrete. That concrete slab is also mighty cold unless built to recent standards that insulate the slab and footing.
I also would rather have access underneath, even if I had to crawl. A broken pipe = a jackhammer. We are currently building in northern Greenville County, on a walk-out basement. With current technology, there's no excuse for a wet basement, unless you build over a spring.
Crawl spaces, especially under older homes, have their own unique set of problems, particularly mold and moisture issues. Learn all you can about how a crawl space should be done, and hire an inspector before you buy. That goes for ANY house you buy!
I live in a slab home and agree that the floors are a killer for people like me with back problems and are very cold in the winter months.
Crawl spaces can be really bad, and you would never get me to go into one. There are lots of critters that can hide or live under there!
I grew up in the Midwest and always had a basement. With some of the wild storms we've had since I relocated here, I sure would love to have a basement to go to during bad weather, but no such luck. My guest bathroom on the inside and not near any windows is the best I can do.
The best of all options is of course a basement but those are less common here. When we bought our first home last year, we looked at a home on a slab foundation as well as a crawlspace one. Both have their pros and cons but in general, crawlspace foundations are more favorable to slab. As someone mentioned above, if you ever have a plumbing issue with a slab, you might have to tear up the concrete which of course would be a heck of a job. Crawlspace can have issues too, like being damp. We ended up with the home with a crawlspace. Good luck!
I live in a slab home and agree that the floors are a killer for people like me with back problems and are very cold in the winter months.
Crawl spaces can be really bad, and you would never get me to go into one. There are lots of critters that can hide or live under there!
I grew up in the Midwest and always had a basement. With some of the wild storms we've had since I relocated here, I sure would love to have a basement to go to during bad weather, but no such luck. My guest bathroom on the inside and not near any windows is the best I can do.
We live in a subdivision of mostly slab homes. Our neighbor had a frozen pipe that burst 2 winter's ago. I am very conscious about freezing pipes since their misfortune.
You are lucky PhotogGal to have that interior bathroom. Best we can do is a hallway and the one with the stairs would be the strongest. When/if we have a tornado warning the mattress gets propped up in that hallway but we have few tornado warnings in Greenville County thankfully.
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