Came for a visit after 2 years of being away... (Knoxville: home, theatre)

[weisgarber1]

Originally Posted by mjb62676

The houses we looked at in Broadacres were all WAY, WAY overpriced for what they were and how much work they needed...yet, they are selling. It's baffling to me.

The oldest houses in Broadacres date to the late 1960's, so it is a bit understandable that some of them might need some work.

[mjb62676]

Originally Posted by weisgarber1

The oldest houses in Broadacres date to the late 1960's, so it is a bit understandable that some of them might need some work.

True, but the feeling was that they were priced as though they had been totally updated, or in some cases, maintained at all.

[Eat]

Originally Posted by mjb62676

Yep, I get that. What I don't understand is how it's different. On the perimeter of our "foundation" there is a thin layer of concrete or something that looks very similar to what I've seen in poured concrete foundations...so I would think you'd see the trails in either one.

A slab home is an entirely different animal to me. I would definitely take a crawl space over a slab home for many reasons. At least with a crawl space, you can get to piping, etc...with relative ease.

This all reminds me, I'm pretty certain we've got a critter (probably a stray cat) living under our house in the crawl space. I need to look into that.

I'm told they prefer to build dirt tubes, which are quite visible in a crawlspace. However, they will also go up cracks inside the concrete/concrete blocks in a full basement or a slab, especially a slab, and you will not see them.

My foundation preference in order.....

Walkout basement
Full basement
Partial basement
Crawlspace
Bilge
Nylon tent
Bare dirt
Wooden boards
Cactus
Slab

[Eat]

Originally Posted by mjb62676

This all reminds me, I'm pretty certain we've got a critter (probably a stray cat) living under our house in the crawl space. I need to look into that.

Pray that it isn't a nesting skunk.

[mjb62676]

Originally Posted by Eat

Pray that it isn't a nesting skunk.

99% sure it's a cat as we've seen it under there before and thought we were rid of it.

I hope like crazy it's not something else.

Also, anyone know of any remedies to make sure you don't get snakes in there?


From your post above, it looks like we have similar tastes in foundations.

As for the termites, when I've seen problems, you can usually see the dirt "trails" going up the foundation, from the outside (in my experience). Now I understand what you're saying about going through the concrete though...if they come up from beneath the house and don't necessarily go up exterior foundation walls.

Moving here has certainly been a learning experience for us. We like it, but there are certainly aspects of "home" that we miss. Abundant walk-out basements being one. I don't, however miss the weather. That being said, what's happened this weekend is eerily familiar!

[Eat]

Try a live catch trap baited with cat food. Some cats will not go in, but others will not. Most other critters aren't that smart. Tractor Supply stores carry them at reasonable prices. Whatever you catch, take it to Animal Control and let them deal with it.

Needless to say, don't stick your fingers in the cage. Not even with gloves on.

[Barking Spider]

Slab homes were a big problem years ago when the water supply pipes were galvanized and the waste pipes were cast iron. Both types of pipes had a much shorter life span (than newer materials), so when repairs/replacement time came up, it was a BIG problem.

When PVC started being used for waste pipes and copper for supply (fresh water) things started looking up, since the life span is much much longer.

That said, slab homes are a bigger problem when repairs or renovations are needed. They are usually harder on your feet (to walk on), and the floors will be colder.

Wood frame flooring (crawlspace or basement (main floor) will be easier on your feet, and allows much easier access to make repairs or renovations with not only plumbing, but electrical and heating and air conditioning systems. One down side is floor squeaks.

Termites can be easier to detect with a crawlspace, however you don't always see the mud tubes on the foundation walls. They will sometimes find their way to the wood through the middle of the foundation, or in the wall cavity between the exterior wall finish material and the inside wall material. I have seen tubes on the bottom of the subflooring after I have pulled away the floor insulation (in the crawlspace) with no signs on the foundation walls below.

With a slab house you may not see them until they make a small exit hole in the drywall or wood trim. If you know what you are looking for (once you have seen it once, you will remember), you can see the tubes going up the wall just under the paint. If you rub your finger along the blemish, you can break through the surface and trace the tubes.

If you do see mud tubes, and you break through a small section, you may see the termites spill out (not always) for a short time. Once I saw termites re-seal the tube in less than a half hour.

Eat is partially correct about a crawlspace and radon. Usually a house with a crawlspace, assuming it has good ventilation, will have lower radon readings. However, if the level of radon is high enough under the house, it can still be above the action level. I have tested several crawlspace homes that had levels close to 20 picocuries/liter (4.0 is the action level).

Basement homes have the highest probability of getting radon since there is more foundation surface in contact with the earth (walls and floor), slab homes are next highest, and crawlspace homes are the least likely.

The general Knoxville area has a fair good chance of having elevated levels of radon (about 17%).

Sorry for the thread drift

[Beretta]

I've lived in a slab home in Texas, a crawl space home in Kingsport, a tall crawl space in Farragut, a 1/2 basement 1/2 crawl space home here in Maryville and a basement home in Pittsburgh (which is actually a slab home in a way as the basement is poured on concrete).

My absolute favorite situation was the tall crawl in Farragut. There are pros and cons to each situation and house, etc.

Ok, we certainly have drifted from the original post haven't we? Perhaps I should split this off into its' own thread......

[mjb62676]

Tall Crawlspace would actually be a lot better than the "just barely tall enough to get around in" one we have.

But, I'm a huge fan of basement rooms for theatre purposes...

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Now I see that they would be perfect for Laura. Tree huggers are welcome and there are plenty of trees to hug. You can even walk to a great fruit stand across the highway.

Tree hugger? She's a Republican!

She just doesn't like paved-over ugly. Neither do I!