Why A Pier And Beam Foundation Is Far Superior To A Slab Foundation

Okay, properly, that could be overstating it only a bit. Or quite a bit. I simply thought I’d begin my day by getting a few of you riled up. I’m feeling a bit feisty at this time. 😀 So sure, it’s a little bit of an overstatement to say {that a} pier and beam basis is “far superior” to a slab basis. In truth, the kind of basis required (or allowed) for a home will largely rely on issues like (1) location and normal constructing practices for that space, (2) the local weather of a specific space, and (3) the kind of soil on which the home is being constructed. There are such a lot of elements that go into figuring out what’s finest for what space, and people selections are finest left to the engineers in that space.

However since I discussed the opposite day that I’d at all times favor to stay in a pier and beam home, and not less than one particular person was very shocked by that and questioned what my reasoning is for that call, I assumed I’d share my ideas and experiences in a put up fairly than a remark.

I occur to stay in an space that has each pier and beam homes and homes constructed on slab foundations. (Whereas basements aren’t normal on this space, there are some homes with basements, in order that’s an entire completely different class.) So we truly had a selection. We may have purchased a home on a concrete slab basis, however I at all times knew that I wished a pier and beam home. And I might at all times select pier and beam 100% of the time. However earlier than I clarify why, let me make sure we’re all caught up on what, precisely, I’m speaking about.

What’s a pier and beam basis?

A pier and beam basis home is constructed in order that the ground is raised up off of the bottom with room sufficient below the ground of the home that an individual can get below there and crawl round (therefore the identify “crawl area”).

The perimeter of the home could be concrete piers, or it may be a strong concrete footing throughout the perimeter of the home, which is what ours is. That is an previous image that I discovered of our home, taken earlier than we had the brand new sidewalk poured, earlier than I constructed the brand new steps and hand rails, and earlier than we had new home windows put in. However you’ll be able to see the strong concrete footing across the perimeter that’s above floor degree.

However the ground of our home doesn’t begin on high of that footing. As a result of simply above that concrete footing, you’ll see vents. These vents are venting our crawl area below the ground of our home.

So the ground of our home is someplace above these vents. You may see the place our entrance door is, and it opens degree with the ground in the home.

However not all pier and beam homes have that concrete footing across the perimeter. My grandmother’s home in east Texas (Henderson) didn’t have that, not less than not behind the home. Her crawl area was open to the surface. You would stand outdoors the home within the again and see below the home. My mother lastly blocked it with siding or one thing like that simply to maintain animals from getting below there, however it was open.

So with my grandmother’s home, as a result of the crawl area below her home was accessible from the surface, she didn’t want inside entry to her crawl area. However as a result of our home has the concrete footer round the entire perimeter, we’ve to have a scuttle gap inside our home to entry the crawl area. That gap is within the residence gymnasium ground within the closet space. This part of flooring within the nook of the closet space comes up if somebody must get below the home. And it’s a good squeeze to get below there!

So whereas the perimeter could be finished in numerous methods, the center of a pier and beam home is fairly normal. There are concrete piers spaced in response to regardless of the constructing code requires (or required when the home was constructed). After which spanning throughout these concrete piers are huge wooden beams. After which on high of the beams, perpendicular to the beams, are the ground joists. After which on high of the ground joists are the subfloor after which the flooring.

So right here’s a take a look at what was below our rest room ground as soon as we took out the hardwood flooring and the subfloor. Pay no consideration to the cinder blocks. I don’t know why these have been below there. They served no structural goal in any respect, and we eliminated them, in order that they’re now not below there. However from the bottom up, you see (1) concrete pier, (2) metallic shims (defined later), (3) wooden beams, (4) ground joists. After which on high of the ground joists can be (5) subfloor (i.e., plywood), and (6) flooring. You can too see one other vent beneath and to the fitting of the door. It appears like a white rectangle, however that’s a vent with daylight coming by way of.

Along with the construction, you’d even have issues like insulation and vapor barrier, in response to present constructing codes.

For instance, after I received prepared to rework our kitchen again in 2014, I knew I wished the kitchen organized in a very completely different structure than the unique. Within the unique kitchen, the sink was on the again wall that it shares with the sunroom.

And the fuel line was on the aspect the place the peninsula now could be. (That room past the wall is now the breakfast room/sitting room, with that door resulting in my studio)…

I knew I wished issues fully rearranged, so I had a plumber come out and put issues the place I wished them. He crawled below the home, and inside about two hours, he had the strains for the sink within the space the place the fuel line was within the picture above, and that space now appears like this…

And he moved the fuel line to the opposite aspect in order that I may have my range on the alternative wall. He additionally ran a water line for the fridge whereas he was below there.

Once more, that work took him and his helper about two hours, and price us about $500. After which he left, and I used to be able to DIY my new kitchen with the plumbing and fuel fully rearranged and proper the place I wished them.

Now evaluate that to my mother’s rest room transform. Her home is on a concrete slab basis. When she wished to rework and develop her grasp rest room and rearrange the position of the bathroom, the bathe, and the sinks, that required the contractor coming in with a jackhammer to bust up her slab basis. This was very exhausting work. It was work that produced mud that discovered its approach into her whole home, no matter how a lot they tried to dam off the work space. It was LOUD work. Right here’s what that course of regarded like…

After which as soon as that they had the brand new pipes the place they wanted to be, they pushed the dust again into the trenches, coated it with a moisture barrier, added rebar…

After which coated the world with new concrete.

That didn’t take two hours and price $500. 😀 I don’t keep in mind precisely how lengthy that took, however it was not less than a number of days. Possibly every week. Possibly longer. And paying for that labor price hundreds of {dollars}. There’s simply way more flexibility and ease with a pier and beam basis. And that’s true in relation to plumbing repairs as properly.

It’s true that pier and beam foundations might have to be leveled now and again, however once more, that may rely on local weather and soil circumstances. However that’s usually not tough work. Fundamental home leveling work is a matter of climbing below the home with some jacks and a few small metallic shims (which you noticed and I identified within the picture above of the inspiration below our rest room ground). When the employee inside the home finds a low spot (which he locates by merely utilizing a laser or bubble degree on the ground inside), the particular person below the home makes use of the jack to carry that beam up a bit and slide a metallic shim or two between the pier and the beam, leading to a degree ground.

And slab foundations aren’t proof against changing into unlevel. They’ll additionally crack, which is a typical drawback in our space with our soil and our lengthy, dry summers. There are numerous slab basis houses on this space of central Texas with cracked foundations. A few of them have massive cracks working clear from entrance to again down the center of the home, and fixing a cracked slab basis could be very pricey and time-consuming. It may be finished, however so many householders discover it to be completely cost-prohibitive, particularly contemplating that there’s no assure that it received’t occur once more, that they simply stay with the cracked basis and hope that it doesn’t trigger critical structural harm down the street.

The underside line is that pier and beam foundations are dearer to construct, however the upkeep and adaptability with them can save hundreds and hundreds of {dollars} over the lifetime of the home. Slab foundations are cheaper to construct, however the prices of restore and transforming could be very pricey over the lifetime of the home.

However once more, there are execs and cons to each. It’s actually only a matter of desire in case your space is one through which you’ve gotten a selection between the 2. And should you do have the selection, the selections have to be made with issues in thoughts which can be specific to your space, like the kind of soil, the local weather, and so on. What looks like a transparent winner to me based mostly on circumstances right here in central Texas will be the absolute mistaken resolution for somebody residing in very completely different circumstances.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.