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

Okay, effectively, which may be overstating it only a bit. Or so much. I simply thought I’d begin my day by getting a few of you riled up. I’m feeling a bit feisty right this moment. 😀 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 reality, the kind of basis required (or allowed) for a home will largely depend upon issues like (1) location and normal constructing practices for that space, (2) the local weather of a selected 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 dwell in a pier and beam home, and not less than one particular person was very shocked by that and puzzled what my reasoning is for that call, I assumed I’d share my ideas and experiences in a publish fairly than a remark.

I occur to dwell 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 needed a pier and beam home. And I’d 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 underneath the ground of the home that an individual can get underneath there and crawl round (therefore the identify “crawl house”).

However the flooring 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 house underneath 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 house was open to the surface. You may stand exterior the home within the again and see underneath the home. My mother lastly blocked it with siding or one thing like that simply to maintain animals from getting underneath there, however it was open.

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

So whereas the perimeter may be achieved in several methods, the center of a pier and beam home is fairly normal. There are concrete piers spaced in keeping with regardless of the constructing code requires (or required when the home was constructed). After which spanning throughout these concrete piers are massive 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 have a look at what was underneath our rest room flooring as soon as we took out the hardwood flooring and the subfloor. Pay no consideration to the cinder blocks. I do not know why these had been underneath there. They served no structural goal in any respect, and we eliminated them, so that they’re not underneath there. However from the bottom up, you see (1) concrete pier, (2) metallic shims (defined later), (3) wooden beams, (4) flooring joists. After which on high of the ground joists could be (5) subfloor (i.e., plywood), and (6) flooring. It’s also possible to see one other vent beneath and to the best of the door. It seems to be like a white rectangle, however that’s a vent with daylight coming via.

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

For instance, after I obtained prepared to transform our kitchen again in 2014, I knew I needed the kitchen organized in a totally 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’s. (That room past the wall is now the breakfast room/sitting room, with that door resulting in my studio)…

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

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

Now evaluate that to my mother’s rest room transform. Her home is on a concrete slab basis. When she needed to transform 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 manner into her total 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 seemed 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 realm with new concrete.

That didn’t take two hours and price $500. 😀 I don’t bear in mind precisely how lengthy that took, however it was not less than a couple of days. Perhaps per week. Perhaps longer. And paying for that labor price 1000’s of {dollars}. There’s simply much more flexibility and ease with a pier and beam basis. And that’s true in terms of plumbing repairs as effectively.

It’s true that pier and beam foundations might must be leveled from time to time, however once more, that may depend upon local weather and soil circumstances. However that’s typically not troublesome work. Primary home leveling work is a matter of climbing underneath the home with some jacks and a few small metallic shims (which you noticed and I identified within the picture above of the inspiration underneath our rest room flooring). 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 underneath 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 flooring.

And slab foundations aren’t proof against turning into unlevel. They’ll additionally crack, which is a standard drawback in our space with our soil and our lengthy, dry summers. There are numerous slab basis properties 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 may be very expensive and time-consuming. It may be achieved, however so many householders discover it to be completely cost-prohibitive, particularly contemplating that there’s no assure that it gained’t occur once more, that they simply dwell with the cracked basis and hope that it doesn’t trigger severe structural injury down the highway.

The underside line is that pier and beam foundations are costlier to construct, however the upkeep and suppleness with them can save 1000’s and 1000’s of {dollars} over the lifetime of the home. Slab foundations are cheaper to construct, however the prices of restore and transforming may be very expensive over the lifetime of the home.

However once more, there are professionals and cons to each. It’s actually only a matter of choice in case your space is one during which you’ve got a selection between the 2. And if you happen to do have the selection, the choices must be made with issues in thoughts which might be specific to your space, like the kind of soil, the local weather, and many others. What looks like a transparent winner to me based mostly on circumstances right here in central Texas often is the absolute incorrect choice 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 beautify 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.