Basement vs. Crawlspace in New England
inky_2007
17 years ago
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cordovamom
17 years agosue36
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Please critique the foundation plan (New England)
Comments (6)scone911--it will go to a structural engineer, but as you know there are numerous ways to meet code. There are always other considerations including cost, issues down the road with one choice vs another that may not be immediately apparent. I posted this to solicit the sort of helpful insights from well informed homeowners and professionals that would assist in deciding between options when either might be recommended by a professional, for example, rigid foam vs closed cell insulation, or gypsum vs concrete board. Both are acceptable and both meet code and any given architect or engineer may specify one or the other but that does not imply that they are interchangeable. In general, as I think this and other boards demonstrate, the polite exchange of thoughtful and informed opinions can be very helpful in coming to a good decision and asking the right questions of the professionals one hires....See MoreBuilding in Maine - basement, slab, or crawlspace?
Comments (27)"Basements Vs slabs", Practically all basements have slabs and most of them have plumbing underneath, same for 99.99% of commercial buildings. Not building a slab (or basement) for plumbing fears is typical for DIY types unfamiliar with concrete work. Designed and built right, there should be no reason to tear up the concrete in one's lifetime. If it does need to be redone, it's still light construction and not a problem for professional contractors. Building a basement or crawlspace below variable water tables can be appropriate if there is enough topography to daylight the drainage. Relying on pumps is a recipe for eventual failure. The wetter the site, the bigger the concern. Daylighted drainage that works by gravity, should be designed well, with plenty of clean gravel, silt protection and cleanouts. If your builder or grader shows up with corrugated, single wall PE, better call in an experienced civil engineer. It sounds like your lot is ideal for a stemwall slab, basically a crawlspace filled with compacted fill or better yet clean gravel and topped with a slab. This elevates the slab and provides gravity proven drainage below. Worthy's FPSF suggestion is also worth a look if your lot is really that flat. Slabs have better building science fundamentals being a well defined boundary (drainage, air barrier, insulation) between the elements and living space. Crawls are more confused. Vented crawlspaces in humid climates (east of MS) should be illegal, and if you decide to go unvented, ensure the entire crawl floor slopes to a daylighted drain. With a good design team, forced-air ductwork does not have to go in a basement, crawlspace or attic....See MoreBasement and Crawlspace Dehumidification
Comments (2)To begin with, the crawlspaces and basement are not constructed optimally. (Though if you have no problems and they've been that way for years, why change?) There's no reason ever for basement windows to be open--unless you're escaping a fire perhaps. Once basement dehumidifiers stop accumulating water in the winter, no point on keeping them on. On the matter of crawls and basements, Building Science Corp. summarizes the best information available. (There is evidence though that in the Pacific Northwest open crawls can work well. Until recently, Washington state even prohibited conditioned crawls.)...See MoreWalk out basement vs single level crawlspace
Comments (4)OK now i'm learning, haha. I had never noticed or heard of the daylight with walk up door basement before. I'm mostly familiar with the full above ground walkout. That is an interesting option. Also I had assumed they could move the dirt around to make both levels walk out on grade, but now i see that would be an awful lot of dirt/expense. Or dig deeper so the back door is at grade, then put retaining walls on either side of the lower walk out door? That sounds a bit exessive too. I don't mind a few steps down in the back of the upper level, maybe I can minimize this by going more rectangle shaped. Say 34' deep into the hill by 22' wide gets me up to a 5' drop front to back. Thanks again for taking time to show me the grade sketches. I had an old F150 3 on the tree... loved that truck!...See Moretheroselvr
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