Part IV: Different Types of Home Foundations and When to Us
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Article by: Mark Mathis The foundation is the first piece of a home , How to Care for Cut Flowers to be constructed and creates a base for the rest of a home's components. There are three types of foundations that are commonly used in the U.S.: slab, crawlspace, and basement. , Adding a Fireplace Mantel. Slab Foundation Slab is a type of foundation consisting of a structural concrete , Choosing Beautiful Furniture for you Home! slab poured directly on the grade. No accessible space exists in slab construction. Slab foundations are popular in areas (i.e. the Southern United States) where there is a relatively high water , Daylily: A Perennial Favorite table. (Water table refers to the depth in the soil , The Swallowtail -- A Beautiful Butterfly at which you find water). Crawlspace Foundation A crawlspace is an accessible space with limited headroom, typically between the soil , Enjoying holiday poinsettias year-round, indoors and out and the bottom of the first floor , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art of a home. , Enjoying holiday poinsettias year-round, indoors and out Crawlspace construction is predominant in areas where there is heavy clay content in the soil. , Liles for the garden Basement Foundation A basement , A Look at Electrician Training is an accessible space between the soil , The Swallowtail -- A Beautiful Butterfly and the bottom of the first floor , CONSTRUCTION LOAN BASICS of a home. , Building A Garage Addition To Your It usually has more headroom than a crawlspace. Basement , Choosing a Carpet Cleaning Company foundation construction is predominant in cold , Ornamental Plants That Improve Bird Habitats climates where the foundation needs to be situated below the frost level. All three foundation types are usually constructed out of concrete, , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art but can also use concrete , Add Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers masonry units or insulated concrete , Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves forms. Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) are hollow, concrete , Practicing Safe Pest Control In Your Garden blocks. To create the foundation wall, , Purchasing framed art for your home or office mortar is used between blocks to hold them together, forming the wall. , Enjoying holiday poinsettias year-round, indoors and out Insulated Concrete , A Look at Electrician Training Forms (ICFs) are made of rigid foam insulation forms (a system of support assemblies, including mold, hardware, , Add Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers and necessary bracing to hold concrete) into which concrete , Choosing Beautiful Furniture for you Home! is poured. Once the concrete , Make you'r home look good with a floor rug has gained its full strength, the outside , Hosepipes- will you face a ban this summer? forms, the inside , The Swallowtail -- A Beautiful Butterfly forms, or both are left in place , Add Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers to insulate the wall. , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art ICFs are common in regions in which the local , Easy Fall Plant Propagation Techniques building code requires the foundation to be insulated. Another benefit is that the homeowner or builder is able to finish basement , Easy Fall Plant Propagation Techniques immediately, without adding studs. Choosing the Type of Foundation: Homeowners and builders make decisions about which type of foundation to use by gauging cost, needs/desires, and soil , The Benefits Of Agricultural Biotechnology and weather , How to Grow Red Oak Trees Near Easton, PA conditions. If you have high water , Hosepipes- will you face a ban this summer? tables then it may not be possible to have a basement. , To Glue or Not to Glue? If your land has shallow bedrock or boulders then it may be more costly to dig a basement. , Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves If you have a sloping lot it may be difficult to use a slab foundation. If you have a cold , Ornamental Plants That Improve Bird Habitats climate then you may need to dig down at least four or more feet to put the home's footings below frost level. If you have to go at least four feet deep then it may be worth spending some extra money to dig a few feet deeper and have a full basement. , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art Also, it is easier to install and maintain mechanical systems in basements , To Glue or Not to Glue? (compared to a crawlspace). Your builder can help you determine what type of foundation is best suited for your area. The choice of foundation is also affected by personal preferences and costs. Basements , Adding a Fireplace Mantel. can add thousands of dollars to the cost of a home , More About Butterfly Gardening compared to the cost of a crawlspace. However, when you consider the extra useable space created by a basement , Storm Warnings For Ponds it is some of the cheapest square footage space of a home. , Robot Lawn Mowers: More Than Your Usual Mower If you are tight on funds and can't afford the basement , Easy Fall Plant Propagation Techniques then it may be a good idea to find a slightly smaller plan , Make you'r home look good with a floor rug and use the savings to create a basement. , Adding a Fireplace Mantel. You'll end up with a lot more storage space and potential living space by doing this. Changing the Type of Foundation on your home: Almost any house , Make you'r home look good with a floor rug plan can have its foundation changed. It's common for people to design , Storm Warnings For Ponds a different foundation if the available foundations do not suit their needs. If you are currently working with a builder you may want to ask them if they will take care of making the foundation changes , Building A Garage Addition To Your Home for you. Sometimes with foundation design , Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves it may be helpful for somebody who is near you to do those changes , How to Care for Cut Flowers because they will have more knowledge about your local , Daylily: A Perennial Favorite soil conditions and the slope of your lot. When changing foundation types, pay attention to where you will put the furnace, water , Choosing a Carpet Cleaning Company heater, and stairs. If you need to add basement , Robot Lawn Mowers: More Than Your Usual Mower stairs, the basement , Liles for the garden stairs can usually be put under other stairways or you may be able to replace a closet or small room , customizable metal pegboard with basement , Outdoor life and garden living stairs. Another common place , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art to put basement , customizable metal pegboard stairs is to replace a mechanical room , Building A Garage Addition To Your Home with stairs and move the mechanical items (such as the furnace and water , The Benefits Of Agricultural Biotechnology heater) to the basement. , Easy Fall Plant Propagation Techniques Sometimes space near the laundry room, , The Making of a Slipcover: A Lost Art or space near the garage , Feng Shui in the Garden can be used for a basement , October in the Flower Garden - Preparing for Winter stairs. Larger walk-in closets are sometimes reduced in size to allow space for basement , Stair Railings For Home Decorating stairs. You can often add a basement , Practicing Safe Pest Control In Your Garden stairs to a plan , Easy Fall t Propagation Techniques without increasing the size of the plan. , Choosing a Pond or Fountain Light: LED or Halogen? However, sometimes space may need to be added to a plan , Feng Shui in the Garden to provide room , Battery Powered Chainsaws for a basement , Ornamental Plants That Improve Bird Habitats stairs. It should be noted that it is the owner's full responsibility to check with his/her local , Storm Warnings For Ponds and state building , A Garage Addition To Your Home authorities, his/her builder, and the designer , How to Build a Home Sauna of the house , The right Shower Curtain will make your bathroom look great! plan to ensure that the home , How to Transplant Irises meets all applicable building , Enjoying holiday poinsettias year-round, indoors and out codes and requirements. About the author: Mark Mathis is a building designer , Daylily: A Perennial Favorite and publisher of several stock house , Feng Shui in the Garden plan websites and informational resources including http://www.HousePlanCentral.com, http://www.HousePlanGallery.com, and http://www.moneytalks-bswalks.com. Be sure to visit each site and subscribe to our eNewsletters to receive special offers, promotions, and subscriber-only features. , To Glue or Not to Glue? |
  
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