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Home Builders - Slab vs. Pier & Beam

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    #16
    When I build it will be pier and beam. I just like them

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      #17
      I have lived in P&B houses my whole life except for 4 years. During that 4 years I had back pains the entire time. When I built the log house we live in now I built it on P&B. There is a 16" beam all the way around the house with access from the out side as well as from the inside in a closet. I had 12 yds. of washed smooth pea gravel dumped inside the beams and spread out. Then when the floor was framed I installed lights before decking. We've lived here 12 years now and it is as clean under the house as the day we built it. My wife stores her canned goods under there. It is 24" high on the high side and 50" high on the low side. When I did the plimbing it was comfortable and easy to do it and all of it is easily accessable still. No worries of termites or other bugs, snakes or mice as it is closed up tight. It was about 15% more than a slab though. I didn't mind as it was for MY house. I wouldn't have it any other way.

      Remember, houses on slabs are a termites best friend.

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        #18
        You can ask 100 differnt builders and get 150 different answers. I build a few house a yr too on my time off from the FD. The P&B will be more friendly for repair if you have to but, initially more cost. I don't know enough guys whre I am that I would feel comfortable doing them. All mine are on slabs with piers drilled through 2 soil changes or until bed rock is hit. We put 5/8" steel in the beams and 3/8" through the remainder of the slab. Also make sure that the beam steel is not tied into the pier steel and that ALL the dirt is cleaned of the piers before the concrete starts going down the ditches. I did see one post on post tension which I hate. Many city codes have went to making the slabs be set by a engineer(mostof which wouldnt know how to pour concrete if it depended on their life) IMO an engineered plan is worth less than the paper is printed on. I have done 1 post tension slab and it will also be my last! They are designed to break. It breaks on one side, tension on the cables pulls the break back together and usually(the one I did) breaks it somewhere else. If you read the fine print there is always some way for the engineer to get out of the warranty/gaurantee. Mostly entire lot but be level with less than 5% grade over the entire lot. How many places can you get that on? If you do achieve it, it wont be anymore after the first rain. The only guarantee on concrete in Texas, no matter if slab or pier and beam is that it will get hard and crack! Again, I am just giving my opinions and am by no means stepping on others toes who do it a different way. I'm sure whichever way you do it works for you as mine does for me. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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          #19
          Originally posted by hweissert View Post
          You can ask 100 differnt builders and get 150 different answers.
          This is probably your most accurate answer, lol. I think you should build it how you want, and what you would be comfortable with. I agree w/ hw- you'll get so many different answers that you'll be more confused in the end, lol.

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