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Home Builders - Slab vs. Pier & Beam

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    Home Builders - Slab vs. Pier & Beam

    I grew up in a house that was built on slab, wife and I are planning our new home and I was wondering if I could get input from the GS braintrust on the pro's and con's of each.

    Thanks.

    #2
    Slab is less expensive to pour but more expensive to repair.
    P&B is great for future repairs and easier to level.
    Keep foundation watered. Clay expands when it gets wet and contracts when it gets dry causing slabs to crack. Check with county extension agent about the type of soil in your area.

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      #3
      It's getting harder and harder to find good contractors that know how to do a pier and beam foundation. Consider it carefully.

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        #4
        Me personally, I would always do a slab. Besides it does not matter how much room is underneath the house on a P&B, I am too claustrophobic to crawl underneath one!

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          #5
          i wouldnt build a pier and beam unless absolutely necessary.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Mudslinger View Post
            Me personally, I would always do a slab. Besides it does not matter how much room is underneath the house on a P&B, I am too claustrophobic to crawl underneath one!
            Plus there's spiders and snakes under there!! I jut like the sound of walking in a P&B house. Told my wife I wanted to look into how an 1850's house was built in Texas and try and match that, she wasn't very excited about my idea to say the least...

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              #7
              I'd go slab and then implement a simple slab maintenance routine. You can google concrete slab maintenance and see the different options for maintenance.

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                #8
                Originally posted by JES View Post
                Plus there's spiders and snakes under there!! I jut like the sound of walking in a P&B house. Told my wife I wanted to look into how an 1850's house was built in Texas and try and match that, she wasn't very excited about my idea to say the least...


                Hire a real drunken/blind/crappy wood floor installer and you can get the same effect for reeeeeel cheep.

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                  #9
                  One other thing. The foundation is about the only thing that's cheaper with a pier and beam. The framing material, frame labor, etc. is mo' money. Check it ALL out very carefully.

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                    #10
                    I have this discussion regularly with new clients. Pier and beam is far superior to slab on grade, especially in N Texas due to our expansive soils. It is considerably more expensive, especially depending on the home you intend to build. There are many variables to consider that I don't have all the info to help more.

                    One way to look at is this-

                    Slab on grade- say a 2500sf slab at $5.00 psf = $12,500. Slab is down, ready to set bottom plate and wall up.

                    P&B- Same 2500sf. All wags w/o more info.

                    Piers - $7500
                    Floor system /trusses / subfloor - $7000
                    Carpenter labor to set floor system subfloor - $6250

                    $20,750 to get to setting plates and walling up.

                    Once again, there are so many variables to give any good advice, but I can tell you that it will typically add $5- $8 per sf to the build cost. A typical slab is in that range too, so it is pretty close to say it would double your foundation cost.

                    If you go with P&B make sure your builders trades are experienced with P&B, there are differences in the way certain things are done, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, insulation etc.

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                      #11
                      I would never build a home on pier and beam, too many issues with them. Get an engineered slab poured with post tension cables and possibly piers if the soil calls for it. With proper soil moisture, a slab will float as a unit and you won't have the issues with doors not opening and leveling issues. I have been a home builder for the last 10+ years and it is just not worth it to do pier and beam.

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                        #12
                        Slab cost vary with terrian, The steeper the slope the more dirt work and concrete. I personally built a P&B. Not because of price but I prefer the slight give that a P&B gives you compared to hard concrete. I did 90% of the labor on the house myself or volunteer. P&B gave me the time to do my plumbing on my schedule without having a contractor waiting on me. I was not going to tackle a 2700 ft slab with volunteer labor.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Extremebowman View Post
                          I have this discussion regularly with new clients. Pier and beam is far superior to slab on grade, especially in N Texas due to our expansive soils......

                          If you go with P&B make sure your builders trades are experienced with P&B, there are differences in the way certain things are done, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, insulation etc.

                          this also applies to the Houston area.

                          very informative post, he gets it


                          Slabs are used because they are cheaper, not better.

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                            #14
                            pier and beam for me.

                            slabs are cheaper, not better.

                            I've got a $200 fluid leveler and a bottle jack so I can repair anything on the foundation in about an hour....no shovel required!

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                              #15
                              Here in E. Texas there are a lot of houses that have been around for 50 to 75 years that are on P&B. P&B has been around lots longer!! ( I own a slab).
                              I think the main thing is the type of soil you're going to build on.

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