A little off topic, but think those on this site may be a good judge. What are the up and downsides of a slab home other than the obvious storage advantage. My husband and I are thinking of moving and have found some homes we liked that were on slab. We have always lived in a house with basement , but now could live without a basement. We live in metro Atlanta. Thanks Liz
You mentioned where you live now, but not where you want to move next. If it's someplace with an actual winter for 3-5 months per year, you will grow to hate a slab home. Nice, cold floors. They're a blessing in Puerto Rico. They're a curse in upstate New York.
It really depends on where you are. Look around. Are most new homes with basements in your area, if so go that way. If most are slabs, then that is likely the best choice in your area.
NO ONE EVER HAS ENOUGH STORAGE SPACE:(
Wonder why slab homes are cheaper? Because resale will be less too.
Saves a little on construction, makes maintence a nightmare.......
Joseph, you nailed it! Here in southwest FL, there is only one choice. When there is a choice, balance your desires with what works best.
Personally, I'd prefer a house on piers to one on a slab.
That's not a choice, in most places here. Piers are common here only on the water lots. Gulf, bay, canals, rivers, and so on.
Thanks for all the pros and cons. Guess I should have mentioned that we will be staying in the Atlanta area. Just moving to another neighborhood . I'd say 30 percent on the homes in our area are slab, so we'll now have some considerations to judge. Thanks again
What are the up and downsides of
Hi Liz;
I currently own two homes in Va. One is on a slab and the other is on a crawl space. I will probably never buy a home again on a slab. It is too much money to get anything done. With a crawl space you can go under the house and run a cable line to a specific wall very easily. You can do the same with water and sewage. This is much harder on a slab. If you ever need any work done...you will really pay for it if someone has to dig up the concrete to get to a sewage line.
Good Luck Pat
And have radiant heat tubing in them.
What extra living area? If a slab house is one story and 2000 square feet, it has the same area as a house with 2000 square feet spread over a basement and first floor. It comes down to what layout you prefer and what fits the lot it is constructed on. If the lot has ledge you don't get a basement. If the lot has a shallow water table, you don't get a basement.
Differences to consider are cost of heating a one level versus a multi level and cost of roof replacement of a house spread out with a lot of roof versus one with half the area and stacked. Stairs versus no stairs and privacy of bedrooms on a multilevel.
MANY people finish most of the basement for added living area.....
Basements can be finished or semi-finished to allow for laundry, games, TV, entertainment and storage. That space doesn't show up in the MLS as living area, but is very useable.
But if you have the same amount of space on the same floor, the difference is???? A square foot is a square foot.
So what? A 1000 square foot house with basement has the same usable space as a 2000 square foot house on a slab. A square foot is a square foot, counted or not. The fact that some of the space is below grade does not make it any better to use than the same space on the same level. Why would you want to cart the laundry up and down the stairs when it can be done on the same level? Why would you want to drag stuff up from the basement when it can be stored on the same level?
Thee maybe other reasons to prefer one type over the other, but total space is not one of them. You can build a 40,000 square foot house on a slab if you want, or you can have a 500 square foot house with a basement.
Many of the pro and con reasons given in this thread are meaningless.
Slabs make cold floors? Not always, they can be built with insulation and even radiant heat.
Ease of running utilities? Not if the basement is finished or the house is two stories. OTOH, if there is an open utility area, cable can be run just as easy and plumbing access is just as simple.
The deciding factor is personal preference for design, cost of construction, total space that is needed, physical limitations,. I have had both and like both, but I'd not say one if definitely "better" than the other.
No it isn't. A 2000 sq ft house with a slab is considered the same as a 2000 sq ft house on a basement for tax and MLS purposes. In new construction, basements are not typically billed at the same rate as above grade construction.
Typo. Make that "A 2000 sq ft home with a basement is NOT considered the same as a 2000 sq ft home on a slab..."
This varies by jurisdiction -- some tax assessments do include the basement in calculating value, often distinguishing finished and unfinished basement square footage as well.
The taxable value of a 2000 square foot home with 2000 square feet of basement (4000 square feet of total living space) will be higher than a
2000 square foot on a slab or crawlspace in many jurisdictions.
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