slab vs basement home

The trouble with that is, it's more stuff in the slab that can't be maintained, and it's in the way if you need to go through the slab to get at something underneath.

I'd rather wear slippers.

You could say the same thing about an attached shed, or unfinished attic. You have "occupiable space". Space that you use but lie to the town about, and non-existant space. Where that space is isn't usually relevent, it's just a question of where the space will fit, how convenient it is, and how much it costs.

If you don't have to put in a full-depth foundation, it's likely to be cheaper to build up or sideways than down.

Yep. Just like an unusually large deck. If the weather in your area permits, it can be an inexpensive way of increasing the usable size of a house without having to pay for traditional building costs.

Agreed.

Forget billing and MLS. I'm talking real space to be used, no matter what you call it. or how you count it Taxes are based on value. You can have a

To each his own. It's not just a matter of having a warm floor. It is THE heat for the house.

I have a 1000sq/ft ranch with a full finished basement. So, in actuality, I have

Tony

I've never seen a tax based on square feet, but that does not mean it does not exist. Value is what is used in most every town. What does your tax bill read? There is probably a assessment for $xxx and a mil rate.

There is no advantage to either type of construction as far as taxes. What does matter is what works for you. When building your dream house, you decide what size kitchen you want. Then you determine how many bedrooms you need and how big they should be, how many baths, etc. That same amount of space can be configured many different ways, many different styles, with and without a basement.

Look at some older houses versus new. Bedrooms upstairs and laundry facilities in the basement. Dumb, huh? Seems even dumber as we get older and have to carry things up and down the steps. Newer designs are finally putting the laundry near the point of use.

Basements make nice work shops, Unless it is a walk out, you have to get everything up and down also. That works hop on ground level sounds much better. Some basements make good swimming pools, but that was never intended. Dry basements may be nice, but wet ones present problems.

Small lot? Stacking makes a lot of sense. Saves on roofing cost also as less area has to be covered. Better? Well painting up high is not as much fun as painting the same house spread out low. Each house has advantages To just say one is superior to another is silly as we all have different needs.

All right, Edwin- what is your floor system, if not slab or stickbuilt over basement/crawl/piers? Rammed earth? Cave with internal plumbing run along the walls? Bucky Dome with same? Inflatable? Inquiring minds want to know.

It wouldn't bother me living in a SIP or poured-concrete-in-foam-block house with all plumbing, HVAC, electric, etc, exposed on the inside walls. Make changes and upkeep a lot easier, and failure points easier to find.

aem sends...

I have a raised ranch. Sometimes called a split entry. If you come in the front door, you are in a foyer and have to either go up to the living room or down to the family room. Well, I guess you cold just stand in the foyer but that is not very sociable.

The lower level is a slab. The lower level has a bedroom/office/ whateverroom and bathroom in the front of the house. On the back side is the utility/storage areas of about 500 square feet. The large family room is at one end of the house and in some designs would have been a two car garage, but we have a detached garage instead. When I moved in, the walls in the utility area were unfinished, as is the ceiling. Plumbing to the lower level bath runs across the ceiling, into the finished part and down to the fixtures. The kitchen, another bath, bedrooms are on the upper level. Plumbing for the kitchen and bath are in the ceiling of the utility area making them easily accessible. I have the water filter for the kitchen mounted on the joists in the utility area, right under the sink. Very easy to get at instead of trying to squeeze into a sink cabinet.

The raised ranch is a combination of slab and regular ranch basement construction. You can walk into my family room on the lower level from the driveway. The back of the house is at ground level. The front of the house is graded in such a way that the windows are exposed, as is about a foot of foundation below them. It is stick built on top of a 4' concrete foundation.

In the back of the house I have a deck off of the kitchen. Since the kitchen is on the upper level, the deck is also 8' off the ground. Given the height, I have a shaded patio under the deck too, doubling my outdoor living space. Gas grill up on the deck, wood fire pit right off the patio.

My wife has CHF and cannot take steps very well. With our configuration, it is easy for her to spend the entire day downstairs where there is a refrigerator, microwave, full bath and laundry. She only have to take the steps once a day to go to bed. I could make my office back into a bedroom and even eliminate that.

Liz,

One issue you may want to consider is with either type of house you want to have storm protection. ANY house should have somewhere where your family can go for an extended time when the weather is turning dangerous. In a basement, everyone can go and sleep there until the danger is gone...it is alot harder to sleep in a closet in a slab house. Considering the destructive power of a tornado (note the latest school disaster), I would consider it to be a requirement in any house I would live in that is in an area prone to tornadoes.

Good luck with the house hunt.

TMT

Valid point, but . . . .If you live in Florida, you could drown in a basement. Take a look at