Slab Homes

It often happens as a client is looking for the best priced property in an area that the subject of slab homes arises.  They are generally on the market longer, are priced less per square foot, and often have an attractive floor plan.  There has been a stigma in the St Louis area against slab houses since construction first started in downtown St Louis years ago.  The following is an article from Zillow that offers an insight into the subject.

Basements Aren’t Much More Costly to Build Than Crawl Spaces

Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:39 AM PST

In some parts of the US, the question of what’s going on under the main floor is irrelevant. There are few basements or crawl spaces in the desert southwest, the Alaskan tundra, or anywhere else where it’s not practical to excavate a foundation.

But here in Midwestern America, it’s a frequent concern.

Most homes I design or add to have at least a partial basement; the real questions are whether to excavate an entire basement, or just part of one, and how deep?

Do You Have to Dig At All?

Much of the northern half of the U.S. is in the temperate or cold climate zones, where the ground can freeze to several feet below the surface. When soil freezes, it expands and pushes upwards, a condition called “heaving”.

If your home’s foundation sits on top of heaving soil, it gets pushed up, too, damaging the foundation and the house above it. Heaving damage is prevented by digging the foundation to below the “frost line,” where the soil stays too warm to freeze.

And that’s a building code issue. So yes, you probably have to dig, but how deep?

 

A typical crawl space has 18'' to 30'' of clearance.

 How Much Deeper is a Basement than a Crawl Space?

How deep your foundation should be depends on the calculated frost depth for your area. In my climate (Ohio), it’s around 32 inches. Which means by the time you’ve dug the foundation and met other foundation codes, you’ve already got several feet of crawl space by default.

If you build your crawl space properly, you’ve also already got a gravel base several inches deep, insulation, and drainage – much of what you’d need for a fully excavated basement.

And that’s what a basement is, really – a very deep crawl space.

So with most of the parts in place, it’s a matter of digging down another five or six feet, pouring a concrete slab, and waterproofing the exterior (for you other architects, builders, engineers, and code officials out there: Yes, there’s more to it than that, I know).

What’s the Bottom Line?

If the soil and climate conditions are right, I always recommend a full basement for new homes I design. It’s a lot of additional storage space for a relatively small amount of money, and besides, you can’t really come back and add a basement later if you change your mind!

For existing homes with only a crawl space, adding a room with a basement is usually difficult and expensive – and the new space probably isn’t big enough to justify the cost. For homes that already have one, a basement under a new addition usually makes sense.

Obviously, a basement’s going to cost more to build than a crawl space. But since most of the equipment, manpower, and materials are all already on site, it’s an efficient use of resources.
And a basement’s probably the cheapest space in the house; after all, you’re already going to build part of it anyway, right?

What’s most common in your area? Do you use your basement for storage or have you finished it off? Is your crawl space dark and damp? Or do you have a dry crawl space you use for storage?

Richard Taylor is a residential architect based in Dublin, Ohio and is a contributor to Zillow Blog. Connect with him at http://www.rtastudio.com/index.htm.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow. 

It is a great time to buy.

Mortgage rates are low, sellers are motivated, owning a home is a great investment in your future, and can lead to many years of happy memories.

A home not only provides financial benefits but it also provides shelter and security to families. Did you know that:

Home owners move less often and are more likely to vote and volunteer time for political and charitable causes than renters?

Children of homeowners tend to perform better in school and attain higher levels of education than children of parents who do not own a home?

Dollar for dollar, the rate of return on an individual’s cash down payment on a house is substantial? Given the leverage in purchasing a home, the average return on a 5% down payment over 10 years is usually three to five times greater than stock market returns?

When you own a home you may be able to deduct the property taxes and mortgage interest from your income taxes?

In most cases the gains that you make when you sell your primary residence are tax free?

When Buying a  House

Thou Shalt Not

Quit your job, change jobs, or become self employed.

Buy a car or van.  Even when shopping car dealers accessing your credit pushes it down.

Use charge cards for large purchases, or fall behind on payments.

Spend the cash you will need for closing (downpayment, insurance, repairs, moving, etc)

Forget, omit, lie about, or conceal information needed to obtain financing.

Make large purchases for your new home (furniture, riding lawn mowers, outdoor grills, etc)

Allow credit inquiries to the credit agencies while shopping for anything.

Make transfers, deposits, withdrawals of large sums from accounts without talking to your lender.

Change accounts, open credit, close credit to add information to the credit bureaus.

Allow others to use your credit or co sign for another.

Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood

The neighborhood you choose can have a big impact on your lifestyle—safety, available amenities, and convenience all play their part.

1. Make a list of the activities—movies, health club, church—you engage in regularly and stores you visit frequently. See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engaging in your most common activities.

2. Check out the school district. The Department of Education in your town can probably provide information on test scores, class size, percentage of students who attend college, and special enrichment programs. If you have school-age children, also consider paying a visit to schools in the neighborhoods you’re considering. Even if you don’t have children, a house in a good school district will be easier to sell in the future.

3. Find out if the neighborhood is safe. Ask the police department for neighborhood crime statistics. Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type—burglaries, armed robberies—and the trend of increasing or decreasing crime. Also, is crime centered in only one part of the neighborhood, such as near a retail area?

4. Determine if the neighborhood is economically stable. Check with your local city economic development office to see if income and property values in the neighborhood are stable or rising. What is the percentage of homes to apartments? Apartments don’t necessarily diminish value, but they do mean a more transient population. Do you see vacant businesses or homes that have been for sale for months?

5. See if you’ll make money. Ask a local REALTOR^Ò or call the local REALTOR^Ò association to get information about price appreciation trends in the neighborhood. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, this information may give you a sense of how good an investment your home will be. A REALTOR^Ò or the government planning agency also may be able to tell you about planned developments or other changes in the neighborhood—like a new school or highway—that might affect value.

6. See for yourself. Once you’ve narrowed your focus to two or three neighborhoods, go there, and walk around. Are homes tidy and well maintained? Are streets quiet? Pick a warm day if you can and chat with people working or playing outside. Are they friendly? Are their children to play with your family?