evan9381 Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Like Beer30 said, also great for access to crap on the main floor. this is the other reason i wasnt happy with my slab...when i remodeled my kitchen, i wanted to move my sink, but with the drain pipe and water lines encased in cement, that would have consisted of jackhammering the shit out of my kitchen...it was already gutted so it wouldnt have been a HUGE deal, but not something i wanted to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRN96WS6 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 I have a crawl now and hate it....wish I went with either a slab or a basement. It feels more flimsy on the floors to me with the crawl and I like how my parents home first floor feels with the full basement. The only benefit of a crawl is that it makes running wires easier and that you can easily repair water lines, same with a full basement but if you have a slab potentially you could have lines in your slab and when they break bad news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 We built a new slab last year and like it very much. Of course we would have preferred a full basement but we did not want to sacrifice location and features for the basement. We do not have a storage issue, but we are just a couple, and 2 dogs. No kids. Ours is a 3 bedroom 2 story 1400sq ft house. We have a storage closet in the utility room with heater and a/c, an attic over one of the spare bedrooms and one in the garage. Tons of storage space. I would say it would take a kid for us to feel annoyed at the space issue. If you are looking short term, nothing wrong with a slab. Long term, go full basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Full, unfinished basement is the way to go. Only thing to keep in mind is there will be issues with it, either with water or with the walls moving or cracking. As long as you are able to budget for that, then go that route. It makes the floors upstairs warm, keeps noisy appliances away from you, and allows you to run cable to pipes or whatever you want with ease. I have a crawlspace which I can still run cable under, but doing a military crawl through gravel in the dark isn't much fun. Bingo. :nod: I would just add that it's tempting to begin improving the space, but it makes the most sense to keep it unfinished except for possibly some basic storage and a tornado shelter. It's a very rare basement that doesn't eventually develop moisture issues of some sort. Mold, mildew, and radon gas can cause insidious health problems in any home, but I believe they are more likely to do so in homes with basements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 So far looking at full basment or slab from the sound of things. We have also seen a lot of houses that have a paratial basement with a partial crawl. The only thing I don't like about slab is the lack shelter from bad weather, and the access to pipes. It looks like I might have to give up the two car garage dream for a basement in our price range maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Feels like a bowling alley down there.... How long's a bowling alley? I've got (2) 12ft wide x 36ft long rooms in my basement, definitely notice the long and narrow effect, but hey, better than not having one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 So far looking at full basment or slab from the sound of things. We have also seen a lot of houses that have a paratial basement with a partial crawl. The only thing I don't like about slab is the lack shelter from bad weather, and the access to pipes. It looks like I might have to give up the two car garage dream for a basement in our price range maybe Thats the problem. At our range of tops 170 (very upper limit) it was impossible to find everything we wanted. Sacrifice is a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Bingo. :nod: I would just add that it's tempting to begin improving the space, but it makes the most sense to keep it unfinished except for possibly some basic storage and a tornado shelter. It's a very rare basement that doesn't eventually develop moisture issues of some sort. Mold, mildew, and radon gas can cause insidious health problems in any home, but I believe they are more likely to do so in homes with basements. Depends on the how the land was prepared and the house built. We've had our house since it was 10yrs old, full basement, was unfinished. We decided to make the investment since it's always been great and never had any moisture or cracks. Been 7 years since the theater went in and even now, the humidity down there reads very low. Even when we leave the windows open during the summer the humidity rarely goes above 50%. Anything more and the dehumidifier will kick on. However, it rarely ever does. I would never build without a full basement. We;ve added over 1,100 sq ft of living space, a huge full laundry area, storage space and work room to our home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 We built a new slab last year and like it very much. Of course we would have preferred a full basement but we did not want to sacrifice location and features for the basement. We do not have a storage issue, but we are just a couple, and 2 dogs. No kids. Ours is a 3 bedroom 2 story 1400sq ft house. We have a storage closet in the utility room with heater and a/c, an attic over one of the spare bedrooms and one in the garage. Tons of storage space. I would say it would take a kid for us to feel annoyed at the space issue. If you are looking short term, nothing wrong with a slab. Long term, go full basement. You've only been there a year or so. Give it time. There is a reason very few houses in my neighborhood can park both cars in the garage. we have the same type of setup with a large storage closet and a full attic space over the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 We have a split level full finished basement. It is built on side of hill and we love our basement. Spend 90% of our time down here. Stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. That being said the back wall had to be replaced about 6 years ago. House is roughly 35-40 years old. (to lazy to go actually look) Also as a side note. Make sure you check out the heating/ac system by someone "you" know and trust. Our house had been inspected multiple times and said was ok. I have a friend who is a fire safety / hvac friend and he looked at my furnance for me and pointed out many problems that the inspector missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 You've only been there a year or so. Give it time. There is a reason very few houses in my neighborhood can park both cars in the garage. we have the same type of setup with a large storage closet and a full attic space over the garage. Honestly I just don't see how we could double the stuff that needs stored without having a kid, no matter how many years we live. We are not pack rats. We throw stuff out or give it away. I am sure you are right though. More time equals more stuff, but I just don't see it being an issue unless something drastic happens, such as a little terror (kid). So far, we are happy. PS We have 2 small cars, so our garage has lots of extra space when it is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 How long's a bowling alley? I've got (2) 12ft wide x 36ft long rooms in my basement, definitely notice the long and narrow effect, but hey, better than not having one. I think it was something like 80x27. But there's only a stairwell and metal beam supports down there, so it feels HUGE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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