We recently wrote a blog post about how easy it is to modify your home plan’s foundation if, for example, you want to change a slab foundation to a full basement (or anything else for that matter). Someone commented on that post and asked what the foundation options were. I guess they want to know what they have to choose from! So, we thought we’d share the list of foundation options with all of you here:
Full Basement
Usually the same square footage as the main floor, a standard (or “full”) basement offers the advantage of adding living and storage space at a fraction of the per-square-foot price of upper floors. This is because a basement involves adding only minimal depth to the footings that were necessary for building a home with a crawlspace (instead of digging down four to five feet for the footings, dig down eight feet below the frost line and pour a concrete slab). One disadvantage to a standard basement, however, is that when putting a bedroom in, a window well must be added in order to install a window that is deep enough to exit in case of an emergency. A basement may not be used where the water table is too high, since water may seep into the basement.
Partial Basement
This is a basement where the lot dictates that the square footage of the basement be substantially less than the square footage of the main floor. Areas with rocky or unstable soil conditions, or sloping lots, often require a partial basement. If you want a full basement but can’t dig on certain parts of your lot, put in as much basement as you can.
Daylight Basement
For a sloping lot, whether front-to-back or front-corner-to-back-corner, this is the basement of choice. Simply put, a daylight basement sits at ground level and opens to a side yard and/or the backyard. The big advantage is that this allows the basement to be an indoor-outdoor space, with the outdoors accessible through French or sliding glass doors.
Partial Daylight Basement
Just like a partial basement, the square footage of a partial daylight basement is substantially less than that of the main floor. A partial daylight basement is often used when the slope of a lot would only allow building a basement under part of the main floor, but the owner would like to have full-height windows and perhaps a door to the backyard.
Crawlspace
This type of foundation is an option when soil conditions or a high water table do not allow the construction of a full basement. Footings for a crawlspace are extended down to the frost line, but not below it, as with a full basement. In cold conditions, a well-insulated crawlspace will result in a warmer main floor than would a concrete slab.
Slab
A slab can be poured right over the ground with little or no soil preparation, making it the least-expensive foundation option in home construction. First, forms with steel reinforcing are placed on the ground. Concrete is then poured over and allowed to set before placing the house on top. Cost-effectiveness is the biggest advantage to slab foundations, but they are also beneficial in areas that have insect problems, e.g., termites or ants. The downside is that with a slab foundation you give up the low-cost living and storage space that a basement would provide.
Pole
This foundation type may be necessary in coastal areas where homes are built either partially over water or in flood plains where water periodically rises. The poles allow the main floor to be built high above the ground and keep the home out of harm’s way.
Pier
Like the pole foundation, the pier foundation may also be necessary in coastal locations with periodic flooding; however, the more likely use for a pier foundation would be in mountainous or coastal areas that require you to drill into rock to place steel rods and pour concrete. As with a slab foundation, cement posts offer the advantage of durability and insect resistance.
As I mentioned in the earlier post, our modifications team can change any foundation in any way you want. And they’d be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation cost estimate to give you a price. If you have any further questions about foundations (or any other house plans-related questions), please feel free to call us at: 1-888-447-1946!
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