Have you ever wondered what kind of foundation your potential new home has when house hunting? This is an excellent issue to ponder, considering there are various foundational structures. Your decision to buy a house may hinge on whether or not it has a slab foundation or a pier and beam foundation. A pier and beam foundation can be used as an alternative to a basement or a slab, and it often creates a crawl space in the area beneath a house. Read on to find out why pier and beam foundation is a great choice.
Less Chance Of Flooding
The point of pier and beam foundations is that they raise the house up – it’s elevated above the ground on the foundation structure. This has a number of benefits, but the main one is that if the house is not flat on the ground, there is much less chance of flooding. Since water ingress can cause mold and damp and a lot of structural damage – not to mention it makes your home less desirable when you come to sell it – this preventative measure is a great idea.
Better Access To Pipes And Wiring
When you have a concrete slab that serves as your foundation, you’ll find it’s hard to access your pipes and wiring. Or it’s hard to add new wiring or repair old elements within your home when it’s needed. This can mean that what should have been a simple job becomes a much more tricky one; and it will be more expensive too.
When you have good pier and beam foundations installed by experts such as Pinnacle Foundation Repair, you can easily access everything you need to because you have the space beneath your home. Repair jobs for wiring and pipework become simpler, and even if you do still need an expert to help you (which is often the best option), it will take them less time and therefore cost you less in the long run.
Flexibility
Although you might not think this is much of an issue, the fact is that not all land you might want to build on will be level. Sometimes you’ll have to contend with a slope, and if you were to opt for the concrete slab foundation choice, you’ll be making things difficult not just for the contractors, but for you living in the property – it might even be hard to sell because the layout could be odd and you might lose a lot of space.
It’s best to have pier ad beam foundations instead if you have this issue. They offer much more flexibility and mean that you can use all the space available to you, even if you are building on a slope or any kind of uneven ground.
Lower Excavation Costs
When comparing costs – which it is always worthwhile doing, no matter what you are buying – you’ll find that pier and beam foundations generally cost less than concrete slabs. The price difference is fairly minimal, but it does exist, and it could make a difference in your budget in the end.