elevated slab foundation question

[C.White]

Hi all,

I will become a regular soon, and have been lurking for many months, reading posts and learning.  
I live in the north part of Georgia.  I am trying to decide between the poured concrete wall foundation method with traditional floor joinsts, and an elevated slab.  
The 20 X 30 story and a half is what I'll be starting in about 6 months.  

Any thoughts on the humidity issue for one foundation method verses another.  I've read about both, but not a comparison on mold or humidity.  The slab is more practical for my farm living, but I need to raise the house about 24 inches to stay away from the moist ground and the termites.   Plus, I just like a raised house with porches.

Thanks in advance for any responses.  
Christina

[John_C]

Welcome to the forum Christina.  I am also in N GA.   Both foundation methods are well proven.  A vapor barrier over the ground will keep the humidity in control in a crawlspace foundation.  The elevated slab would provide thermal mass if you wanted to orient the house for a passive solar heat gain.  

[n74tg]

About the only disadvantage I can see to the crawl-space approach in your case is the difficulty in insulating under the floor (between the joists).  If I understand it correctly you want to raise your floor level 24 inches above ground level.  Your floor joists will take up half that space, so if you ever did have to get under the house to work on something (like a plumbing problem), you would have at most about 12" (height) to work with.  Additionally, you will want to be able to do termite inspections/treatment, so there won't be much room to do that if you use floor joist approach.

Now, if you are planning for 24" from ground level to the bottom of your floor joists, then your inside floor would be about 34-36" above ground level, and you would have some room to work in the crawl space as well as a much easier time keeping the termites at bay.

Maybe, in your case, the slab idea will be better.  

Welcome to the forum.

[John_C]

I agree.  My own crawl space foundation is a bit too crawly for me these days.  I hate going down there.  

[glenn-k]

Our rental house has a crawl space.  Things crawl there.  Our renter said there was a rattlesnake crawling under the elevated porch.

Welcome to the forum, Christina.  

A vapor barrier can also be used under the elevated slab - 6 mil poly under about 2 inches of sand before the pour.  They do it here all the time - only humidity problem then is ambient.

[C.White]

You are all confirming what I really thought.  I have read about both and the slab seems both less expensivein the long run, quicker, more energy effiecient, and much easier to maintain.  I hope to pour a porch  and sunroom addition along side the first slab. once the first part of the house is done.  I'm trying to avoid having a mortgage payment so construction will be slow.

John C, I take it from your posts that you live near Ellijay.  I live over by Amicalola Falls.  Pretty close by.  Have you built a house there yet?  

My favorite houses I've seen pictures of on this site are AAA-day's and the cabin made from rough pine siding for a fishing cabin somewhere.  I forget where it is located.  I look at the pictures almost everyday.

I've designed the interior of mine to suit our needs and will lengthen the house to 38 feet.  We will live in it full time so I will need a little more storage space than a weekend cabin.  Also, I hope to add a bedroom onto one side much like the enchilada plan and a sunroom off to the other side with a porch connecting the front and the side.  

AAA-day's roofline has inspired me to add a shed roof extension in the upstairs on one side.  

Thanks to all of you for sharing the information here.  I've learned a lot.  I'll be contracting our all of  framing, but I'm a wood carver and will do a lot of the interior work and outside trim myself.  

Christina
http://www.funkychickenartproject.com/white.htm

[n74tg]

Christina:
Really cool website; I particularly like the chickens.

Good luck on the project.

P.S. Have you started checking in to what requirements the county and/or city may place on you; even the ones relating to your slab/crawlspace question.   Don't tarry on this, and for sure, don't spend any money until you know.  

[glenn-k]

Cool, Christina.  Looking forward to seeing more as you progress.

[John_C]

Christina,
  I built my current house about 20 years ago. I started in Aug. of 1987.  It's too big for me now and I want to build something smaller and without stairs on the adjacent lot which I own.  I often drive by your neck of the woods, since my daughter is in college in Dahlonega.  
 You will find this to be a helpful and friendly place, good luck with your project.
John

[C.White]

Hi John,
I completely understand the "no stairs" whim.  My husband and I "just" sold our larger house on the property next door and kept the 4 acres we're going to build on.  We will build 1 1/2 stories at first and add a ground floor bedroom onto it for the purpose of living on one level.  The upstairs will become guest area ( all three kids are grown and out of the nest) or extra room for all of my "clean projects".  I have studios for all of the other things I work on.  

I've been studying this forum for a long time and really enjoy the lessons here.  Each homebuilder has added their own touch with such originality and function.  I hope to downsize with grace.  
Right now we're risiding in a 23 foot 1971 airstream, so you can imagine how anxious I am to start building.  

I read where you had stopped in at the cabin builders north of Ellijay to see the octagon house.  We tried to speak with them too, but they didn't have time to do much more than give us a piece of paper with drawings prices and tell us how much money we had to pay up front.  No communications skills, so we chose not to go that direction.   The houses were pretty cool though.  

I built a house 25 years ago (owner-builder/designer/earth-mom/type) mostly salvaged materials for just under $10,000 north of Athens, GA.  I want to put those old skills to use with this and acquire cabinets from craigslist and look for real bargains on materials.  The windows will be a splurge I'll budget in.  

My son went to North GA last year.  He is at UGA now and getting used to it so much he won't come home to visit.  

Stop in at the Funky Chicken sometime.  We're open everyday except Wednesday.  
Christina