Best foundation for Northeast

[walden_pond]

Greetings fellow DIYers. I am building a 24 x 32 cabin in Vermont and originally thought to use a concrete slab for foundation. A local builder and friend advised strongly against this. Concrete posts, the other low cost alternative, are also out, he advises. What are your thoughts on foundations? I don't really need the space of a basement, as I was planning to use a tankless water heater and e-heat panels (with wood stoves) to heat the place. In short, what's a recommend foundation for a simple cabin in the cold Northeast? And what about prices for foundations??

Kind thanks in advance for your input  

-T.

[John_C]

Did he give reasons?   Properly done and well insulated slabs have been superb floors for passive solar houses for a long time.  One disadvantage to a slab on/near grade is that snow can build up higher than the front door.   Kind of a pain having to shovel your way up and out of the house. Some folks just don't like walking on the unyielding concrete.


Much the same for concrete  posts.  Well done they work in most climates.  Badly done.....    You would have to insulate the floor very well, but building on posts is common in Greenland and Iceland, areas with even more severe climates than Vermont.

[John_M]

I reccomend a crawl space foundation.  This one cost me about $3500, plus about $1000 for the excavation and backfill.

In hindsight, I would have loved to put in a walkout basement, but at some point you need to stop adding on to the cost and just get it done.

[ailsaek]

I'm a lifelong New Englander, and I can't imagine building on anything other than a full basement (walk-out if the slope of the land allows) unless I was utterly dead broke.

[FrankInWI]

that's a pretty strong statement!  I live in Wisconsin, and building in northern Wisconsin.  Neighbor has basementless ranch and is comfortable, and other new house nearby is on slab with radiant heat.  Garages for the peripherals.  We happen to have very high water near the river, not a lot of choice.  My home in the city has a basement, but it is all carved up into things that can be located above groud.  Family room, laundry, small shop, and computer/den.  Not sure why I need a basement, even here.

[MountainDon]

I used to think that "real houses" had basements, because that's how all the houses back home (Manitoba, Canada) were built. When thinking of moving to NM the first thing I noticed was the absence of basements. Just about everything is still built that way in most of the state. The exceptions seem to be those places in more hilly, mountainous terrain. Those are either post/pier construction with elevated floors or with full/partial basements, depending on slope.

In some ways the terrain, above and below grade dictates what will be easiest. In some places I think a lot of the reasons for choosing a basement or choosing a slab is simply "that's the way we've always done it."

Back a century ago in Winnipeg, when central heating consisted of a huge convection air coal fired furnace you needed a basement. My memory may be faulty but it seems that my grandparents old farm house (abandoned) had one of those and the pipes were something like 12 inches in diamter and took up most of the basement.

Back home one reason I liked the basement was it provided a cooler place in the hot summer. But it always seemed damp too. I don't miss that. Maybe that was the fault of the contractor who finished the basement before I bought it.

Even the newest homes back there have basements, but now they all have basement sump pumps. My brother-in-laws quit once during some bad rains. Bad scene.

I thought I wanted a basement here in NM but didn't want to spend the extra money needed. I missed it for a while. Then I built a free standing garage/workshop. Now I'd rather not have the basement. Everything on one level suits me just fine. No lugging projects up or down the basement stairs.

[Bouncer]

I did a post and peir and have had no problems. Just make sure its done right.
I'm about 30 min. from you.
Kevin

[walden_pond]

Thanks a lot all. Very helpful. Sounds like a crawl space is the answer. The builder/friend advised against slabs because "they move around so darn much." He's been building in this area since before I was born, so I trust him implicitly (he's also a genius at what he does).

Re. basements, I have always had one too, though they served no purpose other than storage place for stuff you REALLY don't need, laundry room and not much else (sure, the heating system was down there and plumbing, but that can be put elsewhere).

Anyway, thanks again!!

[tc-vt]

I did a Frost Protected Shallow Foundation (FPSF) in the Northeast Kingdom.  It isn't just a flat slab, nor is it a monopour.  It's stemwall/footing with a slab floated inside it.  I have had no problems, even when it went unheated the first year.  Pictures are at the link below.  

://www.flickr.com/photos/tcvermont/sets/72157600786483668/

Tom

[GAVance]

Frost depth plays a major role in picking foundation types.  In cold climates where you have to dig 6 feet down anyway why not make use of the space as a basement.  Here in the south (North Carolina) we only have to dig down 12 inches so basements are uncommon.  When I lived in Arizona slab on grade were the norm.  Of course personal preference and budget get a vote in the final decision as well.

Greg

[glenn kangiser]

I have always liked basements and see them as a great place to store more stuff that I may never use but don't want to throw away (or in my case - a great place to live).

Welcome to the forum, Greg.

[John Raabe]

Very good overview of foundation options! Here's my summary...

The two [highlight]primary[/highlight] determinates:
• Climate (freeze depth, high winds and earthquake potential)
• Soil (expansive clay to well drained gravel)

These two items will determine how deep you have to go for stable bearing, and how heavy you need to anchor the building into the earth. (HINT - In the right soil you do not need to get to frostline with your footings.)

Note that these are very local conditions.

Then there are the [highlight]secondary[/highlight] determinates:
• Cost and ease of construction
• Expected lifetime
• Storage or other uses for the foundation
• Codes, resale and other market and regulatory forces

[walden_pond]

Thanks again, guys. Looks like I'd be smart to go with at least an unfinished basement.

BTW, Tom, your house looks great; enjoyed looking at your pics on flickr! Nice job. I will do same for mine!

-TRey