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jdebree
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Posts:38
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| 02/12/2009 4:13 PM |
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As I watch my worldly assets continue to dwindle, I keep thinking of ways to build cheaper and cheaper. It occured to me that a lot of money could be saved by building a house on pilings as opposed to a foundation. Our property slopes, so the best bet would be a walk-out basement, but if I can't afford it, I would think concrete pilings would be best/cheapest for a hillside. But how would you insulate a house raised up like that? What about electrical and plumbing? Our property is in SC, a mild climate, but the pipes could certainly freeze. I'm trying to figure out how to insulate the floor, keep the pipes from freezing, and keep critters from setting up camp under the house. Any ideas?
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wes
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Posts:637
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| 02/12/2009 8:56 PM |
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If your lot is good for a walk-out basement, then build a basement house. Basement space is almost always less expensive, easier to heat and cool, and more protected from wind storms. Depending on the particulars of your home plan and your property, it could be fairly easy to convert your existing plans. Since the recent ice storm here in KY, I've even convinced my wife that an earth protected home is not such a bad idea.
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Wes Shelby
Design Systems Group
Murray KY
wandr@ainweb.net |
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want to build
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Posts:89
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| 02/12/2009 11:41 PM |
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| I've wondered if a house on pilings with a SIP floor would be better than one built on a slab, crawl space or full basement.
I don't know about cost, but after pumping out my friend's basement twice, I've come to question the wisdom of having space below grade. |
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wes
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| 02/13/2009 6:20 AM |
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I actually think a SIPS floor would be a good idea. One problem would be the plumbing issues, which could be handled with thoughtful design, which centralized the plumbing over a small vertical insulated chase to the ground. Another, more serious, issue would be moisture, especially in high humidity climates. (ie SC). The key would be to allow maximum ventilation. Many of the homes from my childhood were old farmhouses built on stone piers and otherwise left totally open. They had few problems with moisture. I didn't start seeing moisture problems until I started working on more modern homes with totally enclosed foundations.
WTB,
I have seen too many basements such as your friends. CMUs and/or traditional poured concrete walls were a waste of time and money. In fact, I always strongly recommended against basements in our area for many years, until I discovered ICFs, and modern waterproofing and drainage methods. Now I'm a believer. |
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Wes Shelby
Design Systems Group
Murray KY
wandr@ainweb.net |
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jdebree
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Posts:38
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| 02/13/2009 3:15 PM |
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| I guess the supply plumbing would be easy enough, since once it was in the house it could go through the walls, or even the ceiling, like they do here in FL for slab homes. Drains would be a little more challenging, although they shouldn't be full of water anyhow. Our lot is ideal for a walk-out basement, and if I have the money, I agree it is cheap square footage. I'm just trying out different ideas in case money should be very short. The other issue is all the critters that would undoubtedly take up residence underneath, but SIP's would be a pretty effective barrier. I'm thinking it might actually be better to build it a bit higher out of the ground than necessary, which would make it less attractive to critters, assist in keeping it dry, and give us a better view of the mountains. Our property is heavily wooded and rural, so we have a lot of freedom. I've seen a lot of old farm houses built on piers, many of which had lattice underneath to keep the wildlife out. The climate in our part of SC is fairly mild; it's gets below freezing at night fairly often, but generally warms up during the day. I wonder if there would be a danger of drains icing up? The ground there doesn't freeze, so maybe you could put a large PVC pipe around each drain like a collar to keep the wind off of it, and hopefully keep it above freezing. |
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wes
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Posts:637
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| 02/13/2009 5:01 PM |
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The hardest plumbing problem to deal with would be the drain traps on tubs and showers, as they would be below the floor insulation. Toilet and sink traps would be OK. One solution would be to install the drain lines inside larger pipes and fill the space full of insulation. However, the tub/shower traps would require a more complex solution. Perhaps an insulated box mounted to the underside of the floor panels surrounding the traps.
If you pier the home, attach insect screen to the back side of the lattice. It will count down on insects under the house.
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Wes Shelby
Design Systems Group
Murray KY
wandr@ainweb.net |
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greentree
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Posts:104
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| 02/15/2009 8:01 AM |
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Build the basement and live in that, build the upper floors as your "worldly assets" increase. Basements typically have all of the elements of any single level home, a small kitchenette is easy to remove. All of your mechanicals would be in place and ready. The extra cost of a membrane roof or a sloped shingled roof would be your only loss, although assembling a sloped roof with screws would allow you to reuse sheathing and lumber used and only toss shingles and underlay.
My dad did what I'm describing in the late seventies and after he built the upper floor was left with an awesome bar area in the family room where the kitchen was. My grandmas house was built the same way back in the 50's. They didnt have a walkout so my grandpa built the stairs and a structure above it to walk down into their house. |
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jdebree
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Posts:38
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| 02/15/2009 11:36 AM |
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I've heard of people doing that, but where do you live once you tear the temporary roof and start building the upper part? I suppose if money is really that tight, I could just build a shell for the upstairs, and finish it later, the shell being the cheap part, as a rule. The only added cost over roofing the basement would be the walls, and that's not very much money. One issue is that I'm 55, and haven't even started yet. I really need to get the house done, and be done with it, both so I can get back to work earning a living, and before I succumb to health problems that come with getting older. There's also the issue of legality- whether or not I can legally live in a basement while I finish the rest.
Another thought I've had would be to only have a partial basement. My house design is a cross shape, with the living room and master bedroom being the wings. Since neither of those have plumbing, I could just put a basement under the center part of the house, and crawl spaces or piers under the wings. |
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