I think you have to look at the differences that would be required between slab, crawl space and full basement. With slab future updating of plumbing will be more difficult, if you are thinking green then you have to look at the life of the structure. At some point it will need a new kitchen and bathrooms. Where are the air ducts going to be located? Would ducts be located in the attic that otherwise would be in the conditioned space? I do not believe in putting ducts below a slab. If you do not have a basement you will need additional sf for mechanicals or lose sf to mechanicals. There may be savings going with a slab but it may be partially offset by added costs in other areas.
We dint not build many slab homes here so I am at a little disadvantage. Is the slab thicker than a basement floor or are there added costs to the slab due to plumbing etc. ?
The other thing with a basement is that if you look at your house plan could you shift some of the living area to the basement. Everyone needs storage, what are you going to do for storage. I have been in a couple of slab homes around here and I have have seen a storage/mechanical room if 75-SF Are you building a larger garage requiring more footing and roof that eat up your basement savings.
Will a house without a basement sell for less than one with, most likely. The question is not if it will sell for less but rather will it sell for even less than what you saved. If you saved $15,000 then you should expect your house to sell for about $15,000 less than if it had a basement. What if it was going to sell for $30,000 less.
There are other things to weigh about a slab floor. In a cold climate slab floors are cold. Slab floors are hard. I am not a fan of putting wood floors on top of concrete.
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