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Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? #6965900
08/16/20 05:46 PM
08/16/20 05:46 PM
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 201
Lebanon, Missouri
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H5Farm Offline OP
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H5Farm  Offline OP
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 201
Lebanon, Missouri
I am getting ready to start building my forever home on my new farm. I want it to all be one level home. I am getting older and basements are out. My home will be about 3100 sft. I have the plans drawn for it. The house will be all brick and stone exterior.

I planned on doing a totally encapsulated crawl space. If you have not read about them basically it would be totally sealed on the walls with heavy plastic, then a heavy mat is laid on the floor almost like making a pool liner. A drain tile and pump goes in first under the mat. Then the whole walls all the way from the box and rim joist unto where the heavy rubber mat is sprayed with spray foam insulation. There are zero outside vents. A heating and cooling vent is added in the crawl space to keep it all as close to the inside home temp as possible to avoid any moisture or condensation. Its like an insulated mini basement in theory. It will cost me about $8k over your traditional crawl space with lots of vents and every one of those I have ever seen has had a moisture problem.

Lately with the cost of lumber in general and advanteck flooring soaring some people have been mentioning building on a slab. Thus avoiding any crawl space, sub-floor or decking as well as the encapsulation price tag. I estimate it would save $30,0000 minimum due to today's inflated lumber prices.

Does anyone here in Missouri or another cold weather state have any experience with living on a slab. I am worried about it being too cold in the winter. I absolutely do not want to run any water lines through the concrete for heat. I have yet to see anyone get that right or not spend a fortune trying.

Please tell me your thoughts???????

Last edited by H5Farm; 08/16/20 05:50 PM.
Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6965920
08/16/20 06:05 PM
08/16/20 06:05 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 582
Montana
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D.T. Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 582
Montana
Full time builder in MT. If water isn't an issue (not sure about Missouri) and you have a level lot just go with a mono slab. Im sure its probably humid there and there is no real need unless you're trying to integrate it into a slope. We build with both. Generally because of topography issues like the 1.2 $ house on a hill we are building now. With the crawl we have footers supporting stem walls to the floor box. Crawl has a heavy mil plastic laid down the 3/4 gravel about 8" deep Plastic is sealed to concrete with GAK or some sort of air sealant. Mostly a radon issue which has a vent traveling through roof. Walls have 4" board foam on them and a sprayed rim. They always lead to mold issues as well. We have fans running 24/7 during construction. Prep a good pad. Though 3100 is large. might crack....

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6965921
08/16/20 06:07 PM
08/16/20 06:07 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 162
Oh
F
Fur trapping Offline
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Fur trapping  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 162
Oh
I am interested in this as well.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: Fur trapping] #6965979
08/16/20 07:01 PM
08/16/20 07:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,852
meadowview, Virginia
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EdP Offline
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,852
meadowview, Virginia
I lived in this house https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1445-Wilson-Rd-West-Paducah-KY-42086/105879432_zpid/? for 18 years. It doesn't look like it is built on a slab but it is and it never caused me any problem. A lot of the plumbing ran in the overhead of the basement garage at the back of the house, which made it accessible. The garage and the master bedroom and bath above it was the only part that was not slab.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966202
08/16/20 09:38 PM
08/16/20 09:38 PM
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 304
Iowa
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Mitch L Offline
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Mitch L  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 304
Iowa
Ive built a lot of slab house in northern Iowa. Northern like 7 miles from Minnesota border. we've done them with and without in floor heating depending on cost. 4 foot walls then fill, then cement. I guess I never heard too much complaining about floors being cold. I am not a fan of crawl spaces. We'd usually pour a "safe" room. about a 6 by 6 room with 8 ft cement walls then a cement cap.On TOP of the finished floor. mostly for tornadoes but I always called them Christmas decoration storage rooms!

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966416
08/17/20 07:43 AM
08/17/20 07:43 AM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,852
meadowview, Virginia
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EdP Offline
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meadowview, Virginia
Mitch, that room is called a "safe room" because it's where you keep your guns that keep you safe!

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966421
08/17/20 07:52 AM
08/17/20 07:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
330-Trapper Offline

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330-Trapper  Offline

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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
Id do a 1/2 Basement

I hate storms


NRA and NTA Life Member
www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com




Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966471
08/17/20 08:45 AM
08/17/20 08:45 AM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,860
Indiana
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Providence Farm Offline
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Providence Farm  Offline
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Posts: 8,860
Indiana
I think it sounds like a big money saver. The problems I hav seen with slabs have been 30- year old homes when plumbing that's in the pad started having problems. It's an expensive pain to locate and cut the floor out to fix.

I would strongly recommend a storm shelter/ root celler . Attached or separate from the home byt very close and a strait shot if separate for quick easy axcess. They can be made partial under ground and mounded over and sloped to the entrance for no stairs and less slope.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966493
08/17/20 09:13 AM
08/17/20 09:13 AM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 1,018
MI
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Co�s Offline
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Posts: 1,018
MI
We live in a slab house (built pole style) we built a couple years ago, moved in last summer. R-10 foam around perimeter of slab and under slab. Ran O2 barrier PEX tubing in slab, is hooked up to a dedicated water heater for our back up heat. It was dirt cheap to install and worked pretty good last winter.

Last edited by Coös; 08/17/20 09:14 AM.
Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966498
08/17/20 09:17 AM
08/17/20 09:17 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,106
Piney va. soon be 19
cotton Offline
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Posts: 8,106
Piney va. soon be 19
Will never understand folks wanting to live on a hard concrete floor.


John 3/16

ifin your gonna be dumb ya gotta be tough
VTA life member

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966524
08/17/20 09:55 AM
08/17/20 09:55 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 469
SW MISSOURI
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Rockfarmer Offline
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Rockfarmer  Offline
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SW MISSOURI
Having lived in north and south missouri, I would be careful with the slab. Lots of thaw and freeze. Can hurt a basement or crawl space too, but if your plumbing is in your slap, could be an expensive fix.
We built in sw mo 4 years ago. Did the crawl space - its actually about 4ft tall in spots - have the ac/heat vented into it. no issues. Keeps floor warm/cool and keeps moisture out. do some of the work yourself and you will save money. We did the insulation, painting, and trim and it saved quite a bit. Good luck!


www.nationwidecartparts.com
3rd Infantry Division
1st Infantry Division
U.S. ARMY
Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966568
08/17/20 10:57 AM
08/17/20 10:57 AM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,912
Idaho Falls, ID
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Grandpa Trapper Offline
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Idaho Falls, ID
I hear you about the basement. Younger people don’t realize how rough steps can be when you age. Like Rockfarmer, did the crawl space thing when I built my present home over two years ago with no problems.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966619
08/17/20 11:48 AM
08/17/20 11:48 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,206
Missouri
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HayDay Offline
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Posts: 2,206
Missouri
I lived in a house we built (with basement) for 30 years. About 5 years ago, we moved out of town to home 1/2 the size, on a slab. First slab house I've ever lived in. Compared to the basement, it's screwed up. And it was a custom home built for previous owner by somebody who knew what they were doing.

Exterior foundation is not insulated......so yes, does get cold around the edges in Jan when it's -10F outside. Cold moves in about 5 feet. Past that, temp stabilizes most of the year.

So all plumbing was run under the slab. Service into the house, to utility closet......then dispersed throughout the house. Hot lines not insulated, so have to run for a couple minutes to get hot water to kitchen and bathroom. Cold pipes have to heat up each time. Has a circulation pump for instant hot water, but that also means hot water is heating portion of slab above it......(if it was run in the slab.....how could you tell)....same difference, but with potential to rupture lines when slab cracks, which it did. If.....or more likely when....there is a problem with the plumbing......will have to find the lines and tear up the floor. Hot water circulation pump is no longer used as since we have lived here, we have had 3 different pin hole leaks in hot water line by hot water heater, due to some form of mysterious galvanic corrosion in the copper pipes. So quit using it before next leak developed under the floor where we would not know about it or be able to find it if we did (first clue would be condensation on floor, followed by water seeping out from under foundation, propane tank empty and water bill through the roof).

Next comes the air ducts......all of which have to be placed in overhead attic space, which is HOT in summer when AC is running and COLD in winter when heat is running. Every time furnace or AC kicks on, ducts have to be purged. Hot air pumped in house in summer, cold in winter. And air returns to the furnace are also routed through attic and don't work right.

There is no storm shelter or place to go when the wind blows. Spousal person asked what we would do and I suggested they kiss their behind goodby. I asked neighbor what their plan was and it was to retreat to an interior closet. That is about as safe in a tornado as wearing as mask would be during a BLM protest riot.

Lastly, there is no storage space, room for storage space or roughed in workshop area. Tools I had in my old place in the basement are now exposed to hot cold cycles in unheated outdoor shop and are starting to rust.

Bottom line, if it were me, I'd put in a basement.....or at least part of one. Plumbing and duct work in floor where you can get to it........and climate controlled storage space, which is made less expensive by utilizing the same roof, floor, etc. The only extra expense is for the excavation and side walls and framing of floor area. If house we have now had a basement......would be really nice. As is, waiting for that tornado to blow it away so we can start over and do it right next time.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966627
08/17/20 11:57 AM
08/17/20 11:57 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,206
Missouri
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HayDay Offline
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Missouri
BTW, I asked previous owners why no basement? Apparently their previous home had one and it leaked.....badly. So they had been adamant.....no basement.

First house we lived in had a basement, and it leaked. Second house, one we lived in 30 years......never leaked a drop. Contractor we used for that said wet basements were a common complaint, but if done right, would not leak. He was right.

Last edited by HayDay; 08/17/20 12:00 PM.
Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966653
08/17/20 12:17 PM
08/17/20 12:17 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,971
Oklahoma
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Matt28 Offline
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Oklahoma
I dont know any houses that were built around me that didn't have a slab, unless it was a house that was moved in. Must be that the slab isn't for place that get colder then okahoma? My grandparents house was built in the 70s and its on a slab.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966665
08/17/20 12:25 PM
08/17/20 12:25 PM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 469
SW MISSOURI
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Rockfarmer Offline
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SW MISSOURI
And we did ours all one level. 1800 sq ft. with a 1200 ft 2 door garage. no steps. and we stayed away from the slab because of my knees. Spent 25 years working retail on concrete and tile. Did not want it for the house. And you can tell the difference.


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3rd Infantry Division
1st Infantry Division
U.S. ARMY
Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966724
08/17/20 01:27 PM
08/17/20 01:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,967
Ohio
OhioBoy Offline
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Ohio
The floor will always be cold in the winter. May or may not be important to you. If I did a slab it'd have heated floors. I wouldn't like how all the plumbing, drains, and wiring would most likely be set in concrete.

You really want to watch the grade you build on and not have alot of steps into a main door and you want all your doors to be as wide as possible.

Minimum 36" doors. 42" would be better. Like the bathorrom door, kitchen entry, hallway widths, and etc... Think trying to wheel around in a wheelchair.

You don't want stairs at the entries b/c of needing a ramp later.

Special attention to hand railing at your entry doors, going out into the garage, at the toilets, in the shower.

Extra bedroom for someone laid up sick in a hospital bed wouldn't hurt.

Lots of attention to window placement, size, and views for when your sitting inside and can't go anywhere.

You might consider an automatic type generator.

Thats all I can really think of right now. I can help you brainstorm some more if you want to. Just let me know.

Oh if I was building a house I'd buy one of the safe doors you can hang and have a walk in safe / shelter. I think those are typically in a basement though.

Re: Building forever home on slab in Missouri??? [Re: H5Farm] #6966765
08/17/20 02:17 PM
08/17/20 02:17 PM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,895
michigan,USA
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seniortrap Offline
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michigan,USA
I built my home in 2010-11. Its 1425 sq.ft.. Its on a 4' crawl space, w/concrete floor. The foundation walls are concrete poured in Styrofoam forms (Fox Blocks).

That insulation issue met state code. There is a sump pump system that drains to my pond. The wiring, plumbing and furnace is all down there. I had to place my

Hot water heater outside of the crawl space. There's a small room with a set of short steps for lower level entrance in the garage.

The floor of the house in winter is never cold, and its 60-65 degrees in the crawl space mid-winter.

It was easier for the furnace and plumber to fit everything by a coaster with wheels across the floor.

Before I poured the floor in the crawl space, I figured where the support jacks were to go. I dug down about 6-7 inches from top of the floor and made a large pad area.

When this is filled will support the weight of the beam and house. Re-rod was added to reinforce each pad. There are three in 42' of length.


Vietnam--1967 46th. Const./Combat Engineers

"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
"After the first shot, all plans go out the window!"
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