Why choose a column and beam foundation?
Building a house is an exciting adventure. Homeowners can choose from wall coverings, flooring materials, upgraded appliances, room size variations, and windows and doors. But, what most homeowners don’t realize is that building a home starts from scratch, from the ground up.
The most important step in building a new home is choosing the most efficient and safe foundation for your property location. Investigating the foundation pads is essential to secure the structure of your new home. Some contractors know the foundation and will help you choose the best one for your home. But, there are many who will look for a foundation of their choice without discussing the choice with you, the owner.
Two foundation options a new homeowner should consider are slab-on-grade foundations and post-and-beam foundations. The two are quite different when it comes to construction, cost, and longevity.
Slab-on-ground foundations are constructed of reinforced concrete and are generally shallow, quickly constructed, and inexpensive. For a builder who doesn’t have to live in the houses he builds, slab foundations are a dream. Slab foundations are used with houses that do not have basements. A major disadvantage of slab-on-grade foundations is that they are not resistant to seasonal movement changes and moisture disbursement due to root growth. In other words, slab foundations are not a long-term option for homes in North Texas. Another disadvantage is that usually all the pipes are placed below the foundation slab, which leads to a very expensive procedure in the event of a water pipe bursting.
Pillar and beam foundations, on the other hand, lose a few steps above a slab foundation at ground level. Post and beam foundations incorporate a crawl space (usually at least 18 inches) under the house and concrete-filled foundations to support the slab. This type of foundation is not considered a time saver, but it is safer and more convenient. The crawl space allows access to heating and plumbing utilities without having to break through the concrete slab. The piers mean that the foundation is less susceptible to damage from ground movement, a problem experienced by many North Texas homes with slab foundations. If an extreme ground shift occurs, the foundations are easily adjusted, a process that is much less expensive than slab foundation repairs, a process that most homes in North Texas will have to undergo.
Since post and beam foundations leave homeowners walking on a suspended wooden platform, they are much easier on the body’s joints. Pillar and beam foundations are preferred by backaches than slab foundations.
Post and beam foundations are generally used for homes built in the northern part of the country because the climate consists of freeze-thaw conditions. This condition requires that the foundation be built deep into the ground. The safety feature here is that the deep foundations are rarely affected by weather changes. However, the changing terrains of North Texas make post and beam foundations the best and most durable foundation option in the area.
Monster Constructors is professionally known for laying post and beam foundations in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. They will test the ground that the house will be built on to figure out the best foundation for that particular area.
