Choose your Foundation

This single most exciting day during the whole process of building our modular home was the day I arrived at our property and the foundation had been completed.  It might not have looked like much, and our beautiful piece of land looked in need of disaster relief, but I was happier than a kid in a pumpkin patch!  Looking at the foundation told me that this was real, and we were building a house.



Choosing a foundation for a modular home largely depends on your budget.  You can choose between a slab, crawlspace, or a basement.  Of course your modular home dealer can advise you best based on your budget and any geographical considerations.  Because we have billions of children, and my husband has several big-boy toys, like motorcycles, we needed the extra space and the convenience of a full walk out basement. We had a natural slope to our land, so that made the walk out option fairly easy for us.

Here are a few details on the options for consideration:

Slab:

A concrete slab is a flat, concrete pad that is poured directly on the ground. It typically consists of three to five inches of concrete. Simply because it takes little labor, a slab is the easiest foundation to make, and therefore is the least expensive. This is ideal for warmer climates, but would not work where the ground freezes in the winter.

Basement:

We chose to have our home placed on a basement foundation. Though a basement is much more highly-priced than a slab, it is a good investment. Not only does the basement give you valuable storage, but it is possible to convert a basement into living space in the future. Not to mention, well-constructed basements are typically regarded a positive selling point for most buyers. Our basement walls are so well insulated that it is very comfortable and warm. (Warmth is nice when you have to go down to the basement to let the kids out, I mean to get a hammer.)

Crawl Space:

A crawl space will be the space between the ground and the bottom of a home. Even though it will not supply livable space like a basement, a crawl space keeps the home up off the ground, and this is beneficial in areas that are prone to the damp. However, a crawl space is not going to offer much storage space.

Of course your budget will determine what you can afford for a foundation, and your dealer/builder will advise you.  Let me know if you have any advice on choosing a foundation.  And, I apologize, one of these days I will endeavour to put up some pictures, however, the ability to do that escapes me!  Some days I wish I'd married a computer guy - then again some days I wish I'd married a hair dresser, a massage therapist....  anyway, we will figure out how to post pictures soon!