i've got my first ground up project in LA and am not sure what to go with...
what are the pros and cons? i'm told a slab on grade is cheaper (money is a big issue) but more of a pain in the ass.
it will be right next to a fault; will a slab be more likely to crack?
client is concerned with maintenance and cost advantages over time; will it cost more down the road when you have to saw-cut part of it out to access a utility line, etc...?
If the project has good soil conditions then a slab on grade is okay. If you are in the hills get your soils report and ask for advice from your structural engineer on what makes sense.
A slab on grade can be damp, which is not good if you want to do wood floors. You need to figure out if you want the crawl space under the raised floor to run ducts and other utilities. Raised floors require ventilation which is sometimes tricky, especially if you dont want to step down as you leave the building.
its a residential duplex on a relatively flat site. the city required a fault study but not a soils report. suprisingly the geologist and structural engineer has offered no sound advice on the matter...
i just poured a raised slab for our house. we wanted + 3' above finish grade, and also finish concrete floors throughout. so, we did a 3' stem wall with compacted fill and 5" slab over the fill. true, the utilities are buried for good, but we have lots of cleanouts, access hatches and what have you... concrete's about $100/yard. plus rebar, sand, hold down achors, excavation, etc... fun stuff!
slab on grade vs. raised floor
i've got my first ground up project in LA and am not sure what to go with...
what are the pros and cons? i'm told a slab on grade is cheaper (money is a big issue) but more of a pain in the ass.
it will be right next to a fault; will a slab be more likely to crack?
client is concerned with maintenance and cost advantages over time; will it cost more down the road when you have to saw-cut part of it out to access a utility line, etc...?
any input is much appreciated....
what kind of project is this? residential? commercial?
If the project has good soil conditions then a slab on grade is okay. If you are in the hills get your soils report and ask for advice from your structural engineer on what makes sense.
A slab on grade can be damp, which is not good if you want to do wood floors. You need to figure out if you want the crawl space under the raised floor to run ducts and other utilities. Raised floors require ventilation which is sometimes tricky, especially if you dont want to step down as you leave the building.
its a residential duplex on a relatively flat site. the city required a fault study but not a soils report. suprisingly the geologist and structural engineer has offered no sound advice on the matter...
i just poured a raised slab for our house. we wanted + 3' above finish grade, and also finish concrete floors throughout. so, we did a 3' stem wall with compacted fill and 5" slab over the fill. true, the utilities are buried for good, but we have lots of cleanouts, access hatches and what have you... concrete's about $100/yard. plus rebar, sand, hold down achors, excavation, etc... fun stuff!
if soil conditions & topo aren't dictating, then floor finishes, HVAC systems & client preference really become the drivers of the decision.
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