If a builder

Bill_14

asked you (as a radiant heating contractor) whether you would rather see him build a new house with a slab on grade or a house with a crawl space, what would you tell him and why?

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Slab-on-grade

Why?

As long as ground water (high water table) isn't a problem radiant addresses one of the prime objections to slab floors--them being cold. The other prime objection to slabs is that they are hard. As long as you design your radiant system well reasonable rugs/carpets won't be a problem.

With good slab construction methods and good radiant tubing there is high expectation of an extremely long service life of the slab portion of the heating system.

Crawlspaces seem to have an entire range of problems from ground moisture, infiltration, ventilation, insect vulnerability, etc. all of which seem to be aggravated by one increasingly common situation: air conditioning (cooling).

It's probably my "swampeast" upbringing talking but I've physically seen and worked on a number of old homes built over crawlspaces that had no serious problems until A/C was installed.

J.C.A._3

Crawl space, no doubt!

Even a little room is better than tearing up a floor placed on grade, to troubleshoot or hopefully repair any future problems. It also gives a few more options for replacement if tubing in a slab gives out.

Nothing I can think of would turn a customer off more than to tell them that the carpenters will get the floor out of the way, then the excavation crew will get us through the slab, and hopefully, we get it on the first shot.

Ask Mr. Milne! A recent drain pipe problem turned into just such a snafu. Oh, it really wasn't pretty!. Chris

Bill_14

Sealed Crawl Spaces

There is a very good article in the October 2003 issue of The Journal Of Light Construction entitled "Building A Sealed Crawlspace" that will help this homebuider.

http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/3f8553570027ce28271a401e1d2905e3/Catalog/Archive2003October

hot_rod

Sure is nice

to be able to get to plumbing, electrical, etc, should a remodel or repair be in the cards.

Dry system radiant applications respond much faster and are a plus in areas like mine with wide temperature swings and shoulder seasons.

Of course, a radiant concrete slab is the easiest and least expensive to install, in my opinion.

hot rod

Earthfire

Builders folly

I have not seen a residential builder prep the subgrade for a slab house properly yet. Compaction "costs too much"!!! Grading properly "costs too much"!! Then they blame the concrete guy and the radiant system for the cracked and settled floors and buildings. Oh and by the way, a lot of the light commercial erectors( I hate to use the unearned label of BUILDER) aren't any better.