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Picking the right foundation on which to build a home is one of the most vital aspects of home construction. Thus, homeowners need to give importance to the foundation systems of a building structure. Three kinds of foundations are usually found in contemporary residential buildings, including basements, slabs, and crawl spaces. What is a crawl space foundation? The article primarily focuses on crawl space foundations, their primary categories or types, advantages, and how it is different from other structural foundations used in residential buildings.
What is a crawl space?
A crawl space refers to the narrow area within a building between the ground and the first or ground floor. The name is derived from the area or space that is adequate only meant for crawling and not standing for a grown-up person. Such a shallow foundation built-up has the motive of offering a protective cushion-like space between the ground and the wooden structure of the building. The motive is to enable effective and easy access to electrical, plumbing, and HVAC system repairs and replacements.
Types of crawl space foundation
In several states in the USA, two types of crawl space foundations are mostly found.
- Block and base
The foundation appears similar to a house built up on blocks. The support provided under the buildings is piers that are made up of bricks, stone, concrete blocks, and even wood. The block and base foundation homes might or might not have artificial skirtings around the margins of the building.
- Pier and beam
A pier and beam foundation consists of a strong concrete support beam. It runs across the circumference of the home and goes deep into the ground. The perimeter beam can be made of bricks or concrete blocks as well.
Advantages
One must know the pros of crawl space apart from researching “what is a crawl space foundation?”. Some key advantages include:
- Easier access to home repairs and replacements like electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems.
- A cheaper foundation repair solution
- Cost-effective home leveling expenses
- A higher elevation of the home offers better yard views
- A wooden foundation structure is better for the body
How is it different from other types of foundations?
Basement foundations are preferably utilized in places with extremely cold conditions where foundation structures are required to reach below the frost line. On the other hand, crawl space foundations are found in places with typically warm weather conditions, where there is no frost line requirement. Furthermore, crawl space foundations are found in ancient and old-period style homes. This is because, in older days, the crawl space foundation was the most preferred solution for residential homes.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, one gets a clear idea of “what is a crawl space foundation?”. The crawl space foundation as a storage area, especially the sealed-style, has been popular. Some conceive crawl space foundations as old school and not as good as other types of foundations. But time and again, especially in the old days, it has proved to be strong support for residential buildings.
