Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Mar 06, 2015 3:27 pm Hi Guys, Anyone know the pro's n con's or costs difference between building a slab house vs a raised house about 1m off the ground. We are looking at designing a home that is raised for looks and also put tanks underneath house but many builders say concrete slabs are the way to go. Kind of like the picture but we are looking at verandah all the way round. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 2Mar 06, 2015 4:07 pm Wouldn't you only have to look at some Queenslanders that are raised off the ground? I'm from NZ and we often build like that hae a concrete ring foundation with timeframe flooring. I actually prefer it. It provides room for storage. Allows for airflow which helps with house temperature. Softer under feet etc. I would have thought the answer ****** in your design aesthetics and budget Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 3Mar 06, 2015 5:00 pm Slab on ground is good for thermal mass etc ( as long as you use tiles for the floor covering or have polished concrete ) but I must admit I prefer a raised floor. It is easy to make changes later if you want to run some more plumbing or electrical features via the sub-floor area. Are you thinking of building on a sloping block ? Stewie Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 4Mar 06, 2015 6:14 pm +1 for raised, we're on a sloped block. Custom build Northern NSW viewtopic.php?f=31&t=72217 Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 5Mar 06, 2015 8:19 pm Ditto for me too on raised floor. We are currently building a raised house with concrete slab and water tank underneath. I can't vouch for it being more cost effective but it gives it a nicer elevation IMO. Check out my build thread if you wish Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=75302 Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 6Mar 09, 2015 9:13 pm I feel that I should +1 this too. We are also on bearers and joists. Thermal mass can be over rated in some cases! Esp when a view and sloping block is involved! Using a phone. Please excuse typos and autocorrect issues. And brevity. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 7Mar 09, 2015 10:00 pm We have a level block just 40 metres from a rivulet although we are high enough for the 1 in 100 year floods we just like the look and flexibility of it. With the raised floor i would have thought we would have more control of heating and cooling of the house. I thought also it would be much cheaper for the building cost due to no massive slab, easier for plumbing & able to bury tanks. We are looking at using therma wall cladding panels instead of the standard slab n brick home. The centre of the house will have a raised gable style hall that will have windows on both sides and ends which can be controlled to open for airflow through the house allowing the heat to flow out, light flow in and have a cross breeze through most of the house. We are trying to eliminate the need for air con and heaters Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 8Mar 09, 2015 10:38 pm Seems volume builders use mostly slabs and one off homes more likely to want some elevation , we have 15 squares of 9ft high storage off our garage under our single story home. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 9Mar 09, 2015 10:49 pm Splashers - I love the sound of your house! I didn't find building on b&j any cheaper though Using a phone. Please excuse typos and autocorrect issues. And brevity. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 10Mar 16, 2015 1:56 pm Ofcourse, the cost involves in raised timber floor is way lesser than in concrete slab but according to Australian conditions the most appropriate floor type would be the concrete slab.
Another disadvantage with raised floors you may have to face is the noise of mice & rats living in the empty space you would be creating for them down the floor. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 11Mar 17, 2015 9:35 am Splashers With the raised floor i would have thought we would have more control of heating and cooling of the house..We are trying to eliminate the need for air con and heaters Verandahs are going to destroy your thermal performance by blocking all winter sun. From your description, a lightweight/elevated home with raked ceilings, high level glass and verandahs all round is effectively a tropical design - it would perform well in hot climates - but not in mixed climates like Illawarra (if that is where you are building). I dont know if you get a star rating as part of your BASIX in NSW - but your home sounds like a nightmare to get compliance for if your climate zone is similar to Perth or SW. Have a read into thermal mass before you commit to the framed floor (try yourhome.gov to start). Framed homes are at the mercy of outdoor temperature - thermal mass will help keep the temp more regular. Your comment 'more control of heating and cooling' would be accurate if you mean you will be able to flush hot air out more readily in summer - but you really need to consider winter as well. Small footprint in Eliza Ponds, Spearwood WA Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 12Mar 17, 2015 10:18 am Quote: I dont know if you get a star rating as part of your BASIX in NSW Kind of. You have to pass the thermal assessment stage as part of your Basix requirements which takes into consideration insulation to walls and ceilings as well as shading to E, N & W facing windows plus a few others. If you are after thermal mass plus a raised floor on a sloping block then one thing to consider is having a concrete suspended slab on a brick sub-floor area. But as Tristanium says, having the verandahs there is the big stumbling block to using the concrete slab for thermal mass. If you decide to go raised timber platform floor then the brick ring wall and decent insulation to the floor will get you a pretty good result as well. Stewie Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 13Mar 18, 2015 8:04 am yeah we would definitely be putting in underfloor insulation if we go ahead with this design, just seems to hard to get builders that seem confident in doing it. The ceiling will all be high and raked and to flow into window light wells similar to photo but some of them will actually open that run through the centre of house to allow light into all rooms. A friend who does shutters is also confident of a system to close off them if required in sections, so if you want your bedroom dark you can. Given the architect something different to work out but he thinks there wont be any issue with thermal mass and winters here are not that cold due to be so close to ocean. Re: Concrete Slab House vs Raised Timber Floor House 14Mar 18, 2015 10:34 am Quote: yeah we would definitely be putting in underfloor insulation if we go ahead with this design, just seems to hard to get builders that seem confident in doing it If you have enough clearance under your floor ( anything greater than 1m but we've worked under houses a lot lower too ) then do it post build. Poly sheets cut to size and fitted between the joists is probably all you need for a temperate climate like yours. Stewie isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17525 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15908 The concreter will take and reuse. In my case I bought structural LVLs and scraped them back and used them as joists. 1 5153 |