Difference in the Cost of a Slab & Raised Home

More Expensive But Worth It

• A raised foundation may cost more than a slab foundation, according to Tim Carter of Askthebuilder.com, but the benefits of a raised floor include lower insurance rates. However, Raised Floor Living notes that the difference in the original cost of a slab home and a raised floor home is minimal.

  Slab homes aren't as aesthetically pleasing as raised homes, according to Tim Carter, and the raised floor home makes up for the extra cost because the cost of flood insurance is lower and cooling and heating costs are less. Additionally, if the home settles, repairs are less expensive than they would be for a slab home.

Considerations

• Raised foundation homes compare favorably to the cost of monolithic slabs on a grade, according to Smartvent.com, but the additional costs of elevating the slab above flood elevations can make slab-on-fill homes more expensive. You must bring in large quantities of clean fill and undertake compaction to elevate the slab, which is an expense. In this case, it is less expensive to build a raised foundation above the flood level which protects you from flood waters. This is a big selling point in coastal communities.

Advantages of Raised Foundation

• An advantage of a raised-foundation home is that it is easier to set the schedule for construction because you can proceed with the concrete and masonary work without waiting on plumbing installation and inspection as you do when installing a slab foundation. Homes that are on raised foundations aren't as likely to experience differential settlement. When you have a slab foundation, the fill that is used can be eroded by flood waters or saturated, which causes it to slump, leading to structural damage if the slab isn't supported, and this is an added expense when you go to repair it.

Inconveniences of Slab

• When you have a slab foundation you do not have access to electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems and heating ducts and electrical cables are buried. In a raised home you can get to these systems relatively easily. The raised foundation gives the structure balance and stature. Additionally, you can have basement windows in raised homes when basements are allowable.