Concrete Slabs vs. Basements

Function

• Basements add functionality to a house or building by adding extra space beneath the structure's main dwelling areas. By law, basements in the U.S. must provide egress in every room in a finished basement, just as every bedroom needs egress on floors above a slab or basement. Some people finish their basements for extra living space or simply use them for storage. Although a basement is under the building's roof, real estate agents do not include the square footage of basements in the total square footage of a home, even when the basement is finished and livable. However, agents include the total square footage of homes built on a slab. Slabs provide the basis for homes built without basements. Slabs with a grid of rebar -- or reinforced steel bar -- running through the concrete are structurally sounder.

Considerations

• If the climate permits, a slab in the short term is the least expensive way to provide the foundation for a home or building. Basements require digging, a poured foundation and solid walls with waterproofed exteriors to keep out moisture. The plumbing and wiring infrastructure are easier to access in homes that have basements since builders lay the plumbing and conduits for wiring in the ceiling of a basement. When plumbing pipes break in foundations with slabs, technicians have to remove the concrete in the area of the problem to fix them.

Types

• A basement does not need to be tall enough to permit walking. Sometimes, a crawl space is all that builders include when basements are necessary to protect pipes from freezing and to give occupants access to the building's infrastructure. Walkout basements provide at least one wall above-grade, bringing in daylight. Slabs have varying levels in home designs, when a step-up or step-down room is part of the design of the home. The depth of the slabs is the same, but the builders change the level of the grade by scraping away more soil for the lower section of the home or building.

Benefits

• Basements provide many benefits that extend beyond storage space. Since basements lie below grade, the temperatures in basements in hot weather remain cool and the basements provide more warmth in the winter for the home. A home on a slab, besides being less costly to construct, can have entry doors that are nearly flush with the ground, allowing easy access for people in wheelchairs or those who have trouble climbing stairs.