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| 10 Advantages of the Raised Floor |
Classic style. Homebuyers are rediscovering the classic elegance that a raised floor design adds to the look of the American home. Drive through the older neighborhoods of your community. The homes with ageless grace and beauty are usually raised. Visually, the raised foundation functions as a pedestal, enhancing curb appeal regardless of architectural style.
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Uplifting comfort. Inside the raised floor home, there are special qualities that nurture the body and soul. The feeling is warmer, more intimate. Remember that special place when you were a child, a tree house perhaps, where you felt cozy and safe? Raise the floor above the ground and your perspective changes. You feel more secure. An ordinary view from the window becomes a vista. There is calm and quiet above the din of street noise. The subtle "give" of a wood floor system provides a more comfortable walking surface, putting less stress on your back, legs and feet.
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Enjoy your porch and deck. If it is not raised, a porch is not really a porch. Porches and decks are natural amenities for a raised floor system, adding usable living area to your home outdoors. Consider the charm and hospitality of a front porch, the pest-free privacy and comfort of a screened back porch, or a spacious deck for outdoor cooking, entertainment and relaxation. On slab, a "front porch" is just a front patio. The special ambiance you come to expect when gathering on a porch or deck can only be experienced with the raised floor system.
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A lifetime foundation. The raised floor system has withstood the test of time. Some of the oldest, most historic homes in America are still standing proud with Southern Pine floor assemblies. Southern Pine is the strongest of all North American softwoods, so you can expect a lifetime of strength, stability and durability when framing with Southern Pine. And today, modern pressure-treatment adds near-permanent resistance to decay and termite attack. |
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A simple foundation. All foundations will settle, but use of piers with a raised floor system makes leveling or repairs simple. Repairing or leveling a cracked, damaged concrete slab can be very expensive. With the raised floor system, leveling is as easy as jacking up the floor and adding shims. The raised floor is also less susceptible to disruption from tree roots.
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Easy home improvement. Installation, maintenance and modification of utilities such as water, sewerage and electrical are comparatively simple with a raised floor. Remodeling? Plumbing fixture modifications are easy with the raised floor system. If you want to move the location of a toilet or bathtub on a slab foundation, get the jackhammer! Routing and rerouting of wiring for electrical, telephone, television and computers is relatively easy and less expensive. If the home is raised high enough off the ground, air conditioning ducts can be installed below where floor registers can direct air closer to the actual living area. The ceiling remains uncluttered.
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Natural insulator. Why live on the cold, damp ground? Wood is a natural insulator. A properly constructed and insulated raised floor system isolates your home from potential moisture problems and can provide a warm and comfortable walking surface.
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High and dry. Flooding is a potential risk for many homeowners. A raised floor system could be the solution to raising your home's foundation above base flood elevation required by the National Flood Insurance Program. Considering other options - slab atop dirt fill, slab on backfilled perimeter wall, or ring levee - the raised floor may be the most practical and cost effective way to protect your property and meet local building ordinances in flood prone areas.
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Pest control. Most pests are ground dwellers. With proper barriers to control termites and other pests, your raised floor home will welcome fewer unwanted guests. For optimum protection against termites, pressure-treated and kiln-dried after treatment (KDAT) Southern Pine lumber is available.
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Flexible landscaping. Landscaping looks best around the foundation of the home. It helps "ground" the structure to the site. However, the installation of built-up flowerbeds and other landscaping against a slab foundation can invite termite infestation and rot. With a raised floor, landscaping can be located near the foundation without inviting this risk. Furthermore, root-severing slab construction often demands the removal of existing trees in close proximity to the structure. Near a raised floor, these valuable, beautiful and energy-saving shade trees can be preserved. Footings of a raised pier and beam structure only penetrate the root system, allowing trees to thrive.
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Architectural & Photo Credits:
Habitat for Humanity
Hatterphotographics, Baton Rouge, LA
Jeffrey Jacobs Architectural Photography, Memphis, TN
Kevin Harris Architect LLC, Baton Rouge, LA
Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Memphis, TN
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