wallsostone, your expert opinion?

[LeatherneckPA]

wallsostone, I would like to know your expert opinion on a matter. Especially since you are familiar with the area in which I live and hope to build.

1 - Is a basement really necessary here in North-Central PA?

2 - What would make the best/longest lasting, most trouble-free basement/foundation for a 24'x32' timber-framed footprint?

[LeatherneckPA]

52 views and nobody has expressed even an opinion? Odd.

I don't suppose anybody from a cold area has any experience with just building on piers? I would think that the cold air under the cabin would be rather detrimental to heating efficiency in the winter.

[fnfredux]

you asked for ONE person's opinion, why would anyone else answer?

[LeatherneckPA]

LOL, I am unaccustomed to such restraint on other forums I frequent.

[TSJ]

A basement is not necessary to have but it sure is nice geography/terrain permitting.

When I lived up north, Iowa, homes that didn't have basements still had concrete or cinder block footings/foundations that went down below frost line. Mandatory code depending on county. However I do know of one instance of the use of treated wood panel foundation which evidently was not against code.

These type of foundations require ventilation slots/spaces for every so many linear or square feet. If you don't have them moisture builds up and causes problems underneath the house floor. There could be a radon gas problem also.

This means some form of insulation is required underneath the floor especially where water and sewer connections come up from the ground and are ran under the floor. Furnace duct work should be insulated also if ran under the floor.

I am no expert on this but I think Penn. would add its own unique set of challenges concerning terrain, bedrock, and frostline.

[MissouriFree]

wallsostone, I would like to know your expert opinion on a matter. *Especially since you are familiar with the area in which I live and hope to build.

1 - Is a basement really necessary here in North-Central PA?

2 - What would make the best/longest lasting, most trouble-free basement/foundation for a 24'x32' timber-framed footprint?

The " need " for a basement is not dependant on the terrain or the part of the country you are in. The need is based on your desires - more storage, living space etc. or ease of construction ans cost .
Sometimes it is nice to have on a hillside so you can have a " walkout basement" but the " need" is based on your desire only.

2. the type of consruction is typically unique to the part of the country also. For example in many parts of the east everyone uses concrete block walls while in the midwest it is nearly always poured concrete.
Iam going to build in the hill country of Missouri and am seriously considering block becasue of the fuel surcharge for a load of concrete and the distance from the plant- pure economics

Depth of footing regardless of type of wall is based purely on the frost line and has nothing to due with personnel opinion, it is code in most places and sound engineering in places that have no code ( like far out in the country0. Width of footing is also an engineering calculation and has nothing to do with Personnel opinion.

There ae some other types of footings you can use in lieu of deep concrete- shallow insulated, pier.
There are excellant forums on some of the home plan supplier sites . One good one is :

http://countryplans.com/

you asked.

[LeatherneckPA]

Thank you everybody. That's more what I was hoping for. Guess I shouldn't have specified walls, huh?

MissouriFree, that's a VERY interesting site. Thank you for sharing. I can see me spending a great deal of time there.

[MissouriFree]

Hope you enjoy it. I am there a lot also.

mofree

[TSJ]

I would just like to add that IMHO pier and beam is the easiest way to go and perhaps the cheapest. And it will last as long as any other foundation if done properly.

The problem is, you have to like the looks of it. By that I mean you have to figure out a way to extend the house's siding down to the ground. Or not. And I don't like the idea of a skunk being able to get up underneath the house. I've seen some people put wooden grating or lattice work around the bottom and I suppose that would stop said skunk. Naaawww, no way. I don't think any skunk worthy of the name would let that stop him.

So you've got critters and snakes to consider with pier and beam foundation. And most definitely extra insulation would be required especially when cold winter winds start blowing in.

In Iowa, I've seen people who own old farm houses put straw bales around the foundation of their house every winter.

[MissouriFree]

Thats what stopped me to. But you are right it is the cheapest ansd easiest to build.

[gunsnhogs]

LeatherneckPA,

I tried to reply yesterday but my logon 'timedout' while typing and all was lost. So I'll try again.

I'm no expert or wallsostone, but I live in PA, just not north central. I was looking for land up there but it seems many others are too and the prices are rising faster than I can save the downpayment. *:) Anyway on to the topic.

Is a basement required? No, but it could come in handy. My ideal 'retirement' home would be a rancher on a full basement. Everything for day to day living is on upper floor (washer/dryer, bedrooms, etc). The basement would have the furnace and HWH. Plus the freezer and dry food storage. My current basement stays ~ 55 year round which would be good for the freezer and those dry goods.

Basement construction? Currently mine is concrete block and it's good so far (12yrs old), it gets a couple spots of moisture on the walls when it rains hard, but your finger doesn't come away wet if you drag it across the spot. I figure that black tar stuff that was applied before they backfilled around the concrete walls has been scraped off in places letting some moisture in. I'm not sure what would be better but am researching things.

Cheers

[MissouriFree]

LeatherneckPA,

I tried to reply yesterday but my logon 'timedout' while typing and all was lost. So I'll try again.

I'm no expert or wallsostone, but I live in PA, just not north central. I was looking for land up there but it seems many others are too and the prices are rising faster than I can save the downpayment. *:) Anyway on to the topic.

Is a basement required? No, but it could come in handy. My ideal 'retirement' home would be a rancher on a full basement. Everything for day to day living is on upper floor (washer/dryer, bedrooms, etc). The basement would have the furnace and HWH. Plus the freezer and dry food storage. My current basement stays ~ 55 year round which would be good for the freezer and those dry goods.

Basement construction? Currently mine is concrete block and it's good so far (12yrs old), it gets a couple spots of moisture on the walls when it rains hard, but your finger doesn't come away wet if you drag it across the spot. I figure that black tar stuff that was applied before they backfilled around the concrete walls has been scraped off in places letting some moisture in. I'm not sure what would be better but am researching things.

Cheers
Not sure if what I plan is best or not .

What I have read about leaking basements is that it is a matter of hydrostatic pressure. So after you have painted the outside of the basement wall with the black stuff ( not really a water " proofing" just a moisture barrier) you place a a 4 inch perforated plastic pipe at the footing level. Enclose it in a Sock like material to prevent it from silting in over time> backfill with a fine grade of gravel and slope it off so to drain ground water away from wall. That should prevent any water in the basement.

You can also fix a lot of basement moisture problems by making sure that water doesn't run toward the building by always sloping iground away. Lots of people do this at construction time but after planting shrubs around the build the slope gradulaly changes so water collects against foundation thus increasing the water pressure on the wall and you get moisture inside.

[gunsnhogs]

You're on to something there Missourifree,

The only wall that gets 'wet' is the one where the ground is fairly flat. Don't know about the pipe thing as I bought the place from the original owners and I can see that tar here and there where the ground has settled.

I hate to think of the cost to excavate, ensure that perforated pipe is there backfill and give the ground a little more slope even doing it myself. The crazy rules around here I'd probably at least have to get a permit maybe even hire someone for reasons only known to the borough folks.

[MissouriFree]

Don't know how old your house is but it probably doesn't have drain pipe dow at footing. It is a lot of work and is nearly never done after the house is finished as *opposed to during constructon- unless youwant to kill DW's roses.

I learned the hard way about the slope away from the house. The back fill around a basement is never compacted when backfilling and after time it settles. Workers usually throw anything they want rid of in there to and it rots and then ground sinks to fill the void. On top of that we always plant shrubs close to foundation *then mulch them *or the they grow fast . They end up making a dam to hold water close to house. That one is easy. - just shovel in dirt till it slopes away.

Another good thing to check is that downspouts drain water at least three feet or more from the foundation. that is a pretty easy fix. If you don't like to see pipe stickly out into the grass then you can connect down spout to *flexiable pipe ina sock and run it away from he house. . that doesn't have to be *buried deep at all and it makes the house look neater.

[LeatherneckPA]

LeatherneckPA, I was looking for land up there but it seems many others are too and the prices are rising faster than I can save the downpayment. *:)

gunsnhogs, I am limited to a search within commutable distance of Williamsport for a woman who does NOT even like to drive. *If you face no such restrictions, and you are going to be retired anyway, you may want to look at some of the properties offered by Rocking Horse Realty (http://www.rockinghorserealty.com/landlist.html). *These are in quite an economically depressed area, with little or no industry to provide employment. *But it's also unlikely to suffer urban encroachment anytime in the foreseeable future. *If Cindy were retired I'd be buying there in a heartbeat. *The money I have for a down-payment here would pay for twice as much land, free and clear, up there.

[Global_Gal]

you asked for ONE person's opinion, why would anyone else answer?


When did that ever stop anyone here? http://bestsmileys.com/lol/1.gif

[gunsnhogs]

Missourifree,

Yea, guess I'll have to add "figure out why spots develop on basement walls" to the list. I know it's not due to shrubs/bushes etc as 'no complicated landscaping' was one of my buying criteria. So there is nothing close to the house! ;D I've done everything from roofing to concrete work while growing up but no landscaping. Good thing too, as previous owners had 2 rose bushes when I bought the place -- they were dead in ~ 3 months. I did add a length of pipe to the downspout on the back of the house, maybe I'll add one to the front as well.

LeatherneckPA,
Thanks for the link. They had one listing I may have to check out. I could sell a motorcycle and pay cash!!! :)
Course, then I'd need stuff like chain saws, tractor, etc to get the land ready for a house. Course being in PA I could go and camp on long weekends, take a week for hunting season, etc!

Cheers

[fnfredux]

I would just like to add that IMHO pier and beam is the easiest way to go and perhaps the cheapest. And it will last as long as any other foundation if done properly.

The problem is, you have to like the looks of it. By that I mean you have to figure out a way to extend the house's siding down to the ground. Or not. And I don't like the idea of a skunk being able to get up underneath the house. I've seen some people put wooden grating or lattice work around the bottom and I suppose that would stop said skunk. Naaawww, no way. I don't think any skunk worthy of the name would let that stop him. *

So you've got critters and snakes to consider with pier and beam foundation. And most definitely extra insulation would be required especially when cold winter winds start blowing in.

In Iowa, I've seen people who own old farm houses put straw bales around the foundation of their house every winter.
and guess what comes with those straw bales for no extra charge
LOTS OF MICE!!!
Most of that sraw is stored in barns and guess where mice love to live...in BARNS lots of food, nice and warm in the middle of a straw bale, nice place to raise a family.
I left a few straw bales in my Jeep for about three days. Two weeks later ( I only use it one or two times a week) I got in one AM and WOW. Well the girls(my GSPs) showed me where it was (dead and reeking) I just couldn't get to it. So, it takes about three weeks for the stench to stop. I learned my lesson, no more straw bales in the Jeep.

[Gobstopper]

Build a proper basement whenever possible.

I know countless folks who've taken the 'easy' way out and regretted it later!!!

Have you done a physical search for property in the Liberty area and south?

Bargains still exist and the soils and climate around Liberty and south are a huge plus!!!

Gob

[LeatherneckPA]

Not sure what you mean by a "physical search". I would like to drive around up there and see if anything really appeals to me. Then I have to track down the owner of said parcel and see if they are interested. I haunt the websites of several Wellsboro/Mansfield agents to see what they have available.

Right now I've almost got my heart set on this 8.5 acre parcel just 17 miles north of Wmspt. It's just that $9800 per acre asking price that is a big drawback.

[fnfredux]

Build a trditional poured concrete basement. Make sure all drainage and waterproofing is in place. Make it a walk out. You can roof it over if you have too and have a place to live whilr you build you top floors. I WISH I had had the option of doing this. When I built things were goin great guins here and I would have had to wait a YEAR to build, while building materials were escalating wildly in price.
Do yourself a BIG favor, even iof it means waiting awhile on the "house" build a GOOD poured concrete basement, WALK OUT, you'll be happy you did.

[Gobstopper]

Not sure what you mean by a "physical search". I would like to drive around up there and see if anything really appeals to me. Then I have to track down the owner of said parcel and see if they are interested.
.

Yes, driving around is a good way to find a bargain., for-sale-by-owner or simply abandoned or neglected properties. I found 3 bargains this way...2 were well below market value.

A Tioga county PLAT map costs just $30 or so (I assume Lycoming also has a PLAT map available)....the PLAT shows property lines and owners name for the entire county.
A quick call to the courthouse will confirm ownership.

Gob