Was going to do a poured wall basement until I got the bid (ouch!), now looking at doing a wood basement. Have heard alot of good things about them, but cannot get my mind to embrace the thought of a wood basement. Any experience out there??
Wood Basements, pro's and con's
- Thread starter highmark18
- Start date
I would be highly worried about rotting and how effectivly it would be sealed. Not to mention if termites ever came in.
I would get a loan,There are NO pro & con's in a wood basement...
I was talking to a builder about that very thing the other day. It seems like a proper wood basement is fine for many years. However, like everything else, an improperly installed one is a waste of money. It also depends where it is. A house up on a hill somewhere probably has better drainage and the basement would last longer.
However, since the emergence of the poured concrete Styrofoams basements, wood basements are mostly old technology.....
However, since the emergence of the poured concrete Styrofoams basements, wood basements are mostly old technology.....
Y
yardfarmer
Well-known member
When I was 14 (1979) a construction company hired me as a summer helper. We built a split entry house with a wood basement and pea rock footings. The house is still standing and appears to be in good shape. so.....,
EEEEhhhhh, I wouldn't do it. It is not a norm or a standard.
have come accross a few myself... There are lots of factors to figure in... Type of climate, soil, drainage issues, insects, moisture condensation and also need to think about resale issues as well. Best if used as a split level. IMO I would spend the extra $$ and pour the walls but if you plan on being there the rest of your life and don't have soil, drainage problems it is certainly a viable option
Do not do it period!! I have taken out pressure treated plywood sitting in water that is already rotten after 5 years, even a small amount of dry rot smell wafts through a house big time. I have seen those things get pushed in by inexperienced equipment operators......cost money to fix it. Put in the concrete at least the house will be sell able down the road. Unless you are dealing with permafrost these thing should be banned.
S
Slick
Well-known member
Lots of experience with them, and wouldn't even consider one, nor suggest that you do. One of the biggest negatives is trying to keep the odors down, seems to be consistent in all of them. You can mask it, but its almost always evident with a very distinctive odor. Same old issue, the supplier will guarantee it for 25 years ,50 or whatever, but if it fails, their answer is we'll replace it, wouldn't that be something to look forward to, free or not.
My suggestion, styrofoam block, cement filled. Warm, good accoustic value, easy to develop, and easy to do yourself. Get an experienced person to run the pumper when filling the walls, bit of a trick to that.
Comment,... ever look at a railroad tie after 20 years ? Its treated wood also.
My suggestion, styrofoam block, cement filled. Warm, good accoustic value, easy to develop, and easy to do yourself. Get an experienced person to run the pumper when filling the walls, bit of a trick to that.
Comment,... ever look at a railroad tie after 20 years ? Its treated wood also.
There must be a lot of determining factors....climate, soil types, drainage etc
Our ranch style was built in 1990 with a wood basement.
Zero problems.
If doing it again, I would go with the styro/cement all of the way up to the rafters though.
Not that I'm unhappy with the wood, but the insulating value of the foam is quite valuable.
Our ranch style was built in 1990 with a wood basement.
Zero problems.
If doing it again, I would go with the styro/cement all of the way up to the rafters though.
Not that I'm unhappy with the wood, but the insulating value of the foam is quite valuable.
Check with the Backfoot Housing Authority in Browning Montana. They built all kinds of houses in the late 70's using wood basements (and saved something like $1500 per house ) and now people are getting all kinds of sicknesses from mold that has gotten into the wet wood.
Wouldn't ever consider it. Like stated above, moldy, unstable, and you'll never sell it. Buck up the dough and do it right. If you comprimise the footings and foundation (the base of your home) what other shortcuts are you going to take? A house is the biggest investment you will probably ever make. Do you want to make a half assed investment? Most people wouldn't, and most banks won't fund it now or for the next buyer.
Just so you hear more than the horror stories, I'll chime in again.
There are alot of wood basements around here.
For about a 15 year period that was about all that was built.
I haven't heard of a single problem.
Not one.
Maybe contractors in other areas are uneducated about how to build them?
I'm just saying they are no where near as problematic as some here are suggesting.
There are alot of wood basements around here.
For about a 15 year period that was about all that was built.
I haven't heard of a single problem.
Not one.
Maybe contractors in other areas are uneducated about how to build them?
I'm just saying they are no where near as problematic as some here are suggesting.
Interesting comments. It is surprising that most of the comments were againt it except for Mafesto. Reason I say that is that I have been doing quite a bit of research, and here in this region wood basements are being used more than ever. I actually spoke to a cement contractor and not only does he have one, he said he would recommend it. (Before you start flaming the guy, he has been doing concrete work for over 20 years, and is a very knowledgeable gentleman) Now up here we have no termites and sandy ground (I am building on a ridge where the soil is very good for drainage). From what I have found in researching the whole thing it comes down to proper footings, drainage, and backfill. Areas that are clay seem to have the worst luck as the water cannot run away from the walls. Not at all trying to justify, just stating what I have found over the course of the last few months...
Perma frost is the exception for wood, even if the wood is in dry conditions the ants still get it. If you have a wood basement it can be switched to concrete. It is a bit of work.
Well, I own a house, that was built in about 75 or 80, on awood basement.I wish it didnt have one, but there doesnt appear to be a single problem with it. I think that having the weeping tile in place, and properly done is paramount. It just makes me nervous. The thing is, the house needs alot of work, I mean ALOT. I got the quarter of land, and house for 130 grand, so I HAD to buy it. Now, the issue is, do you just kind of patch the house, and in ten years, build the Post and Bream home we want, or do we just throw 50 grand into this place, and make it really nice. I dont know. But, as for the basement, 30 years or so old, and seems very sound, and still not a smell, or leak. But, I think they really worked on drainage, and its just a bi-level. The basement is only 4 feet down. So, the basement windows are really big, with 9 foot ceilings. Also, we have almost finished the basement, and I laid down another whole layer of tounge and groove subflooring to make the floor feel more sturdy.
my house has a wood crawl space on one half with the boiler etc. in it, the other half is cement slab, built in 75 with green treat lumber, visqueen barrier on outside, gravel drainage under, crawl space is set up to drain to the cement floor where the boiler sits and is vented for the summer, no rot no mold no problems, also built with slope away from house, hopin she lasts another 30 years, green treat 2 x 6 green treat plywood, lumber yard where it come from says this stuff is supposed to be 100 yr stuff, don;t know but eventually i want to pour a wall and dig it as a basement, would be alot of work, may just burn it down for the insurance
I wouldn't try to compare lumber from 30 year old houses to what's available today. There is no comparison, today's wood sucks. I replace windows for a living, and the younger ones have way more rot issues than the older ones that I replace. I would never want a house with wood exposed to soil.
