Wood or Concrete Basement

[06 RMK 900]

Ok so I’m going to be building a house soon and I have been doing some reading on the basements. I have heard more and more people use wood because it's cheaper and easier to work with. I have read that most places will warranty the wood up to 75 years. Some people say they would never do it and some people say they would do it over. People that have it say you just have to make sure you seal everything up good and you will never have any problems with it.

My neighbor (my contractor) has it. He built his house about 15 years ago. He is now adding on and he dug down next to the old foundation and showed me the boards. They look brand new!!! I have seen many full concrete basements and they all seem to have cracks somewhere. If a concrete wall collapse what can you do? If it was wood you could just dig away and replace that section couldn't you?

So I know there are some construction guys here what do you think?

 

[94fordguy]

Are you saying you want to make the basement exterior walls out of wood?

Can't say I've ever heard of that one before

 

[06 RMK 900]

Are you saying you want to make the basement exterior walls out of wood?

Can't say I've ever heard of that one before

Yes I would, If I do this I will have a concrete slab for the floor and for footings the walls would be the wood part. I have heard of people not doing any concrete at all.

I'm affraid that this is going to be a bias Topic. People that do the concrete are going to say wood sucks. People that do wood will say concrete sucks.

 

[94fordguy]

I have never done a full basement, but I have built several houses and worked on quite a few commercial buildings so I know my way around building materials and their strengths... Perhaps in your part of the country this is an acceptable practice, but I have never even heard of that before in my life around here and personally I would think someone would have to be smoking crack to want to bury wood like that in that manner. A reinforced concrete foundation can't be beat IMO... I wouldn't even feel safe walking in there knowing a wood wall is all that's holding back 8 ft of dirt all around it.

Also, There's 2 kinds of concrete - Concrete that has cracked, and Concrete that is going to crack... As long as you add the proper amount of rebar in the wall it isn't going to go anywhere once it has cured unless you hit it REALLY hard with some heavy equipment.

I LOVE working with wood, but for a basement wall

 

[06 RMK 900]

I have never done a full basement, but I have built several houses and worked on quite a few commercial buildings so I know my way around building materials and their strengths... Perhaps in your part of the country this is an acceptable practice, but I have never even heard of that before in my life around here and personally I would think someone would have to be smoking crack to want to bury wood like that in that manner. A reinforced concrete foundation can't be beat IMO... I wouldn't even feel safe walking in there knowing a wood wall is all that's holding back 8 ft of dirt all around it.

Also, There's 2 kinds of concrete - Concrete that has cracked, and Concrete that is going to crack... As long as you add the proper amount of rebar in the wall it isn't going to go anywhere once it has cured unless you hit it REALLY hard with some heavy equipment.

I LOVE working with wood, but for a basement wall

Lol seth that was my same reaction when I first heard about it as well. Started doing some reading on it and i'm i'm stuck in the middle now. There are codes and guidlines to follow that it will be strong enough i'm not worried about that. The way my floor plan is only two sides are actually going to be underground, and one side only about 4 feet under. I understand you have the pressure from the ground but whats the differance when you build two or three stories up with lumber for strength? The idea I like most about the wood basement is how easy it is to finish years down the road.

 

[Mafesto]

Bought our house brand new 21 years ago.
It has wood basement.
So far........zero problems.

 

[xrated]

Parents place is wood. Going on 30 plus years.


But then again when I looked at buying vs building in both cases I wanted block.



Then again poured concrete and insulation would be nice....

 

[m8magicandmystery]

go wood...way more versitile...the pressure treated lasts forever..all the concrete basements in the Yukon end up having to have 4 inches of foam insulation on either side anyway to be any good..and its soooooo much easier going through you wood basement wall then concrete...lol.....

But seriously..she is all wood up here...has been since the fifties...only the europeans
still go concrete when they build here..all the tradesmen shake their heads..

 

[niles]

I am a contractor in nw ia, I myself have done some research on wood basements for a project of my own. I believe if its done correct they cant be beat, you need plenty of drainage and support. The only downside i could find was that if i was ever to sell the general public turns away from it thinking it was cheap junk. They are warmer and drier.

 

[polarisfornow]

i used to live in bismarck, nd and there were quite a few homes there with wood basements.... however when it came time to purchase a home i noticed that all the wood basement homes sold for much less.... go concrete

plain and simple... perception IS reality. and the general perception is that wood is a problem.

 

[Dam Dave]

Concrete.the Hover Dam we still be standing long after every piece of wood on earth has turned to dust

 

[kbl6z]

Concrete.the Hover Dam we still be standing long after every piece of wood on earth has turned to dust

That is very true dave.

 

[trigger fish]

A well built wood foundation will last 2x as long as concrete. Normally built on 2x6's or 2x8's. this gives you a place to put insulation saving you money in heating or cooling. in order to have this same advantage on concrete u would have to build a fake wall on the inside of ur walls (you lose sq.ft).

As others have stated. if u add on to the home this is done very easy. If u have a problem down the road fixes are a lot easier. They are rated to last 75 years and a concrete is rated to last 30-40 years. This is a type of foundation you can build yourself without owning or renting special tools.

The only real problem is when it comes to resale. It is harder to get a bank to loan the money and buyers unfamiliar with this type of foundation might not be willing to give it a chance.

Overall the wood foundation is cheaper, stronger, easier to build, and will last longer.

 

[snowman*150*]

What! I have never heard of a wood basement! All the houses I have built or remodeled are all concrete. I would choose concrete the cracks don't really matter unless they go all the way threw the wall then you will get a leak and its easy to fix cracks. If your foundation starts to fall apart then the concrete work was not very good.

How is the 2x6 stronger than concrete?

Concrete wont bow like wood will, and how is a 2x6 stronger than a 6" to 8" thick wall of concrete?

This whole wood basement thing is new to me so I am very curious!

 

[NorthMNSledder]

I have seen a few wood basements around me but not many. You are right on the resale being cheaper. I would be interested to see how they compare to the poured concrete foundation walls (like the insulated ones that look like big lego blocks and then the concrete is poured in the middle).

Must be more popular in different parts of the country I would think.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

This whole wood basement thing is new to me !

wow....this is surprising...all the army housing in the Yukon built in the 40s and 50s were concrete....cold damp concrete..!!!

Everything basically from the 60s on is wood...warm insulated wood..!!
and we are talking thousands and thousands of new houses..

any new construction that is concrete has 4 inches of foam on the exterior and insulated sub walls on the inside...and its mostly only the europeons that chose concrete in the last 50 years..

this is an interesting thread...

 

[sevenhundo]

I have an uncle and aunt that have a wood basement in northern montana. I would guess the house was built in the 50's and they have never had any problems. But I think the trick is doing it right the first time so there is no leaks. And who says concrete is only rated for 25-35 years they are crazy go around and look at some older neiborhoods my house was built in 1950. 8" concrete walls no cracks or leaks not even any crumbling and that was the whole neiborhood. I trust concrete more but thats my opinion I think if they both are done right they will last years

 

[zach477]

My parents have a wood basement, home is going on 20 years old and no problems. Its a ranch on a flat lot as well so the whole thing is underground. I would have to say it is much dryier and more warm than even my split foyer cement basement. I am in the process of selling my current home so i can build bigger and WOULD go with wood, however bc of my wifes job we have to stay in Sioux Falls and they don't allow you to build with wood basements here. The only reason......the city building code guys and cement companies are in bed with each other. Complete bulls*it! The only basement wall that can be wood is a walk-out.

 

[snowman*150*]

I have an uncle and aunt that have a wood basement in northern montana. I would guess the house was built in the 50's and they have never had any problems. But I think the trick is doing it right the first time so there is no leaks. And who says concrete is only rated for 25-35 years they are crazy go around and look at some older neiborhoods my house was built in 1950. 8" concrete walls no cracks or leaks not even any crumbling and that was the whole neiborhood. I trust concrete more but thats my opinion I think if they both are done right they will last years

Exactly! There are lots of concrete building build way back in the day. I also trust concrete more because visually it will look stronger, wood makes me think it would bow with the back pressure of dirt but thats my opinion.

 

[snowman*150*]

wow....this is surprising...all the army housing in the Yukon built in the 40s and 50s were concrete....cold damp concrete..!!!

Everything basically from the 60s on is wood...warm insulated wood..!!
and we are talking thousands and thousands of new houses..

any new construction that is concrete has 4 inches of foam on the exterior and insulated sub walls on the inside...and its mostly only the europeons that chose concrete in the last 50 years..

this is an interesting thread...

Umm I have never seen a wood basement. I have been around construction all my life and its always concrete.

So your saying almost every house built from the 60s on is wood... Well how come I have not seen one? I have built and remodeled tones of homes.

I am not European and I use concrete.... Am I European then?.. Dont think so.

P.S.

Concrete my be cold but it should not get damp. If its poorly pored then it will only get damp.