mn | Sodbustr - 1/18/2019 18:49
I would reconsider the no basement idea unless you live in a swampy area.
I am not south of you that far, but even here the basement is by far the cheapest square footing available. You have to dig footings and do at least 4ft in the ground anyway. Basically you are paying for 1/2 the basement anyway and get no good out of it.
Just a rough guess, but a 2000 sq ft main floor sized house and it would take 15K to do the no basement idea and maybe 30K to do the basement. That 15K is the best money you could spend and the house will be worth a fair bit more whenever it gets sold, even if it is a generation down the road.
+1
We just built and priced both ways. Unfinished basement was only $13k more than slab on grade. That is on 2400 sq ft.
Slab on grade requires different flooring methods and EXTREME planning ahead. Plus a basement gives you storage and a perfect place for the utility room.
We put floor heat in the concrete and under the floor on the main level. At first, the house would heat up about 3 degrees above thermostat during the day (lots of south windows). Once I hooked up the outdoor reset, that stopped. We zoned the main room, the master bed and bath, and guest bed and bath separately. Our air conditioning is a heat pump that has the condenser in the ceiling.
We have found 68 with floor heat is as comfortable or more comfortable than 72 with forced air. Plus no dust blowing around all winter.
Another thing I would suggest looking at is an indirect water heater. I am amazed how fast it makes hot water and how little energy it takes. Ours is 40 gallons and it will put out 240 gallons per hour of 140 degree water nonstop.
Edited by jtpfarm 1/18/2019 20:48
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Whole house in floor heat ?
