Slab on grade vs grade beam and joists...

[joostmee]

I am designing a couple of small homes for rental property approx. 800sf.

Basic info.

Desert climate
Frost line 9 inches (usually not considered here)
Sandy/rocky soil

Most builders in this area do slab on grade, but I am interested in the pros and cons of this vs grade beam and floor joist construction for a small home.

One of my thoughts is that grade beam and floor joist construction may be a bit cheaper.

[bighammer]

ummm....not sure of the lumber,concrete is forever (basically) and lumber can do some crazy stuff on you if your not careful...there has to be a reason GC don't do the lumber method, if it is cheaper, right?? ask around or google it, not familiar with slab on grade at all...we dig basement in IOWA...good luck

[joostmee]

Thanks bighammer. Hey, could you tell me what kind of moisture barrier you use for your basements? I had someone ask me about a basement.

Anyone else have any pros and cons?

Here is a simple list of what comes to my mind.

Slab on Grade

pros

solid floor - can't get much more stable than concrete.
quiet floor

cons

moisture/insulation - could have a little moisture seep through and sometimes feels cold. (I had a client spend more than my architectural fee to install a moisture barrier/ insulation under his slab.)

mechanical - any mechanical installed under the slab (other than sleeved pex i.e. wirsbo) cannot be repaired without busting the slab in that area.

price

Grade Beam with Joists

pros


price - possibley

mechanical - accessible through crawl space.




cons

moisture - mould etc. don't know much about this, would be vented.

noise - creaks etc.

obviously not as solid.


Any and all of this could be thrown out as wrong, and I'm sure that there is a lot not mentioned that should be, I just wanted to kick off a list of pros and cons to see what people had to say.