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The choice of foundation is also affected by personal preferences and costs. Basements can add thousands of dollars to cost of a home compared to cost of a crawlspace. However, when you consider extra useable space created by a basement it is some of cheapest square footage space of a home. If you are tight on funds and can't afford basement then it may be a good idea to find a slightly smaller plan and use savings to create a basement. You'll end up with a lot more storage space and potential living space by doing this.
Changing Type of Foundation on your home:
Almost any house plan can have its foundation changed. It's common for people to design a different foundation if available foundations do not suit their needs. If you are currently working with a builder you may want to ask them if they will take care of making foundation changes for you. Sometimes with foundation design it may be helpful for somebody who is near you to do those changes because they will have more knowledge about your local soil conditions and slope of your lot.
When changing foundation types, pay attention to where you will put furnace, water heater, and stairs. If you need to add basement stairs, basement stairs can usually be put under other stairways or you may be able to replace a closet or small room with basement stairs. Another common place to put basement stairs is to replace a mechanical room with stairs and move mechanical items (such as furnace and water heater) to basement. Sometimes space near laundry room, or space near garage can be used for a basement stairs. Larger walk-in closets are sometimes reduced in size to allow space for basement stairs. You can often add a basement stairs to a plan without increasing size of plan. However, sometimes space may need to be added to a plan to provide room for a basement stairs.
It should be noted that it is owner's full responsibility to check with his/her local and state building authorities, his/her builder, and designer of house plan to ensure that home meets all applicable building codes and requirements.
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Mark Mathis is a building designer and publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources including http://www.HousePlanCentral.com and http://www.HousePlanGallery.com. Be sure to subscribe to both site's eNewsletters to receive special offers, promotions, and subscriber-only features.