Questions about pier and beam foundation...

Good post and agree with a lot of this. Regarding pier and beam there are a lot of piers and barring a major disaster most want fail at the same time. If done right there should be enough redundancy that if one pier fails it can be repaired without the whole house collapsing.

Poured slab on grade are preferable in places where the ground doesn't freeze because they are cheaper than other foundation systems but can't be done on every site. You need a flat site so either the site is already flat or it has to be regraded which can be costly, effect drainage and etc.. Piers are an easy way to address that and as been noted address flood and ground water issues.

Regarding rot that can happen but well treated wood is very stable even in a very wet climate like Houston. In any recent built house I wouldn't worry about rot. Subsidence from improper friction on the piers or uplift from wind I would worry about much more.

In regards to mold and other problems with crawlspace. The space should definitely be drained. There should be no standing water under the house. You can put in perimeter drains and filter fabric to keep them drained. I've seen some cases where the crawlspace has filter fabric and gravel to drain it. In a climate like Houston the floor should be insulated with a vapor barrier on the outside. That will keep moisture from migrating into the floor structure. You can also ventilate your crawlspace with a fan.

One thing to note. Don't seal the crawl space. The space should have more ventilation not less.

 

Also a note on the lifespan of houses. In our economy and culture it doesn't really make sense to build houses or many other buildings to last forever. Building houses of concrete block (CMU) can certainly make them last longer but that is more expensive and slower than stud construction. It would also be a lot harder to renovate than a stud framed house.

Given that people move and their lives changed it wouldn't make much sense to expect houses to not change for 60 or more years. For example my house is 120 years old and it's got 120 year old problems. I'm planning on tearing it down and building a new house because even if the structure could still stand just the way people live now isn't the same as 120 years ago.

 

My father was a contractor and he and I built a pier and beam house for me about 16 years ago. He believes that is the most appropriate construction for this part of the country. Slabs in Houston crack too often because of our soil. Pier and beam makes the house a little more flexible and it's easier to fix (which we did about 10 years in and it was pretty cheap, though it is scary to be under a house you've lifted with a rented jack). Whichever approach is better for Houston, they've both been used a long time and the kinks are worked out. No need to worry.

You can buy her construction workers better beer. I'm sure they'd appreciate it, but they're price conscious.

From being at my father's job sites, it seems all the house builders like to get a light beer or two at the end of a hard work day as a reward. My father would bring a case on Fridays. It might just be that my father was a safety-conscious boss, but I never really saw any workers drinking on the job, just after.

 

No. The concern is if they leave food behind. It can get into weird places, inside walls, and become a bug issue.

 

I live in Montrose and according to HCAD, the land is worth 95% and my house itself is only worth 5%. That’s according to HCAD though.