Property Purchasing Tips - #7 Piers vs. Slab
What is the difference between a house on piers and a house with a concrete slab?
Piers: These are very common in older style miners cottages in Newcastle’s inner and mid-ring suburbs. Initially, piers set in the early 1900’s were ‘pre-cast’ concrete columns, and most properties will still have some or all of these piers today. These days, an unsound concrete pier can be replaced by brick, concrete, steel or wooden piers. When checking re-piered columns, ensure that the foundations of the replaced piers are sound. A wider and deeper foundation under the pier ensures long-term stability. Longer piers and thus a home set higher off the ground are favourable as this enables easy access for maintenance and replacement. Hiring an expert building and pest inspector to review these footings is critical when doing your due diligence on a prospective property purchase.
Concrete Slabs: More commonly used today, concrete slabs indicate the home has been built under more modern construction techniques. Most often, a concrete slab will have been followed with brick external walls as opposed to weatherboard, so this is a great indicator of your properties foundations prior to inspecting. A concrete slab will reduce movement of the structure above when compared to piered properties, and provides a natural barrier to moisture and burrowing pests such as termites.
As always, when doing your ‘due diligence’ on a prospective property purchase, it is important to get the right advice from a suitably qualified expert. Reach out if you’d like a hand.
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