Looking for input on slab foundations vs. full foundations -- benefits and disadvantages of each.

Are you talking for a residence? I'm assuming so based on your other posts. Since you need to dig down 4-6 feet anyway to get below frostline for your foundation wall, you might as well go the extra 2-4 feet and give yourself a full basement. It will cost marginally more to construct and will likely increase the resell value of your home. In addition, a full foundation will give easier access to your septic line should it need maintenance in the future. And think of all the extra storage space! :)

Full foundation, definitely. We have one and LOVE the space. About 16-18 yearas ago we bought an old farmhouse with a (very small) crumbling stone cellar. We had the house lifted, a full concrete basememt poured, and the house set back down on a new deck. Trying to rebuild an old farmhouse is surely another story, but definitely go for the full basement.

Sure beats renting a storage locker! LOL!

But i'd also talk to a heating contractor, though. I think you were talking about an outdoor wood boiler, and an unheated basement will be damp.

Where else do you put all the "stuff" except in the basement? I was raised in the south where full foundations were rare and all the "stuff" had to go into an outbuilding like a garden shed. Much easier to get to the "stuff" in a blizzard when it is right down stairs. We also have a wood stove down there with an old couch and reading lamp so Joe has a real get away space. :p He did get a bit annoyed when I got Oops paints from Home Depot and painted the walls all different colors.

Anne

I can't imagine not having a basement since I have not ever lived in a house without one. Storage is great - a get away for someone if laid out well - both of those assume that is dry though.

This may go without saying for some, but if you do a full basement you would definitely want to consider a bulkhead or some means of entering it from the outside of the house. My house has a full basement, but no access from the outside. There have been many times we would have like to come into the basement from the back of the house, but had to do otherwise. Hasn't been a problem per se until we had the furnace replaced a couple of years ago. Given that our house is 70 years old, it was not remotely possible to get the beast out of the basement intact. I had to wonder if they build the house around it - it was huge. Needless to say, it had to be taken apart and removed piece by piece adding significantly to the cost of the replacement. Then again, you wouldn't be installing a furnace the size of the beast we removed for sure.

You have quite a project on your hands - have fun!! Sounds exciting!