Various things need to be considered while designing a home with a basement, crawl space or a slab foundation. Full basements are considered to be the norm in many parts of the country; while others sections have slab foundations and many others have crawl spaces. The fundamental point in this regard is to consider what your neighbors have. If all your neighbors have basements and you are planning a crawl space, you will face difficulty in reselling your home if you ever choose to.

Many people still feel that a full basement provides more room, even though it is only used for storage purposes. A basement, however, does provide the homeowner with the potential opportunity of adding extra living space to the home. Because it is naturally cooler, the basement is important in hot climates. This fact automatically adds extra value to the home; whether the basement is finished or unfinished. It can always be converted to a family room or workshop.

In warm climates and in the areas having lots of rocks, slabs are very popular. In this case, the ceilings and the walls are used for installing any wiring and plumbing that is necessary. The furnace and water heater also need space; some where. If they are situated in the attic, all the water pipes must be properly insulated. Slab foundations provide a healthier environment as there is less of a chance for water and outside gases to leak in.

Drainage is a significant concern on the part of the homeowner. Whether it is a full cellar, crawl space or just a slab on concrete, there should be no water in any of these areas. Compared to building full basements, crawl spaces and slabs are usually less expensive. This is particularly true in the areas that would require the removal of a lot of big rocks.
However, there are some areas that are just about solid rock. It would be almost impossible to excavate an area big enough to build a cellar there without incurring a huge expenditure of money. The only solution in that case is to build on a slab.