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first thing I would want to know is where you are located. here in the St Louis area if is unusual to see a house without a basement and most folks would view it as and oddity. Here slabs are what you see for stores and strip malls. Other locations it might be the norm to build on piers or slab.
Trying to say what is norm for your area and what is the thought for the small house. Rental property, quick sell, mother in laws quarters, could be a house or a business?
Gary,
When I moved to Greenville S.C 20 years ago I bought a lot and drew up some plans to build a 2400 sq. ft. 2 story house. I took the plans to the county office to apply for a building permit. I wanted to review the plans with an inspector, add any additional requirements, get copies made and submit them. I asked him "how many sets do I need ? His answer was "you don't need any sets I don't accept plans because if I did I don't have the people to review them, just build it to the code" The last time I built an addition on my home appx. 5 years ago it was the same way. Commercial building is another story with stamped plans and reviews being the norm.
As I look around at what is built down here I see very little difference, quality wise, if any, with what I saw and built in S.E. Pa. for 25 years, except for the building climate is much friendlier, the cost of Gov't is much less. There are many areas across the country where stamped plans aren't required
The type of house foundation is a decision that should be made considering many pertinent facts.. Here are several. What's the budget ? What is the grade/slope of the site ? How high is the water table ? What is the frost line? What are the soil conditions ?
What is the availability of qualified contractors to do the work ? What is typical/acceptable construction in the area ? Does the owner need the addt'l. space that a basement would provide ?
Addressing the original post. If the site is relatively level and the frost line isn't too deep a slab will most likely be the least expensive option.With a pier foundation utility rough ins can be installed in the crawl space and accessed/added to in the future. Depending on the height of crawl space it can be utilized for storage. No right or wrong for this answer, just different information to be considered.
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