Southwest Florida is a beautiful place to settle down and build your dream home. First, however, you need to make sure you build your home on a solid foundation if it’s going to survive everything our climate throws at it. In 2022, Hurricane Ian cost $112.9 billion in repairs – the third most costly since 1980.
As the Lee County Public Safety Department warns, home foundations may fail when hurricanes do their worst. You’ve got more to worry about in a hurricane than just strong winds. Flooding and storm surges can affect all parts of the county.
Building a stem wall on a concrete foundation is a great way to strengthen your home. Let’s explore what a stem wall foundation is and why you should consider it for your Cape Coral new build.
What Is a Stem Wall?
Stem walls form a connection between the foundation or footings of a building and its external walls. They’re short, often just a couple of feet or less, and there are three main construction styles.
Masonry Stem Walls
Builders can create stem walls from masonry blocks, typically reinforced with steel rods drilled into the footings. This provides extra stability.
The belt and suspenders approach is to then fill the space around the steel reinforcing rods with mortar. This provides additional stability.
Poured Concrete Stem Walls
Alternatively, you can pour a concrete stem wall. This is typically considered the strongest option, given the high strength of poured concrete. In this case, the foundations are laid in two pours.
First, you will pour the footings, allowing them to cure. Reinforcing steel can either be drilled into the footings or embedded before pouring. Next, shuttering is erected to form a frame for the pouring of the concrete stem walls.
Finally, the stem walls can be poured as one continuous structure around the perimeter. Depending on the level of the final foundation, you may want to leave a section with either a lower wall or no stem wall for the garage entrance.
Wood Stem Walls
It is possible to build wood stem walls in certain circumstances. However, you will need to carefully select wood that is up to code and won’t expose your home unduly to the threat of a termite invasion. They are sometimes known as pony walls.
The Advantages of a Stem Wall Foundation
The purpose of any foundation is to stabilize the house. It should also be able to effectively dissipate forces applied from above or the side. A stem wall foundation may be able to do this more effectively than other types of foundation.
That’s because the stem walls are tied into the foundation of the house, meaning that the weight of the house is distributed over a larger area. This provides greater stability and allows you to construct a home of considerable weight. Like the roots of a tree, they can provide stability in a storm.
Flood Protection
Recently, flood zone maps have been redrawn in Southwest Florida. Lessons have been learned following the devastating Hurricanes Ian and Irma.
Reports indicate that more lenders now require homeowners to get flood insurance to mitigate the risk. If you’re building a new home, it just makes sense to give it the very best flood defenses from day one.
A well-built stem wall foundation can provide excellent storm defenses for your home. Not only does a stem wall provide greater stability, but by raising the foundation, it can also help to keep floodwaters at bay.
Aesthetics
If you’re looking to literally take your home up a notch, a stem wall foundation is a great way to do it. They provide a pleasing, elevated aesthetic which a lot of homeowners love.
They’re particularly well-suited to homes that are built on ground that varies in level. The use of stem walls can help to even things out in a more cost-effective way than a poured monolith foundation.
Ease of Access
A stem wall foundation allows you to create a crawl space. This gives you much easier access to your plumbing and electrical systems. They’re also easy to inspect so that you can keep tabs on pest control.
Not as Prone to Cracking
Monolithic slabs can be prone to cracking if the ground is not well compacted beneath them. This can necessitate expensive repairs. When you are looking for a new home builder, be sure to choose one that offers a great warranty on load-bearing components.
The Disadvantages of a Stem Wall Foundation
You will find that more work goes into maintaining a home with a crawl space than one that doesn’t have one. They can be tricky to insulate, which is a consideration in Florida, where you want to keep cooling costs to a minimum.
Cost
In most situations, the cost of a concrete stem wall foundation will be higher than a slab foundation. The exact costs will vary depending on where your new home is located.
However, maintaining your electrical and plumbing systems may be cheaper in the future. That’s because of the easier access the crawl space allows.
Access
Stem wall foundations typically elevate a home. This may mean that they do not provide the level of access that disabled people and seniors are looking for. However, using ramps could be one way around this issue.
Build Your Dream Home With Coral Isle Builders
Stem wall foundations can provide a super-strong, durable base for your new home. When you’re designing your dream home, you want to be involved every step of the way. From the foundation to the finishes, this is your chance to craft a home that is just for you.
At Coral Isle Builders, we bring those dreams to life. Work with us to create a design that works for Southwest Florida, your budget, and your aspirations. Contact us today to get the process started.