NAHB on Foundation Type Trend
Basements and crawl spaces are on the decline in favor of slab foundation. According to the NAHB analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), 73% of new single-family homes were built on slab foundations. This leaves 17% of new homes built with full or partial basements and crawl spaces accounting for just 9.2% of all builds.
The foundation trends appear to be split on geographical patterns. In colder areas, basements have a disproportionate popularity compared to warmer and southern regions. There a stark majority of homes are built on slab foundations.
“While East South Central and Pacific divisions have historically led in crawl space usage, both have experienced noticeable decreases, particularly the Pacific, which saw a sharp drop in the past decade. Interestingly, the Mountain division has seen a gradual rebound in crawl space use, now ranking second in crawl space share.” Said NAHB economist Catherine Koh.
