By Mark J. Donovan
A raised floor system can be very useful when building a new home or even sometimes when adding a bathroom.
A raised floor system, using standard wood floor joist framing, can provide additional headroom in a basement or can ensure access to pluming and wiring that would not otherwise be accessible on a to-be-built concrete slab based home. In addition, if you are contemplating a new bathroom in a second or third floor, and can not or do not want to rip up ceilings and floors to route new pipes, a raised flooring system maybe just the answer.
Many basements have limited height, particularly if the center beam running down the length of the basement, is sitting in a recessed wall pocket. A raised floor system can elevate the beam another 12-18”, providing comfortable headroom in the basement. This is highly useful if the basement is anticipated to be finished at some point. It also enables additional window and natural lighting possibilities in the basement.
If a home is slated to be mounted on a slab, a raised floor system is a good way to elevate the home a little. This can serve several purposes. First, the home will have more curb appeal as a raised foundation typically is more aesthetically pleasing than a home sitting on a slab. Second, by using a raised floor system, all of the plumbing pipes and electrical wires can be routed in the raised floor verses imbedded in the concrete slab. This allows the ability to make repairs or even make wiring or plumbing improvements possible. Finally, a raised floor system helps reduce the risk of water damage in case of high rainfalls.
Frequently people decide to add bathrooms on second or third floors where they have little access to existing plumbing pipes or the ability to install new ones. By building a raised floor system using 2x6’s for example, they can route all of the plumbing pipes to one central or appropriate location to connect into an existing plumbing drain system. The only downside to using a raised floor system in a bathroom is the fact that you need to step up to it. This may be a small price to pay when considering the alternatives, e.g. not adding the bathroom or having to rip up floors and ceilings to route new pipes.
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