The advantages of raised floor systems are being promoted by the Southern Pine Council (SPC) to builders and homeowners in the Gulf Coast region.
The Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) said that in 2002 around 50% of all new homes used slab-on-grade foundations. SPC hopes to reverse the trend by promoting the benefits of raised floor systems such as moisture control, easy home improvements and reduced risk of flooding.
Raised floor systems can increase the total lumber used in a framing package by up to 40% which could see southern pine gain from demand for its wide dimension material.
As part of the promotion programme, financial institutions, designers, developers and estate agents are also being targeted and a website dedicated to the promotion of raised floor foundations is being developed.
