raised floor vs. slab

[missydog1]

Well but if you know North Kohala, most of the homes are P&P. Many of the older homes were moved from the plantation when the mill shut down and gave the homes to the workers, and these old houses were put down on blocks on new lots, with highly varying degrees of expertise. They weren't all done to code. In the quake, some homes were damaged where the shaking was the worst. But there are a lot of homes in North Kohala, so I don't think the overall percentage of P&P knocked off of blocks was that significant. It was a strong quake. It destroyed trails in Pololu; it took down the Kohala ditch that had been going for a long time; it took down the old smokestack, the old church, as mentioned. In other words, stuff that had lasted for a century.

Of course earthquakes are something to consider. One can also do bracing to help reduce the likelihood.
I still like the P&P houses I've lived in here much more than the slab.