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From Bricks to Attics, Part. 1
Our last issue of the ADC Limited Newsletter dealt with subject of the turn of the century older homes through 1968. The reason for this choice of time period is from our examination of current conditions of homes known to exist in a particular geographic area, that of Northern California.
This issue of the Newsletter will alert the home owner and newly licensed General Contractors to the beginning considerations when contemplating makeovers, remodel or adding on to these classes of structures.
Once you have determined that the house is properly situated on the parcel of land, with proper current setbacks according to local zoning and building codes, your immediate concern should be what type of foundation is currently supporting your house? Does it have brick or cement foundation? Both can be telling. Brick foundations have started to decay and will show cracking and unevenness longitudinally and is placed six to twelve inches below grade. This is bad news. Concrete foundations, will show evidence of cracking and separations and in some cases, show displacement sinking or raising in height from one half inch to two to three inches when viewed in a horizontal plane. This is also a concern. A further examination should be made of the height of wood framing members between the grounds under the house. If it is less than 18 inches, this is another concern.
Your next concern should be what is the current location of the sewer line from your house to the city main sewer? Determine its size and composition and whether it is in the same trench as the foundation footing and above all determine if large trees or root growing ground covering are in the immediate vicinity. Tree and root systems can force their way into the sewer line and cause major clogging of main drainage and pipe separation damage. This is particularly true if the Sewer Line is made of terracotta. There have been cases where Sewer Lines have been compromised by repair with a combination of Terracotta and Caste Iron piping and the connecting bands were not properly sealed. A good test of the Sewer Line can be made with the insertion of a camera into the sewer cleanout opening. This will provide you with a video record of the location of breaks, roots or Bell Housing cracks resulting from earth movement.
Your next concern should be to examine the studs or vertical framing members, if you are able to view them. The questions should be, are they seated on a redwood wooden mudsill and what is the spacing of the vertical framing members. Are they greater than 16” on center, and what are the sizes of the framing members? Further examine what the sub-floor is made of. Are they of ½”, ¾” or inch and or 1/8” plywood or is it made of 2” redwood planking.
Next determine the sizes of ceiling joist and their spacing. Determine the size of rafters and their spacing. Are they spaced greater than 24” on center or are they spaced at some other distances apart?
These four forgoing issues maybe evidenced by the tell tell signs of cracks in walls or floor unevenness, lifting of sidewalks or driveways, or frequent sewer backups. Short of these visible signs, if there is not a direct access to the under side of the house, it may be wise to use a shovel to dig along the side of the existing foundation. Measure the depth of the foundation footing below the dirt on the outside of the foundation perimeter, and height of framing members above the dirt. A crawl into the attic area is helpful in determining Joist and Rafter framing, direction and spacing. If you are unable to perform these examinations yourself it is advisable to contact a construction specialist such as a Home Inspector, General Contractor, Architect, or Designer to determine these factors. The dollar investment in such an examination can mean considerable saving and knowledge if you are planning a remodel, makeover or addition to your house. The cost for upgrades of areas discussed in this article can have a major cost estimate impact if they are not discovered prior to beginning a house makeover, remodel or expansion. For further information on these subjects contact us at: davis52@comcast.net or visit our Web Site at www.adcbuilderseminar.com
Our next three month’s subjects will be dedicated to Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical concerns. For more information signup, for our free monthly Newsletters at our web site: www.adcbuilderseminar.com and click on the Newsletter link at the upper right corner of the page to sign-up for Free Monthly Newsletters.
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