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House re-leveled…………… |
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Lars(wi) ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Permian Basin Points: 7036 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 19 Jul 2024 at 8:04am |
Job was completed just before the July 4 holiday. Pier & Beam construction, took the contractor almost 6 seven hour days to complete. Due to excessive afternoon temperatures, they stopped work before 2:30pm everyday. Now working on readjusting all the doors. Have removed 4 family room windows, and reworked the finished openings and reinstalled the windows. Have noticed some paneling that has ‘popped’ off the walls in other rooms, as most likely installed years ago when the house was ‘out of level’. South-east corner of house had dropped 4” from level. Gone are all the ‘waves’ in the floors of the house. Glad it’s done, but turned out to be twice as expensive as planned.
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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plummerscarin ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() Joined: 22 Jun 2015 Location: ia Points: 3356 |
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That is no small undertaking. Likely why so many renovations I’ve been involved with did not include returning to level. So much has to be repaired after the fact.
I remember one floor that had more fall than the drain piping I installed with quarter inch per foot. Advised the inspector to bring a level to verify my work because the house made it look bad. |
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Lars(wi) ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Permian Basin Points: 7036 |
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The kicker is, this house was originally 25x70, there are 2 additions(contractor calls them ‘add-ons’), main house has 2x6 studded walls, stucco(cement) interior walls, 2 layers of shingles with metal over those. 2 full baths with 4 inch poured concrete floors, all the original interior walls(10ft ceilings)are sitting on 6 inch high x 4 inch wide cement curbs. The house was so heavy, when attempting to jack up, the floor joists would collapse. So, all joists were ‘sistered’. At final completion the main center beam, was sistered, and 1/2 way between the center beam, and the fountain another new beam was installed on both sides, with 30+ new piers.
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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Coke-in-MN ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: Afton MN Points: 41442 |
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Friend down in Houston TX did remodeling work but had a contractor that leveled houses before he worked on them . Slab on beam is standard construction and with clay soil settling in a common problem .
Was asking him on his house there and said trick was to keep foundation clay watered often as if moist settling was normally not a problem but drying out and then getting wet when it rained caused concrete beams to settle . |
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." |
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DMiller ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 30491 |
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Homes in several surrounding counties had settling problems, at one time there were dozens of home ‘Movers’ and ‘Levelers’. Early middle MO homes were built like the old barns, large slab stones on corners and transition regions sitting somewhat in the dirt, very common for frost heaves or differing soils conditions across a floor to settle or thrust. All so much close to surface hydraulic clays as well made it a defined mess to keep even newer full foundation homes level.
Most of the leveler or house mover companies have just disappeared, some changed hands and directions others sliding into general contractor work, still a few along the river bottoms from here to KC. Many homes here sit on near to surface Bedrock, our home included, just south of here is “Stoney Hill” and is a truthful view of the region. The last owners of our farm home is still mostly standing, was in it once where floors are all tilted like a fun house, old stone ‘footers’ visually evident with only a cellar beneath a area of that structure. Is supposedly a log cabin at center of the old house. |
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Lars(wi) ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Permian Basin Points: 7036 |
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As continue on, he have noticed a few spots were paneling has bulged, and popped off from walls behind. Not unexpected, as the contractor said in the coming months we will notice, as he said wood will bind up for only so long, and either bulge out or crush. So far I have all 4 windows in the main room(the room that was most unlevel) reframed, and all new trim around them, and the 3 doorways of that room re-trimmed to all match.
Paneling is removed from the ‘upper half’ of the walls, a chair rail and paneling on the lower half. |
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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DaveKamp ![]() Orange Level Access ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 Apr 2010 Location: LeClaire, Ia Points: 5715 |
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I'm helping a buddy renovate a 1920's four-square on it's combination hand-poured concrete and concrete block foundation. We took laser measurements at the foundation prior to gutting. We took out the chimney (one brick-at-a-time), then all the lath and plaster, and found almost an inch of rise in two places... and that brought two low spots in main and second floor into level. We improved support at those two points, then pulled one wall (and it's brick facing) back into plumb, before reframing several areas, replacing the stairways, new plumbing, wiring, then windows and doors, insulation, drywall. Just got done putting down new 24" tiles on the kitchen floor. Once the grout is cured, it gets all cabinets, then we go at the upstairs master bathroom floor and walls (tile). Nothing escapes time and gravity... the only thing you can use that will help fend off time and gravity, is triangles.
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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