Saturday, December 22, 2007

This year's big project



Before taking on a big project like the new cabin, Annamarie insists something big gets done on our house. This year was the guest room. There were a couple things that had to be dealt with---the livingroom floor was bouncy because the joists span too far. The concrete perimeter foundation had a 3' section that water ran underneath in heavy rains, and it was free hanging...The basement would get damp. The worst thing was our trampoline---since we live on a mountainside, one side was 2' lower than the other. The kids could jump but would end up in the neighbor's yard.
So I cut a hole in the cinderblock foundation where the window would go, and spent the summer digging out 22 yards of dirt on bucket at a time. A drystack rock wall holds back the dirt where the trampoline is now level.....Then, mixed concrete and poured the walls (12" thick) carrying the same buckets, now full of concrete, one at a time. Poured concrete against the new wall up under the bad spot on the foundation. Installed a french drain that runs 200' to the street, all gravity run. Supported the livingroom floor over the new walls, so now the floor is nice and stiff.
Now it's just finish work. You'll enter the new guestroom from the basement.

3 comments:

Tina said...

How did you support the bouncy floor exactly? Our bedroom (that used to be the carport) has the same issue.

I specifically requested the contractor to make sure that wouldn't happen. Don't you hate it when people don't do their job right? *sigh*

I don't want to let him back in the house, by the way. If he's even still in town...

We didn't do a "big" thing on the house this year. A few things in the yard tho, which was fine.

Oooh. Guess we should figure out a time to come & use the guest room now?

flyingvan said...

It's hard to tell from the picture but the wall is in a little then re-framed, so the old joists are supported closer in. The span is two feet less which makes a huge difference. There are other ways to do it like screwing thick sheet metal to every other joist

Tina said...

Before we set Connor up with a computer in his own room to watch his YouTube stuff, he'd be in my room jumping on a mini-tram.

I don't know how many things bounced off desks & chests & stuff from all the movement.

Maybe this summer Lee can fix that...