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July 3, 2008: The house with brown coat stucco - new windows and doors (temporary front door). Addition not visible from this angle.Before photo: just prior to demolition.
January 28, 2008
This project involves remodeling and building a wheelchair accessible, 2-story house from one that is not. The design includes ramps into the front and back of the house, cabinetry to accommodate a wheelchair in the kitchen and bath, custom shower, custom elevator, remote control lighting and plugs, and intercom. Attention will be kept on access to fixtures, switches, door swing and pulls, heights of closet rods and storage shelving. The rest is typical for able-bodied persons in floor plan and decoration.
Demolition: Before Pictures
The house is a 1930s vintage 2 story floor plan that has been added on to, and modified, by several of the previous owners. One section has a slab floor while most of the house is raised foundation.
Oddities: The entry was added on to, as well as the front face of the house. The inside of the entry area is raised up some 14". This normally wouldn't be an issue to lower the area to make the inside rooms the same level, except the old designer raised the exterior stemwall up as well to accommodate the new floor joists. Removing these joists just leaves an open hole to the dirt below. A new floor will need to be built to match the existing height in the living room, the area next to the entry. Upon inspecting the underfloor area, this pier block of supporting wood blocks caught my eye - notice the use of different widths to get the exact height needed to reach the beam. Good example of what not to do in earthquake country.
A sun room was added on at one point and appears to be a raised foundation, as the finished floor was the same height. But on closer inspection, it was a poured slab raised up to the height of a raised foundation (probably like a front porch with fill in the center). One section of the house, a 10' by 15' area was floored over with no apparent access to the underfloor area from any location - no way to tell if anything is happening to the wood in that area (i.e. termites, settling, or water damage). The plumbing lines are a mix of old and new, electrical the same, and finished floor heights changed at least 5 times on the 1st floor.
The following photographs were taken just as demolition was beginning: before shots.
These are side and back views of the house (above). The front entry area showing the raised floor.
Entry area and living room; back yard den area (on slab); sun room (notice cord dangling from where a ceiling paddle fan came unfastened but continued turning until it broke the wire and fell almost hitting the owners!)
Wavy glass windows; a tight stairway making furniture moving awkward; view of den leading to dining and kitchen area - this location was built with no underfloor access: used to be the outside of the house.Master bath visible above - combo acrylic tub and shower back- to- back.
February 1, 2008: Demo continued - back yard view of den turns out to be a patio area with a free standing fireplace for those evening gatherings around the fireplace - most likely a covered patio that later was converted into a few rooms. Note red concrete pads that were scored to resemble a patio stone look.
No major surprises yet - a few framing oddities that were hidden that need some adjusting for the new floor plan; some termite infested wood; some water damaged walls in the solarium that were scheduled for demo anyways; some plumbing strangeness (kitchen sink vent was cut and left open in the wall - would have been an unpleasant surprise if the pipe ever backed up and spilled inside the wall); and electrical wiring that dates changes made throughout a 70 year period.
The area of the back house with no access to the subfloor area appears to be an area of the house that was a patio, later built over to add more floorspace to the house. This has not been confirmed, but the same area above in the ceiling had what appeared to be a deck/roof that was made of decorative 1x6 shiplap and 2 x 4s. It was left in place and built over for a 2nd story addition using 2 x 12s as floor joists. Measurements show ~8' 8" ceiling possible when completed for the new kitchen and dining room area. More later.
View of kitchen looking at old dining room and patio area.
View of patio areas and front living room.
February 22, 2008: Demolition extended and concrete forming has completed. Additional work was needed to repair termite and water damage, and after a site review from engineering, additional support was needed for some exterior footings and stemwalls. To accomplish this, more dirt was removed from 7 areas critical for holding the structure down to allow for more concrete and steel reinforcement.The forms have been completed, the extra steel/bolts/rods and rebar have been placed and approved, and we await inspection from the City for the go ahead to pour concrete. We threw out 5 dumpsters of material, 2 large dump trucks of concrete, 2 small trucks of brick and mortar; with a load of dirt awaiting removal. A few loads of dirt will remain for later use in landscaping.
View of concrete patio that was covered over to make a den and office.
Front entry area: this raised portion was an earlier addition to the house - a new stem wall (below) shows the concrete poured higher than the finish floor - we'll fir out the wall once we place new floor joists in the cavity created when we pulled out the old floor. Note earlier crawl space access was cemented over when solarium was added just behind that wall.
The light at the end of the day was just right when this picture was taken - much of the older framing in the living room addition was incorrect, rotted, or in need of repair as seen in this pile of debris.
The view of the upstairs master bedroom shows a double beam install that was not expected - the angle of the inside ceiling rested on the lower beam, and the upper one serves as the roof ridge. A new ceiling line is called for with a similar vault in the middle. The exterior wall will be removed (daylight visible through studs) and re-framed to the new addition.
View from back yard, the existing kitchen wall and roof had to be removed due to framing irregularities that were not expected. The subfloor has been removed to plane and straighten out the floor joists to ensure a level floor for the finished wood that will be installed. The stairway will be removed and the wood wall towards left of center will also be removed and replace with a steel beam and columns (later) across this whole back wall opening. About 3 feet of this back wall will be all that's left (on the right) for an equipment room.
This view shows where a pad of concrete is being poured to support a large beam overhead starting at this point. It holds up the second floor as well as the first floor ceiling. Note pier block is left as is and will be surrounded by new pour.
View above shows footing being dug out - they will all get concrete and steel.Interesting part of the house was this area between dining room and den. It was covered over with hardwood flooring, but was not accessible under the house or outside the house. Once the subfloor was removed, it was apparent this area was once outside the house as a concrete patio - note flashing up against the wood to protect it from rotting from the cement.
The patio was framed over with wood strips and wood subflooring, followed by a thick layer of tongue and groove flooring. The adjoining dining room floor had 2 layers of 1/2" tongue and groove flooring that flushed up with the wood in this area. All together, it explained why the finished floors from 3 rooms were mismatched in height: 2 layers in the living room, 2 in the dining room, and one in the bedroom/hallways - all of different thicknesses.
Part of the additional effort to support the foundation was drilling holes in the stem walls and footings all the way through to place ~5' long threaded rod to the bottoms of the pit created for extra cement. Drilling had to be precise and at the designated spots. Unfortunately, steel rebar was encountered in most every hole and had to be remedied with differing bits and accessories to reach these areas deep inside sometimes. Note subfloor floor joists have been re-framed in the entry area in the background.
February 26, 2008 - Concrete pumped into pits and trenches using about 5 trucks worth of concrete. By the end of the day the forms were pulled apart and the stakes pulled. The only concrete left to pour in this phase is the elevator pit, which requires a special mix for added strength (~5,000 psi) as requested by the manufacturer.
February 28, 2008 - Started framing. Elevator pad poured. Concrete done for now.
March 3, 2008: Ok to cover subfloor joists and plumbing with insulation. Shortly, the plywood will go on and the floor will get walls and 2nd story added, plus steel beam and columns. Below - plumber at work with last lines at kitchen area; insulation going in between floor joists.
Insulation in subfloor.
Steel beam installed.
March 21, 2008: second story framing is half way done - rafter tails are modified for new profile, lots of nails and connectors being installed.
March 24, 2008: Framing continued - early morning view before starting the day.
Solarium version2.
Framing progressing to roof line.
April 25, 2008: Framing is 98% done with a break for electrical, HVAC, and plumbing to get utilities in the walls that have 2 sided plywood on them. The 2 sided walls are needed for strength, but cannot be closed up and approved without inspection. That is next. So far, structural observation has passed. The following week will have the electrical roughed in as well as the heating equipment (HVAC). Plumbing is almost done. Solar water heating is coming up, along with stucco and insulation.
View from front with solarium roof and 2nd floor roof framed.
Backyard view with doors and windows in.
Kitchen skylight (left) and island location below; dining space just behind.
View of kitchen into dining space , followed by living room.
Above: stairway to 2nd floor with pantry to the right; right picture continues to the den and elevator, next to back door.
Left: view of ceiling in study. Below: view of gym and doorway into study.
Better view of ceiling in study; and (below) view of master bedroom ceiling.
Above views are the rough in's for the plumbing in the shower and sink areas.
Drywall hung, lath exterior completed as of 6/7/08. Stucco scratch coat starts next with metal edges on the drywall to complete the requirements for nailing inspection for drywall(next).
Insulation installed: several inches thick in the exterior walls - for the new construction, it will significantly delay changes in outside temperature to the inside by hours....
Drywall work completed July 1, 2008. Additional time was spent making most walls smooth. Fireplace was reworked and the hearth covering removed later. All interior doors have been hung and the elevator has been started. Brown coat stucco completed, exterior painting completed and the site cleared of debris. Bath1 guest bath has been essentially rebuilt. New shower design calling for no-curb access was recently hot-mopped with tar, and is now ready for tile. Next steps are cabinets, tile and marble, molding, painting, flooring, and finish electrical.
South side of the house, this view is of the water heater closet and a front porch column. The side yard shows an orange tree that was saved from many close encounters with tractors, scaffolds, and crew trying to frame and trim the addition.Below is the elevator and equipment room on the North side of the building.
Finish Pics:
Kitchen
Office/Study
Stairway: engineered flooring and solid risers.
Kitchen pass through to family room areas
Master bath shower: ADA compliant
Family Room
Adjacent area to family room
Below: study prior to cabinetry installed: note elevator on left. Front view of house prior to landscaping; views of backyard prior to landscaping; side views and living room, dining areas.
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