Initial State of the property:
Exterior
Interior
Foundation Issues:
During permit phase, it was realized that foundation was a bigger obstacle than originally expected. We were going to bypass the foundation by just strapping the foundation wall but it was more complicated than that. The foundation wall especially on the west side of the property was displaced from it's original location and caving in quite substantially. The issue started because of negative drainage and leaky hose bib. All the water from the roof and hose bib started gathering near the west foundation wall. It made the dirt real soft. The soil got heavy and started putting pressure on the west foundation wall which started breaking and caving in. Every time we walk by it, causing little vibration, it would push the wall even more.
There were lot of discussion with structural engineer about best way to move forward. The following plan was devised:
West Foundation Wall:
Excavate from outside, shore it from inside - take current wall out & put new CMU wall (it’s currently off of the plate) with rebar and pouring the cells from the outside
North Foundation Wall:
Excavate exterior, shore it from inside, push back the concrete in place. (save this wall)
Strapping outside & inside (across the joists) using non-shrinkable grout on the cracks, seal it all up watertight, put a new CMU on the outside. Take out the very top of the wall next to the cracks.
East Foundation Wall:
Same treatment as north
Generally Good but some spots – cracked open, strap them and then reseal them
South Partition Wall:
This is the wall that separates the crawlspace from the dirt beneath the living space area. This is currently cracked and caving in as well. Due to this, the interior of house collapsed into a bowl. In other words, the floor was bent.
Solution - Put LVL spanning the system from east to west with pylons and Jack it up so that is levels out the interior part of the house. The joists are currently going North to South. This would be done after extracting interior walls, roof and the roof line. This will reduce the weight. This solution will help Salvage the floor.
The protection of south wall itself won’t be necessary as it will be on Jacks. We will put a new CMU Wall instead of current wall to stop the dirt from coming this side. This space will still have utility room (furnace & water heater). An Alternative was to have a counter fold and leave the current wall in place and put the new one in front of it.
Trash Removal:
Loads of trash was removed and one could see how the house actually looks like.
Permitting:
The permitting phase almost took two months. The city was extra cautious about this property due to fire, structural and foundation damage.
Roof Demolition:
Demo Work in Progress
Interior Space after roof demolition
Updated Roof Line
Interior Demo & Trash Removal:
Foundation
Excavation for replacing West Foundation Wall
New Foundation Wall: West Side
North Foundation Wall Strapping
Sagging Floor Correction