Reno Tip #1 - Never Assume.

Let's face it, we knew something would go wrong in this project. Something goes wrong everyday I work with renovations, and so why would my house be different? Well, I thought, I was prepared for the outcome, I know what's involved and how to handle the stress. Wrong. As my family and friends may have noticed, I am wound up tighter than a top. And yes, things have already gone...wrong. Well not wrong, but not perfect.

Reno tip #1: Never assume.

This goes for everything in life, but particularly in renovations. I mean, I should know this. They teach you in design school to write/draw everything in detail of how you want things done. For some reason, I felt I could skip that portion of the exam on my own house?! Well, I did, momentarily.

We started on the basement, as I mentioned in another post. The sewers needed fixing and I needed more head room. We talked it over with the sewer crew, shook hands and felt confident....until...

This is my 5'-9" basement upon purchase.

The basement was dug and I was stoked, till I find out later that it was actually dug too far. Too far you ask? Well, yes. Every house sits on a footing which helps disperse the weight of the house. My footing had been have dug out!! Essentially the 80+ year old house was standing on one leg. Crap. Crap. Crap.

The crew working hard, and digging deep, maybe a little too
deep.

New pipes and sewer lines replacing the old clay pipes from the
'30s.

The old stairs seem...inadequate, don't they? That's how much
depth we gained!

The ever important back flow valve. Now if the street
sewers flood, it will stop the water from getting into my
house. Uber important.

What we had discussed was to leave the footing, for the sewer crew to not go near the exterior wall, but alas, half my footing was gone.

Here is footing basics 101.

This is what a GOOD footing looks like. Homes these days are based

on something similar to this.

This is what happens to your footing when you don't provide drawings
like I have just demonstrated! Because the home is old, and does not
have a concrete footing like the first diagram, that is where we
get into serious trouble.The weight of the house will still spread
both ways, but one way will collapse the house.
This is not good.

This is how the problem will be fixed. Now the ledge will push against the
concrete wall, and earth, while the concrete floor pushes against the
ledge. The point of this....nothing will shift or move and the house
will not fall down. Literally.

So let this be not only a lesson in basic house construction (that may not have been 100% correct, but you get the jist of it), and also assuming. When renovating, don't assume that the trades know what you want done. No offense to any of the hard working tradesmen out there, but generally quick and easy beats careful and right. Yes, I am making a stereotype, and I apologize. I respect the trades and all the work they do, I just can't assume that they will execute verb direction. Thus, write/draw/explain what ever you can for reference. That is my tip. 

But let's focus on the positive...this is now where the basement is at...

New posts. New ledge around the edge. Almost new basement.
Almost.

And on another positive note, MAJOR things have gone on outside. The kitchen addition is gone! Stay tuned next week for the update on that! It's extremely exciting!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Fill those tummies with lots of turkey and love!

K