We went out to the coast to see the beach house progress this weekend. It was incredible walking around under the house and seeing the amount of work that has gone into getting it raised! It has now gone up about three feet, with another six feet to go.
The contractors had to punch holes in the existing stem wall to get their steel I-beams under the structure. While we were there this weekend, workers were already building forms to patch the holes. The photo here shows where new reinforcing bar has been placed prior to pouring the new concrete.
For the wing of the house that used to be a garage, the contractors ran their gear right through the middle of the space, since they couldn't get underneath this part of the house, as it was sitting on concrete -- the old garage floor, which will be a garage floor again soon! If this space looks familiar, it is because I shared about it here, discussing before and after concepts.
In the hallway, you can see where the floor transitioned from the old garage and workshop concrete slab to joist framing. There is simply no floor where the house was lifted off the slab. New floor joists and a giant steel I-beam will be added to this wing.
And speaking of steel beams, here she is! Isn't she a beauty? And yes, this is my inner geek speaking. You will find most interior designers have an inner geek. We don't usually fit into "right-brained' or "left-brained" categories, as we have to have a strong working knowledge of building and mechanical systems, in addition to having a strong appreciation for beauty and art. And speaking of beauty, this little number is going to be the center support for the entire east wing of the structure.
This is one of many jacks being used to raise the building. They are connected to one control panel, and the house goes up very evenly. As the house goes up, cribs are stacked under these beams to support it.
The ocean facing deck is going up with the house, as its roof is integral to the house. All the other decks were removed prior to lifting. See the stack of cribbing that supports an I-beam running under the house? That I-beam supports several other I-beams running the other direction. There is a lot of steel under the house right now!
We have a beautiful brick chimney and fireplace that we wanted to preserve, so they are lifting that, too.
This is the view from the courtyard.
You might also notice that we have a new neighbor. We knew it would happen, and had studied their building plans before buying this property to make sure they weren't going to build something strange, as well as to study how it would affect our day lighting and views. We really don't mind having neighbors this close on one side, because to the west the only thing between us and God is ocean and sky.
Above, is an exterior view of the garage wing of the house. When it goes up another six feet, a new garage will be built underneath it. Below, is an interior view of the back part of the garage wing. There are two doorways shown here. One (on the right) led to steps to a grade level exterior door. The door on the left led to the world's grodiest bathroom.
Those two spaces will be combined to create a den/ fourth bedroom.
Above is another view of a jack, an I-beam, and a stack of cribbing.
And this is all that stuff we talked about earlier that lies between us and God.
The contractors had to punch holes in the existing stem wall to get their steel I-beams under the structure. While we were there this weekend, workers were already building forms to patch the holes. The photo here shows where new reinforcing bar has been placed prior to pouring the new concrete.
For the wing of the house that used to be a garage, the contractors ran their gear right through the middle of the space, since they couldn't get underneath this part of the house, as it was sitting on concrete -- the old garage floor, which will be a garage floor again soon! If this space looks familiar, it is because I shared about it here, discussing before and after concepts.
In the hallway, you can see where the floor transitioned from the old garage and workshop concrete slab to joist framing. There is simply no floor where the house was lifted off the slab. New floor joists and a giant steel I-beam will be added to this wing.
And speaking of steel beams, here she is! Isn't she a beauty? And yes, this is my inner geek speaking. You will find most interior designers have an inner geek. We don't usually fit into "right-brained' or "left-brained" categories, as we have to have a strong working knowledge of building and mechanical systems, in addition to having a strong appreciation for beauty and art. And speaking of beauty, this little number is going to be the center support for the entire east wing of the structure.
This is one of many jacks being used to raise the building. They are connected to one control panel, and the house goes up very evenly. As the house goes up, cribs are stacked under these beams to support it.
The ocean facing deck is going up with the house, as its roof is integral to the house. All the other decks were removed prior to lifting. See the stack of cribbing that supports an I-beam running under the house? That I-beam supports several other I-beams running the other direction. There is a lot of steel under the house right now!
We have a beautiful brick chimney and fireplace that we wanted to preserve, so they are lifting that, too.
This is the view from the courtyard.
You might also notice that we have a new neighbor. We knew it would happen, and had studied their building plans before buying this property to make sure they weren't going to build something strange, as well as to study how it would affect our day lighting and views. We really don't mind having neighbors this close on one side, because to the west the only thing between us and God is ocean and sky.
Above, is an exterior view of the garage wing of the house. When it goes up another six feet, a new garage will be built underneath it. Below, is an interior view of the back part of the garage wing. There are two doorways shown here. One (on the right) led to steps to a grade level exterior door. The door on the left led to the world's grodiest bathroom.
Those two spaces will be combined to create a den/ fourth bedroom.
Above is another view of a jack, an I-beam, and a stack of cribbing.
And this is all that stuff we talked about earlier that lies between us and God.
They are supposed to resume lifting tomorrow, so hopefully by the end of the week we will have more pictures to bore you with!
This post is being linked to these lovely places:
Just a GirlCatch a Glimpse at a Glimpse Inside
Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday
Just a GirlCatch a Glimpse at a Glimpse Inside
Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday