Full Home Remodeling in Simi Valley
Simi Valley whole-house remodeling that starts with a test hole beside the footing to see its depth and bearing, plus ember checks where a lot is mapped.
Digging a small hole beside one corner of the foundation tells us how deep the footing goes and what it rests on, and on a Simi Valley house we do that before writing a quote. A shallow or crumbling footing changes what new posts and beams can be set on. Some of the city falls within mapped fire hazard areas, where a parcel can need ember-resistant roofing and vents as well.
What the test hole decides
We measure the footing's depth and width, look for reinforcing steel at any exposed edge, and check whether the concrete is sound or crumbles when scraped. We also note the soil it bears on, firm and dry or soft and damp. A sound, deep footing can take new post loads with little change. A shallow one may need a new pad beside each post, or a section of footing replaced, before a bearing wall comes out overhead. The hole is backfilled and compacted before we leave, and the depth and soil notes join the survey file the engineer works from.
Ember checks on the shell
Ember-resistant standards can apply wherever the exterior of a whole-house remodel is being changed on a parcel inside a mapped hazard area. That can mean a roof covering rated Class A, ember-blocking vents, eaves closed with noncombustible material, and dual-pane tempered glass wherever a window is replaced. We check these during the same visit as the footing so the quote covers both. The structural work under the floor and the ember work on the shell then run in sequence, foundation first.
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Partitions carrying nothing come out with little structural work. Taking out a bearing wall means a beam spans the gap, and each post at its ends needs a footing that the test hole and survey show to be adequate, or a new pad poured for it. Exterior wall changes on a mapped lot follow the ember rules.
After any footing work and before interior walls come out. The bolts go into a sill sitting on sound concrete, the cripple walls get plywood, and then the remodel framing proceeds. Setting the retrofit early also means the house is tied down while it is most open.
Starting with the test hole, the survey records footing depth and condition before moving up to the bolts in the sill, any bracing on the cripple walls and the posts carrying each girder. Bearing walls are traced into the attic. On a mapped lot the roof covering, vents and eaves are noted. All of it goes to the engineer and designer in writing.
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Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.