Full Home Remodeling in Whittier
Whittier whole-house remodels that find earth-contact posts and rot under the floor and repair the base before new framing. Aspenwell Construction.
A girder resting on a wood post that sits directly on soil is a condition a Whittier crawlspace can hide until the floor above starts to drop. Moisture wicks into the post base, the wood softens, and the girder follows it down. Finding one changes a whole-house remodel at once: the post is replaced, a concrete pier is poured under it, and the girder is checked for sag before any new wall is framed above it.
Posts, piers and a sagging floor
Wood in contact with soil decays, so code calls for posts to sit on concrete piers with a connector between them. When the survey finds an earth-contact post, the girder is supported with temporary jacks, the soft post is cut out, and a new pier and treated post go in. The connector at the base ties the post to the pier so it cannot walk off during shaking. If the floor has dropped, it is raised gradually to avoid cracking plaster. Each replacement is marked on the existing plan at the post's location.
What else this finding points to
Rot at one post is a reason to look harder at the sill, the bottom of the cripple walls and the floor joists near it. Missing anchor bolts, unbraced cripple walls and cracked footing sections are each noted. With the full picture, the engineer decides whether the retrofit is a few repairs or a complete rebolt and rebrace. The building department reviews those details on the permit set, and the new layout is planned on top of the repaired base, so finishes are not set on a floor still settling.
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Partitions with clear attic space above them and nothing landing on their top plate can be removed. Walls supporting joists, rafters or a floor above need a beam and posts, and each post needs a footing that can take the load. In the crawlspace we also check what sits under a wall, since a girder there signals that the wall is part of the load path.
Ahead of the visible remodel. Piers, posts, bolts and bracing are all reached from below, and a crawlspace without new ductwork in the way is faster to work in. Settling the base first also gives the new floors and walls a level starting point, and the inspector can approve the repairs before framing begins.
It traces the load path from roof to soil. In the attic we note rafter and joist sizes and bearing points. From the crawlspace we check footings, piers, posts, girders, the sill with its anchors, and the cripple walls. Soil contact, rot and sag are photographed and measured, and the findings set the scope before design.
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Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.