what to do with a 100 year old basement
Feeding a Family A Year of Simple and Healthy Family Dinners, pest infestation like carpenter ants or termites, lumber used back then was often of superior quality. I put that in place, braced it with longer 2x4s and anything else that I could find, and then poured the concrete into the form and let it sit overnight before removing it and proceeding to the next section. The smartest thing I did was to buy twelve of them. We dug out our basement and finished it to add a gym, home theater, and golf simulator. Ive actually been forced to stall the project beyond what the pictures show. great web site! . I do remember reading 2 deep and 6 thick. This spring, I removed the bottom 2 feet of dry wall around the perimeter . Spread it on a trowel and smooth it across the surface. If you dont plan to put a kitchen/bathroom in your basement, and you dont have any water issues, you might not need to involve a pump at all. Three separate rooms to be done starting first with the farthest from the basement door. Since this was my first time doing anything with concrete, vapor barriers werent even something I had thought of I never had problems with water in the basement prior to starting the project (nor after), but in retrospect I would have used a vapor barrier anyway. So I decided not to finish off the area where the actual foundation was. Plus, small leaks can gradually cause more significant cracks. Interlocking rubber basement flooring is a significant alternative for a house gym. Ill do whatever I can to help! It looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me. Epoxy will peel off any overlay or concrete floor if there is moisture present. The biggest expense certainly wouldve been my time had I tallied that up, but I was doing it as a fun project and I took my time doing it. Below are some things to consider when trying to figure out what to do with a 100 year old basement. The stone wall will need to be replace don one side though. You are an example of how the internet grows, of how information should not be used as a weapons. I will send you an email with my email address so you have my contact info. Awesome job!!! Did you have a lot of help? The engineer I hired was a structural engineer and I only hired him for advice. You have a gold mine with that ancestral cistern. For best results with surface mount products, make sure the existing ceiling surface is smooth and flat. For the final excavation, we busted out a 8 foot wide section of the foundation, and hired a small dozer to get rid of the dirt. I like the way you think, and I hope you are doing well in your new home. First, remove any loose materials from your basement walls and brush off any dust. Amazing project, and very useful information. Roof sags, wavy or has a hump. I don't want to just cover it up with a vapor barrier. Wow, thats wonderful. The downside is that when it comes to windows, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately budget tracking was one thing I did not do, so I have no idea how much I spent on any of it. Because rooms in older homes tended to be smaller to conserve heat, even just one edit to awall or door can really change the flow and layout of a home, without completely changing the feel of the homes original character. Sandy, thanks so much for sharing that story about your dad digging out the basement of your house. I never called a structural engineer but I have family that have done construction for many years so I take the word that I am over doing it better to much then too little. I recently moved into this 1910 home in the Pacific My house was built in 1935. I learned alot from this. I would love to ask advice from you if thats possible. im still on the fence on this subject. That mortared up (crumbling) wall should be removed and replaced. I also enjoyed the workout! did your house have a footer already or was the foundation wall just built up from the soil? Good luck with your new house! One approach is to put aside about 1 percent of a house's cost each year for such costs. Nick has designed our house and is doing some of the work (along with friends and professionals) so it is a long but very personal and rewarding process! With Sarahs work and our love for cooking, we felt we needed to add a new kitchen that would better support how we wanted to live. I didnt have any help I was doing it all myself after work and on weekends. This was one hellava project! i guess this never happened? Most of the homes exterior details were kept intact, and inside, fresh white paint highlights the houses original beauty (including beautiful floors, molding, and even cute elements like a vintage sink and claw foot tub). Thanks. By Annie Thornton. I feel as if Im just lucky that nothing went wrong for me. I'm in the very early stages of planning to finish my basement, and have some basic questions when it comes to building/framings the walls, insulation etc. There are a lot of things that could go wrong while doing something like this. Feel free to subscribe to be notified when I publish something new. Theres nothing necessarily bad about old pipes if theyre in working order but its important to survey the existing plumbing before buying. During thes Our house is ~100 years old. Just curious of the budget for what Reno you did? I hope this helped. To those other people who are considering it its some serious hard work, but very rewarding. When I started the digging, I had hoped that I would be able to use the wheel barrel to wheel out the dirt. Wow, I just looked at your project and thats really amazing! Masonry buildings built 100 years ago commonly were constructed with multi-wythe, load-bearing walls, unlike modern, curtain-wall construction based on a structural steel frame. did the structural engineer suggest to put rebar in the under pin? how did you make sure there was no gap between the top of the new footer and the bottom of the existing foundation wall? I have updated page 20 of this post with lots of information answering your questions. . Once that had dried (24 hours), I removed the plywood form and dug out another section to pour. Thanks. Looking forward to the papers youre going to scan thanks for the effort! For a $500,000 home, for example, you would budget $5,000 each year for maintenance. Design Within Reach sofas, rich brilliant willing lighting, andany of the classics that never go out of style like the Eames lounge chair, etc. While waiting, prepare your concrete repair mix. Fill the holes, then use the trowel to scrape the cement and flatten it out so that it runs flush with the wall. I knew that before I could dig out the floor and add an additional 2 of clearance, I would need to replace the temporary columns with permanent columns. Twin Home Experts explains that there are a number of methods for cleaning old cast iron pipes. Doing it this way you dont have to worry about shrinking & grout. It will give you an idea of how things progressed. All I did was dig out away from the house further so that I could build better stairs. Water seemed to leak in through a back wall almost every time it rained, leaving large puddles on the floor. The structural engineer told me that he was surprised how little information there was on the topic of digging below a foundation. Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction and watching Star Trek. Look at a sealer called IONBONDit claims to resist hydrostatic pressure. Altogether we needed sixty bags of concrete but we added a 10 spread footing around the chimney and can now prep for the slab pour. I tucked openings with copper mesh, then sealed with foam. If your basement was drywall, moisture would build up against the covering and wood would begin to rot. Everybody knows you can't say something on the internet if it's not true. I am digging a portion of my basement that is dirt floor and about 6 or slightly less. Exterior Drain Tiles (would require significant excavation work)2. The biggest update the couple made to the house was a modest addition where they created an open modern kitchen using simple lines and natural materials. Regarding your question: I believe the answer is no, there is no requirement, but I highly recommend consulting with a local contractor who can come take a look and give you some advice. . My basement renovation project was enough work, stress, and nervousness for a lifetime. Im so happy it helped! I decided that Id rather pay someone to have it done. Best of luck! Great job! Here is a guide on how to fix the old basement walls: There are fixes for every leaky basement. I have been wanting to do this to my 2 family for a long time. Just by reading the comments I was impressed. Wow. I showed my husband your site and he told me that he would be busy those days I plan to start digging. It really wasnt that difficult and this could have been done even if I left the existing stairs in place (though I would still have had the problem with low clearance when entering the basement). But after many years, they sold this house to move in with Sarahs parents housein West Tisbury (another town on Marthas Vineyard) temporarily. I took inspiration from the work you have done but wondering if you could explain how you underpinned the entrance way. All information is provided "AS IS." Don't be afraid to pick modern pieces for your historic home. I built a form out of plywood and 24s, approximately 5 wide by 6-8 deep on either end. However, at the very minimum I would recommend you hire a structural engineer who can inspect the property to make sure there is no risk of structural damage to the property. I am going to look for a contractor who is, as courageous as you, to do it. Carbon fibre is very, very durable. Please visit my shed project page for details on that project and the reason I had to postpone the basement project for almost a year. Lally columns. The project extended over a long period of time, so I cant even make a guess as to how much I spent overall. Hi RAAM Electrical systems from the1920s can need a lot of work. Yes, it was unfortunate, but in the end it led me on a path Im grateful for, so it was a win! The cement floor was poured but one truck load of dirt remained which they disposed of in this way. I would love to be able to do this in the next year or two. Over the years, the water and dampness have only gotten worse. Your blog has given us a clear picture of what is waiting ahead of us. It goes to show that amazing things can be done with hard work and persistence! I think silicate is not an option because it penetrates too deep and will go right through it. This is amazing!! Its over a hundred years old. Very interesting. Foundation problems aren't always about the foundation weakening. It was a scary job, Ill tell you that. Our home didnt need wiring work because it had been updated at some point, but what you want to look out for is the old style knob and tube wiring. it will still allow the limestone to breath, but greatly reduce the vapor permeability. That coupled with a hose made the mixing much easier. Great job. Thanks. I would love to read something currentcovid19 thoughts? We are talking very thin. A downtown Knoxville basement goes from low-ceilinged cave to welcoming . Thanks for the comment! Mr. M. contacted us due to constant leaking and water seeping into his basement. I actually had three water heaters sitting next to my chimney, so instead of trying to move them, I just left a 4 section around my chimney untouched and built concrete forms around it. I remember using the plumb to find the exact spot to place the Lally columns. This was definitely the case with this basement project. When the homeowners moved back to St. Louis from Chicago and purchased this 100 year old home, they knew right away that finishing the basement was a top priority for them. Everybody knows you can't say something on the internet if it's not true.". Rubble stone foundations are the oldest type of construction technique used for stone foundations. New owner plans basement bar called Prohibition to pay homage to the speakeasy legend. (Sorry for the delayed reply; Im just catching up to comments now!). Our goal is to live in our new house this summer- fingers crossed. Either leave the stairs as is, or get a permit and do them right. Your renovation interesting to read about. Your soil looks very sandy & it can be more tricky then mine which is mostly clay. The awkward thing that we couldnt overcome was the full bathroom off the dining room and the second bathroom only accessed through a small bedroom. Thank you so much for this! You probably want your daughter to move out well before she is named editor of The New Yorker. thanks for all of your info you have posted, Thanks, Jon! Id recommend checking with a couple of contractors to see what their opinion might be, as theyd have a better idea after seeing it in person. I dont know of anyone that sells miniveyors. I too have a basement renovation blog going, and my home is also 100 Years Old! Read from page one to the end in one sitting. A major concern and setback, however was having a dry area that they could . I hope you are continuing to respond to comments and questions. and a large part of that is starting with a well-insulated house. Swank Basement Redo for a 100-Year-Old Row House. In 2011, I was invited by NASA to watch the last three Space Shuttle launches in Florida and I spent the rest of 2011 traveling around the USA. Assemble a team to help you. I finished our basement (1947 home). Thanks Joe and Keith. Thanks to Nick for lending his architectural expertise, and for Sarah who coordinated the entire interview and provided extra photos. Give it time to sink in and completely dry. The area is about 30 x 25. Watch a video of Tom Silva using this method to finish foundation walls. This was one of the reasons I documented the process as much as I could. Our 1920s home had horsehair insulation in many of the walls and very old, drafty windows. Water leaking in through the 100-year-old basement walls seemed like a normal occurrence, as it had always happened during the owner's time in this home. . We know mold is a terrible problem to have, and that's the last thing we want. It is not a structural issue. Have the . I have been moving old tables around in the basement came upon a strange 1.5 In pipe sticking straight up from the basement floor, about 2.5 ft tall. I too looked for this info online before starting the project and I was amazed how little I found. "Hey, if it costs $299.99 a bucket its gotta be good! Also, make sure you wear a mask!! Dig shallow trenches (about 12 deep) along the walls leading to the pump, allowing several inches of clearance between the foundation wall and the trench. He and his wife loved their 100-year old home and wanted to preserve it in order to continue living in it for the rest of their lives. So, three years ago, we took the leap and bought the old farm house. Improve part of the basement. thats impressive, not only from the shere volume of work/labour involved but also the amount of guts it takes to tackle such a project. Sorry it took so long to get the structural engineer papers up. How didyou determine if the drainage was lower the the new foundation? View our Privacy Policy here. The outside of that exit has concrete slabs measuring 15x 30. Thanks for the comment. This may work for some . In England old stone churches provide an interesting solution: install a below grade stone wall a foot away from the foundation, creating an permanent air gap between the foundation and surrounding soil. You might consider contacting a few foundation repair outfits, asking them to come out to give you a quote for making your basement "right." Im happy to hear this was helpful for you! It will take a long time and you could end up making the wall look worse. Basement wall issues are unfortunately common. I was planning to tear down the existing insulation as it is already falling down anyway. I wish I have your intelligent or at least 1/3 of ur mindlol Very satisfying- almost as satisfying as underpinning the foundation wall. I wanted to see if that method would work for me. Once it is to the desired consistency, applying it is done either with a putty knife or gloved fingers. I would be more than happy to link to your project if youll do the same for mine. I met my wife in late 2012 and now we have a 7-month old baby girl. Water spots and signs of moisture in the basement; Mark Abel, an agent with 14 years of experience in Apple Valley, Minnesota, an area with older housing stock, says that it's common to find "limestone or block foundation that has settled over a hundred years, and it's pretty typical to have severe bowing in a wall or big, horizontal . You should hire a professional mason to dig around the exterior of your foundation and coat the exterior surface with a waterproofing material. . If you explain to him what youre trying to do, he will make recommendations. Good luck! A house built on an unstable foundation can have a number of serious problems, including cracks in drywall, sticking and poorly operating doors and windows, sloping floors, water intrusion, and moisture damage such as wood rot and mold. I just found this and have to say THANK YOU! The process of fixing crumbling mortar in a stone wall is quite tedious, but it's also pretty simple. I live in a cramped old New England Seaport home where space is hard to come by so we are turning to the basement as a last resort. A lot of home improvement stores sell packaged concrete repair mixes. Modern advancements in building technology are what make modern homes more efficient. Thanks again to all. Can any of you recommend what options (or combinations of options) might be best- and things we haven't thought of? While waiting, prepare your concrete repair mix. I did not look into having the concrete delivered because I wasnt sure how much I would need. It was an excellent way to build my forearms! suggestions. Im very much still on this blog and Id love to see some photos. 80,000+ pounds of dirt and concrete out, 30,000+ pounds of concrete b.
