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| Date: 2004 Client: Ali Project description: Rebuild & restore multi level deck and house structure components. |
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Some times when I arrive at the residence of potential restorative project, I hope that someone else with restorative experience has all ready come by and informed the customer what they are up against as was in this case, as depicted in the pictures below. How ever, I was the first on site to do a damage report and break the news of how intensive the damage was. Stucco has a way Of 'hiding' very serious 'structural' damage so it is important that you have any visible sign's of deterioration accessed immediately. This may save you from replacing the structural components of your deck and House instead of just the 'substrate' and surface membrane. Besides the deck almost requiring a full rebuild, the hot tub solarium floor and walls were completely rotten. After removing the exterior cladding and sheathing we found some really nice planting soil that used to resemble structural wood. This project was a multi level scenario with three stair cases, all of which were attached to the main deck in someway. To reduce costs we re-used the aluminum railing and two of the staircases. Prior to starting, quite a few measurements, angle's and railing pieces had to be documented in order for the railings and stairs to fit when being re-installed. The solarium roof required that the 'sleeper' decking, sheathing and 'torch on' membrane be replaced. We rebuilt all the walls and then cladded them in stucco before we re-built the landing and deck area's. We also installed a much 'lighter', 'flexible' and easier to maintain vynil membrane on the deck. I also saved the customer a couple thousand dollars by not having to remove and re-install the hot tub or remove and re-install the entire solarium roof when performing the restoration. Two of the glass roof panels were replaced because the seals had broken from the rotten wood collapsing the structure. None the less, the customer was very pleased on 'what and how' we accomplished this project. The Majority of damage to this dwelling was a joint contribution from inadequate workmanship on the solarium roof, the 'California' stucco archway, the concrete and brick veneer over the deck and last, but most important, the deck was built at the same time as the house. This means that there was no plywood sheathing, building paper or exterior envelope, in this case stucco, between the house framing and the deck framing. (This is more commonly seen in cantilevered decks) Now this is fine if you are using a water proof membrane on the deck where that membrane runs up the house behind the exterior cladding. But if it is an open planked deck, the water will go between the planks on to the joists and then run down along the perimeter framing under the flashing and in behind the lower envelope causing it to rot. Rain 'splatering' and garden hose cleaning contributed to this un fortunate scenario aswell. Most of this was cleared up with the leaky condo fiasco not to long ago when it also finally became obvious that California housing design's won't work in a rain forest enviroment, and that sloped roofs and over hangs actually have a purpose on the west coast. |
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| Date: 2004 Client: Larry Project description: Rebuild deck, correct structural deficiencies from prior workmanship and install kitchen. |
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This next project featured below, was completed for the Owner & President of Omni Security. His deck that is over 'living space' had just been rebuilt a few years before and was allready giving him grief after a couple of return visits hadn't fixed the previous rebuild. The existing deck had concrete pavers overtop of a 'torch on' membrane which I replaced with a heavy duty 60mm vynil membrane instead. I had to lift a portion of the house and replace the outside perimeter joist beams that interlocked (or should have) and rebuild the post supports that were holding it all up. Some of the corrective measures I imposed included removing the slope towards the house and sloping the deck outwords, Raising the inside ceiling height a few inches from what was a very low ceiling, Extending the smaller deck by creating a 3 foot 'counter levered' extension, and rebuilding one of the walls with the window because the previous plumber 'hacked' 90% of this outside weight bearing walls out to put in the drain pipe. He also installed all the water lines on the outside of the wall framing. All of which I corrected for the new kitchen layout. FYI: All plumbing, and electrical by code is supposed to be min. 1" in, from outside framing. And when nailing into a wall you are supposed to use a nail that does not go into the framing more than 1" (add 1/2 to the nail lenght for 1/2 " drywall etc..) So those of you who like to use a 3" spike to hang your pictures to the wall please be carefull. That applies to molding intsallers aswell. The interior bathroom and closets were removed, and after builing up a section of the floor I designed, supplied and installed a kitchen in its place along with a new sliding door and window. You may notice that we worked 'around' the very well established rose bush. This bush would also remind us every now and then of its well established thorns You may wonder how the deck framing was extended past the outside of the house over the door without posts being used outside or a 'lintel' beam over the sliding door to support the weight of the deck. Please don't think that the deck framing sits ontop of the sliding door unsupported. If this was the case this door would not open after a very short while. |
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