Renovation Work

Around here, we would say 'raise it a BCH more'.

Pretty cool, cool technique too. The Egyptians used a similar technique for leveling the foundations of large buildings and the pyramids, iirc.

Cycloptichorn

I've used water levels a lot. They are grand. I've got one that has an alarm that sounds for the reference point. Cheapest builder's level/transit you can buy or make. Never gets out of whack, never has to go in for servicing, demands only the odd drink of water.

My guess is there is no ground frost penetration there where you live, DP. Are there many slab on grade houses.

How many concrete piles would a house like this have? How deep are they dug?

Are what you call "bearers", floor joists or what we call 'beams' which carry the floor joists on top and the beams transfer the loads to concrete piles/bearing pads/outside concrete wall?

How deep are the water lines buried?

No ground penetration of frost here although we do get some ripper frosts it's nothing like what nth US or canada sees.
Not sure what slab on grade means but most houses thes days or built on a concrete slab.

80 stumps @ (about) 1m spacings.. We put a couple extra in under pressure points like the fridge and bath.
dug to a minimum of 500mm but some were down to 700mm They have to go down to a solid clay base. Our independant building inspector used a push rod to test the clay penetration using a pointed rod with a pressure gauge on it. The rod was not allowed to penetrate the clay more than 500mm.


Beams not floor joists.
They actually had to remove one of the bearers cause it was rotten and replace it with new oregon. I learned new words when they they were doing that.
The water lines are basically at ground level. they are old old old gal pipes and really getting past it.

We had a bit of a scare as the power is grounded to the gal water pipe and the contracter said he was getting an intermittant low voltage buzz off the pipe. He described it as like when you put your tounge on a torch battery. We turned the power off of course but he said the buzz was still there.
The sparky came and checked it out and siad there was no leakage from our system. he assumes its comong from somewhere els in the street and traveling through the ground. Theres no way of telling where it's coming from. spaky said he had chased another similar problem up the street aways and could bever find where it was coming from.

we think we really lucky to get only limited dmage to the plasterboard (think you call it drywall)
The worst was that a big crack opened up in 2 room corners and cracked the plaster board across to a door. I've got that out and am in the process of replacing it now. the other crack will be covered with a concave 90 mm plain plaster arcatrave.

The old stumps were redgum. A hard long lasting Australian timber that I love to work with.


Although the outside 2 or 3 mmm is rotted there is potential for some reuse. Some were of course not salvageable but will get used as firewood.



I have plans to plane some and cut into short planks and put others on a lathe and make coffee table legs.

I've already put some of the stumps to use. I split them in half using a chainsaw and used them to fill a section of concrete path we had to take out to get at the sub floor. The saw cuts were pretty clean so I didnt bother planing them. They'll last many many years, maybe another 50 years without any oil finish.

New stumps are concrete. With the jacks still in position the stump is positioned in the old stump hole the ant cap is positioned and nailed to the bearer via a loop set into the top of the stump. In effect the new stump is hanging off the bearer in the hole.
Then concrete is poured into the hole and allowed to set for two days. The concrete needs to be a fairly wet mix and is pushed and encoraged to go under and around the new stump using a pry bar(ish) stickthing. (Technical term there)

It's fun to see all this. Dang, that red gum looks like good stuff..

Ode to a red gum
I stood astride the ranges four hundred years or more,
My limbs reach out to fight for light
and make me forest lord.
From hungry ground I drew my blood
to quench a fiery thirst,
The granite rocks around me - my roots smashed into earth.

They came with sombre faces - had murder in their eye,
Cursing as they fought me - swore I would surely die.
Dark was near "farewell my mates" - I thundered to the ground,
And swore an oath - "four hundred years - my soul will be around.

Ten thousand tons a week I bore as timber on in a bridge,
Across the Kiewa river - far from my native ridge.
And down the years I fought the loads and twisted bucked and kicked,
"You've worked me hard you bastards, but I am never licked'.

Treat me now with reverence- for I've surely done it tough,
Of bucking twisting fighting, I've really had enough.
A long grand dining table, is my final place of rest,
Proud that I am still class'ed - a king among the best.
Take me, share me, love me, help keep away the tears
I'll be true to your own family for another hundred years

That's the same thing.

Is this the same red gum?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_camaldulensis
(grows in california too)

beautiful photo there, dp

That gum wood is gorgeous.

Enjoying the story and photos. (Makes our floor work sound like a picnic.)

Cool trees, but I fear them, b/c they are basically living bombs if a fire rushes through.

Cycloptichorn

Yes indeed.

(Reading with interest!)

yes indeedy. I dont think its native to cali though.


Tell me something i dont know already.

windows next
The chippy is here putting in new windows I'm trying to keep up with him. Its not being too suceefull. Its him learning new words this time.

No, for sure; just that I remember them, from early (here, er, there, trees that I got to see).

You'll get my chile peppers up if you call it cali, you brat.

Meantime, I had euc paneling in my 1920 =/- house in humboldt county. Redwood 1xs in between. Oy, I miss it.

we always used a water level to set beams.

smoko! more pics soon