New England B.S. Thread

You’re going to have to move out for a project that extensive. I don’t think you can live in a jacked up house nor would you want to.

 

You can also slope the existing soil so you don’t need a new retaining wall.

 

Yeah, TBD on how we can live in it/how we'd do it. I've talked about the Appalachian Trail before a bit, so that would be a great opportunity - but that would be next year, not sure we'll be ready to pull the trigger by then.

Honestly haven't talked to anyone on this yet. So, you're thinking like this then - I say stick built, we'd put a slab down too, might need some sort of barrier but not a full footing wall.



Interesting. Didn't think of that.



That's the crawlspace - or, roughly.

again, rough measurements, assuming that part to the left doesn't get dug out:



According to the goog this is 385sqft. I dunno, that just doesn't seem worth it. Unless this can be done for like, 10k where the full size is 100k, then maybe. But you've definitely given me some food for thought now....

OH PS - another wrench in the equation, there is a supporting wall here:


That, I assume, would need to be a beam. There is a gap to get to the other section in the crawl space.

It was built in 1955..there's going to be some old-house quirks

But then I also see things like this and think,"Wow, maybe we just scorched earth the whole shebang"

https://homeguide.com/costs/cost-to-demolish-a-house

 

It really doesn't take much to get to the 'raze and rebuild' phase. We grew up on Cape in an old cottage with a crawl space, my dad wanted to move and my mom wanted to stay being close to the beach. "happy wife, happy life" lead to lifting the house and putting in a full depth foundation. Added a second floor and the whole project kept us in a rental house for about 1.5 years until the house was weather tight. I can get a rough estimate from the old man, but it was NOT a cheap endeavor.

Thing to be cognizant of is the zoning requirements where you live. He couldn't tear down and rebuild because it was a non-conforming lot and structure. But by adding a basement and second story, the foot print and lot coverage didn't change - post construction wasn't more non-conforming that when he started. If lot area and setbacks weren't an issue, it would of been a whole lot easier and cheaper to tear it down and rebuild.

 

Fair point. But I'm in the middle of nothing in residential, I think I'd want to keep roughly the same footprint anyway, so shouldn't be a big deal.

Oh - and my favorite part of all this - my wife has NO IDEA I've started to put this whole plan together in my head

Definitely have to start thinking about what we want to do long term. As it is, this house is working for us, could work for 1 crotch goblin. I CAN make it work for 2, but would definitely need to figure some stuff out.

Regardless of if we lift/hog out the basement/crawl space, do need to sister the joists. That's a couple grand easy. It's just one of those scope creep projects. "Well if we're doing this, we might as well do that, and if we're doing that, we might as well do THAT, and if we're doing THAT...."

Which is how I ended up BSing with y'all about demolishing my house. It all started with replacing a lightswitch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSehcT19u0

 

And not just the zoning requirements but ordinances and building permits as well. Some towns/cities require updating existing structures to current codes depending on how much renovation is done. Go over a certain percentage of the square footage of the residence and you have to bring many things up to code. Stopping by the codes enforcers office is the first place I would visit.

 

We are surprisingly up to code. The electric is not knob and tube, etc etc. Among all the other to-code things, for being built in '55 we're actually in pretty good standing on code. Even our shed was permitted and on a slab. Prior owner(s) (the guy we bought it from was the son of the original owners I think, maybe there was a third family member in between, but you get the idea) did a lot of (GOOD) work on the house. Some bits and bobs here and there that needed to be addressed, but from our purchasing home inspection back in '17 at least, other than sistering the joists, all of the "issues" the inspector found were something I can take care of with a shovel, sawzall, and a 6 pack in a weekend.

OH and to add to the "and we might as well do THAT", roof in ±10 years, we'd want to look at a solar bank when we do that. So I'm thinking it's going to be when we do the roof, we pull the trigger on the whole shebang then.

 

Are you doing this work yourself or paying a contractor? If your paying someone else to do it you need to add a lot more money to those estimates.

 

Jack up house, sister joists, dig out crawlspace, new foundation, settle house, add stairs - I figured that's going to be about 100k. Finishing the basement added on top of that, TBD how/when that gets done.

Sistering the joists alone, probably 5k neighborhood.

Hogging out the crawlspace, keeping the foundation, adding stairs, walls, etc down there, probably....40? Add sistering joists in there, too.

It's one of those things where if there IS a cheap alternative/method, let's consider it, but if you're already in for (let's say) 50k - what's 75, and doubling the added space, and getting everything "new"/modern.

THEN if you're at 75, what's 120 to scorched earth and start from scratch.

TBD. Plus, if we don't do it when we're doing the AT, that means finding a place to live for the (another ballpark) 6 months, so add THAT cost in.

I gotta get some actual realistic quotes/numbers, scopes, and then compare that to the delta in PITI for pitching it and buying a different house instead.

AND the crawlspace shenanigans is only "needed" if we have a 3rd crotch goblin. At the moment, we have zero, so it seems a lot of work for all that.

 

We had fun with our codes office with our new house that we just moved into this past July. In April we are driving from Maine to Florida and in the middle of North Carolina the phone rings and our builder is telling us that the codes enforcer will not issue the permit for the building plan that is on his desk. Problem being that the building is already sitting completed in two pieces in PA, waiting to be delivered. The codes enforcer that we dealt with that told us it was no problem with the design we chose retired and the road commissioner was filling in while the vacant position was being filled. Our mistake was that we did not confirm the design formally(there is not requirement to do so) and we had no paper trail showing that the design we had built was verbally approved by the previous codes enforcer. They ended up approving the design with the condition that if we ever sell the house we need to either add another layer of drywall on certain walls or take out the stove when it is sold. The issues was an in-law apartment on one end of the house. The in-law apartment was built so we could help take care of my Mom after my Dad passed. We do not plan on moving in our lifetime so all that BS really does not matter. Plus, who knows what ordinances might change to in the future and adding a layer of drywall really is not all that difficult if it was absolutely necessary.

 

I will bet you a six pack of your favorite brew - when you go to sell it in 30? 40? years (whatever) - this will be completely forgotten.

This is true, at least. If that's all that's needed, six pack and a weekend and you're good to go. I wouldn't even bother painting it, MAYBE killz, or primer, but leave it blank slate for the next buyers

 

This house I'm buying was built in 1790 - Before the town its in even existed.

 

I am older. In 30 or 40 years I would be 88 to 98. Hopefully my wife (ten years younger) will be dealing with that problem because the chances are I will not be. And to be honest, we planned for the future. The house is a ranch that can easily be set up to be wheel chair accessible if necessary. My Mom is still getting around just fine but her shower is flush with the floor for easy access. Doors on her side are 36" wide. Grab handle in the shower, etc,. The plan was that after I was gone the small in-law apartment could be used by my wife and someone could live in the rest of the house and assist her in the twilight of her life.

 

There is a house in worcester I drive by near my friends house that is pouring a new foundation UNDER the house right now..Old fieldstone/dirt floor...It's CRAZY to watch...Jack it up slowly after disconnecting the water/sewer/gas/electric, seal off the plumbing and then pressurize it (if it losses pressure you've broken a pipe during the lift) and then pour the basement...I'm like can that really be worth it? I guess if you love your rental property...

 

Double or triple those numbers is the current reality. It’s $40K just for a bathroom renovation now. Cheaper to buy a new house with a basement.

 

I didn't think it was convertible weather...

 

Reminds me of my house...Slab Ranch 1954...
Center is the original 850sqft house with 3 BR Bath, Kitch. LR. That was all reconfigured when 2 3 and 4 were added in the 80's with extended slab under 2 and 3 and cinderblock foundation and slab under 4. 4 is all master bedroom. 3 is all livingroom. The original A bedroom was converted to a master bath and walk in. B is an entryway. C/LR is a diningroom. 2 is a split down the middle 2 bedrooms. 3 is a giant livingroom. Both 3 and 4 are pine tongue and grove 6" wood walls with lofted ceilings. It all LOOKS great...but it's more suited for the carolinas than -10F massholia...It's a bitch to heat. and the Pellet stove is in 3 so we creatively move the heat with well placed floor fans.

 

100% roof is stuck open...that's a Saab...no parts

 

Maybe. She had something in the back hanging out and she was driving like she was on the race track.

 

Here safe in Carlisle. Truck ran beautifully