TheIcehouse1809
Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2014
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
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Howdy handy helpers!
Welcome to my first post. Well, my first post in years. I rehabbed a 1936 Bungalow style with the help of a forum such as this. Now I'm back in the saddle, only this time on a much bigger beast.
This house has so many issues I could sell a subscription. Today though, I want to talk about the basement floor.
Despite never being used as such, The Icehouse was built to be a duplex (after serving as an actual ice house) and through multiple additions has 3 basements:
1) SW corner - The original 1809 stone Icehouse - dirt floor, stone walls @9' above grade
2) SE corner - The addition 1888 rendering The Icehouse a residence - mostly dirt, some pedestal concrete, stone walls @9' above grade
3) NW&E corners - The Icehouse's back porch gone addition (19??) spans across the North side of the 2 above mentioned basements - wood joists suspended on stone foundation, stick framed walls, stone foundation @2' above grade
Issues:
The North basement's wood floor joists which span S to N, perpendicular to the back of both South houses are ready to be replaced.
The South basements are insulated by earth on their S side, as they are embedded in the street side. The North basement is only insulated by the South basements, while "exposed" on the North (creek) side with only stick framing.
This is a flood zone. With increased development in the area, flash floods are becoming more of a threat.
The home suffers from compartmental heat distribution (or lack of). The NE corner falls 15 degrees below the room above. It requires a targeted heat source (electric radiator) to mitigate potential frozen plumbing. HVAC is forced/central air and basement vents are in the basement ceiling, providing little to no actual heating to the air space below.
My proposed solution:
Tear out all wood floor joists and associated flooring. Pour a new floor that is levelled and as contiguous as possible to South basements. Include drains to facilitate evacuation of flood water. Embed PEX tubing with the intention of installing radiant floor heat.
(also, insulation of stick framed walls - crucial, but unrelated to floor)
Benefits to this solution include not only a heated footprint, but also a solid flood-proof floor that allows water to pass quickly.
Questions:
1) Will my existing foundation suffer from lateral impact by filling it with a load bearing floor?
2) Ideal vapor barrier/insulation beneath poured floor?
3) Concerns regarding trying to include a drain?
4) What slope is sufficient to promote draining without throwing a washing machine off kilter.
5) Ideally I'd lay an earthen floor - but have chosen concrete for hesitation experimenting with such an old house. Any input?
6) Crawl space door will need to be filled as well...any ideas?
7) This area was once referred to as Pirate's Cove. What if I find a body under there? Or a treasure chest?
8) Can the poured floor connect directly to the existing foundation, or is a barrier required?
9) What kind of retention would enable me to do half at a time...First the NE section, and later the NW section. If this is not feasible, does anyone have a room my inlaws can stay in while we work?
Wow. That's a hefty first post. Thanks in advance for input/advice/tolerance.
Welcome to my first post. Well, my first post in years. I rehabbed a 1936 Bungalow style with the help of a forum such as this. Now I'm back in the saddle, only this time on a much bigger beast.
This house has so many issues I could sell a subscription. Today though, I want to talk about the basement floor.
Despite never being used as such, The Icehouse was built to be a duplex (after serving as an actual ice house) and through multiple additions has 3 basements:
1) SW corner - The original 1809 stone Icehouse - dirt floor, stone walls @9' above grade
2) SE corner - The addition 1888 rendering The Icehouse a residence - mostly dirt, some pedestal concrete, stone walls @9' above grade
3) NW&E corners - The Icehouse's back porch gone addition (19??) spans across the North side of the 2 above mentioned basements - wood joists suspended on stone foundation, stick framed walls, stone foundation @2' above grade
Issues:
The North basement's wood floor joists which span S to N, perpendicular to the back of both South houses are ready to be replaced.
The South basements are insulated by earth on their S side, as they are embedded in the street side. The North basement is only insulated by the South basements, while "exposed" on the North (creek) side with only stick framing.
This is a flood zone. With increased development in the area, flash floods are becoming more of a threat.
The home suffers from compartmental heat distribution (or lack of). The NE corner falls 15 degrees below the room above. It requires a targeted heat source (electric radiator) to mitigate potential frozen plumbing. HVAC is forced/central air and basement vents are in the basement ceiling, providing little to no actual heating to the air space below.
My proposed solution:
Tear out all wood floor joists and associated flooring. Pour a new floor that is levelled and as contiguous as possible to South basements. Include drains to facilitate evacuation of flood water. Embed PEX tubing with the intention of installing radiant floor heat.
(also, insulation of stick framed walls - crucial, but unrelated to floor)
Benefits to this solution include not only a heated footprint, but also a solid flood-proof floor that allows water to pass quickly.
Questions:
1) Will my existing foundation suffer from lateral impact by filling it with a load bearing floor?
2) Ideal vapor barrier/insulation beneath poured floor?
3) Concerns regarding trying to include a drain?
4) What slope is sufficient to promote draining without throwing a washing machine off kilter.
5) Ideally I'd lay an earthen floor - but have chosen concrete for hesitation experimenting with such an old house. Any input?
6) Crawl space door will need to be filled as well...any ideas?
7) This area was once referred to as Pirate's Cove. What if I find a body under there? Or a treasure chest?
8) Can the poured floor connect directly to the existing foundation, or is a barrier required?
9) What kind of retention would enable me to do half at a time...First the NE section, and later the NW section. If this is not feasible, does anyone have a room my inlaws can stay in while we work?
Wow. That's a hefty first post. Thanks in advance for input/advice/tolerance.