I need to jack up a roof to remove the second story walls. (Got turned in by a tenant) I need to know the best (safest and cheapest) way to do this (cribbing and screw jacks, or ?), and the fastest way to cut out the second story walls (chainsaw with a carbide tipped blade vs a recipricating saw). The roof is 24’X28′ with trusses 2’o.c. I really don’t want to tear the roof down and start over, but try to save the roof in one piece, and just lower it if possible.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
By considering things like energy-efficient mechanicals, window orientation, and renewable energy sources, homes can be evaluated to meet the energy codes. Here's what the IRC has to say.
Featured Video
Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by BrickHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
What did the tenant turn you in for?
http://grantlogan.net/
I was born in a crossfire hurricane..........shooby dooby do
This sounds like one of my houses. My second floor is a glorified attic (not quite 7'). My house passed the city rental inspection, but it sounds like this guy may have tried to pass this "attic / second floor" off to the tenant as a second floor and the inspector as an attic.
Now if he doesnt have the clearance the room could be deemed uninhabitable. City cant say a thing if its a private residence, but rentals require inspections and you can get fined for stocking tenants in an area that doesnt meet all the requirements.
but it sounds like this guy may have tried to pass this "attic / second floor" off to the tenant as a second floor and the inspector as an attic.
Now if he doesnt have the clearance the room could be deemed uninhabitable.
Still doesn't explain why he wants to take the roof off and remove the second floor walls, and then lower the roof back down.
If it is an attic and doesn't meet codes to make it an apartment, then all he has to do is.... nothing, and not try and use it as an apartment and just keep the attic the way it was. So, why would he want to take the roof off and remove the second floor walls unless he added a second floor illegally?
Joe Carola
I agree with you Joe, but we will probably never know now
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
One post and not back after the first two replies?????
Makes me think twice!!!!!"No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." - W.C. Fields
I was assuming he wanted to go up.
I was assuming he wanted to go up.
MSA1,
He says this, I need to jack up a roof to remove the second story walls. (Got turned in by a tenant)That means that he must have done something illegal by adding walls and second story to me.
Again with cutting out the walls, I need to know the best (safest and cheapest) way to do this (cribbing and screw jacks, or ?), and the fastest way to cut out the second story walls
The roof is 24'X28' with trusses 2'o.c. This means that he has trusses on top of second floor walls.
I really don't want to tear the roof down and start over, but try to save the roof in one piece, and just lower it if possible. Must mean that he's taking the trusses off the second floor walls that he put up illegally and wants to just save them and drop them back down on the first floor ceiling.
Again, if I'm wrong, then my bad.
Joe Carola
This is rich!
Take a look through a couple pages of messages here. There is a recent thread asking the same thing because he wants to add a second story.
maybe you can swap.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Are you trying to say that you added a second story to a house illegally and now you're trying to save the roof and remove the walls and then reuse the roof? Now you want information on how to fix it?
This is a joke, right?
I think its the same dude from WVA , trying a different angle of attack..LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Sphere,What's WVA?Either way, the guys a dope for adding a second story illegally, and even thinking that he wouldn't get caught. Now he wants a quick fix.If I'm wrong, my bad.Joe Carola
Edited 10/1/2007 7:32 pm ET by Framer
There was a post from a guy in West Virginia, my bad for messin up the postal abbrev. shoulda been WV.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Or maybe some help from the guy in Ohio that cut his house in half - horizontally.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20996503/
Greg
Well he'd certainly be the guy to ask what's the best tool for making the cuts!
Doug
Brett, as a first time poster Welcome to Breaktime.
Seeing we have no idea where you are located and the age of the structure to help identify what type of framing is used it's hard to decipher a process to recommend.
If you are in a more regulated densely populated area your options are getting complicated and more expensive.
If you are out in the sticks and have more ease in the authority's restrictions, I know what you are surmising has been done on a low budget without cranes and the like while using gravity to lower the roof.
Many years back I drove schoolbuses and watched the process on my drives and the guy was often working alone
having stripped the siding off the upper tier for access it created quite an eyecatching view.
I always wondered why he wanted it down also but he accomplished the deed and it seems it was lowered rather quickly after the initial prep work was done
for as I drove the rounds one day the roof was down to the first floor top plate without a long process involved.
The exact procedure I never noted so zilch on that.
Just wanted to say yes it has been done but situations vary as to the possibility in various localities and as always safety is a first prerequisite.
Big azz can of "walls away" would do it, no?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
snorK*
be came close to an outloud guffaw on that one.
din't yo mama teach you dat ain't helthey keeping dem snorks inside?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
dang man, now yer doing it to me too!
gurgle