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question: I am teaching a class in Architectural Drafting and part of this class is to work on a Habitat house. Our problem is that we are getting ready to put on I-beams, but the foundation wall in not level. The house is a ranch with stress skin panel walls and the floor construction is I-beams. The dimensions of the house are 40′ by 26′. We have the sill down and square. Along the 40′ wall the foundation is 1″ plus off of level. We do not have enough threads on the anchor bolts to add another sill. We could nail another sill to the other, but this would require notching or planing the second sill.
Two suggestions have been mentioned to us and are as follows:
1 Measure off the placement of the I-beams and cut 1-1/2 notches in the sill and place the I-beams into the notches ( in some places the sill would only be 1/2 thick).
2 Bolt the sill down as is, then at each I-beam location shim the I-beams to level.
We are scheduled to work on the house on April 28
Some help on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You
Replies
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first, i'm assuming you're talking about I-joists, and not i-beams.. if so..
you've got two choices.... set up a laser and determine all the high points... and bush the high points down...
or bolt the first sill down hard & set a second sillplate on top...nail it hard at the high points and put some temp. shims in at the low points..
after you get a load on the sill and before you put any wall sheathing on go back and adjust your temporary shims with permanent shims at each I-joist location...don't bother trying to level the sill with permanent shims until you have a load ( like the entire floor platform)...
then when you put your wall sheathing on .. or your stress skin... make sure the doubled sill is tied to the sill that is bolted down.. so that structurally they become a unit...
*Or remove the nuts from the anchor bolts, remove the sill. Mix a few bags of quick-crete and "shim" the sill with a new mortar bed. Don't attempt to level the sill using a transit, instead use a transit to make level marks around the perimeter first, and then level your sill to these marks.Make your level marks by either nailing sticks to the inside of the block wall so they stick up to your finished sill height or if you're good, write the finished measurement every few feet and use a tape to level the sill.I know some of your anchor bolts will be too short now, you will need to drill down into your wall and use epoxy bolts, expanding anchors, or set new bolts in anchoring cement.The problem I see with shiming between two sill plates is that now you've got voids around the top of the basement wall...an insulation nightmare. Good luck.
*Good ideas here.....They make a coupling nut that you can use to extend the length of your anchor bolts by attaching a piece of all-thread. Then you could add the second plate and shim between the two plates to get back to level. Just an idea. Or you could counter sink the hole for the plate nut and shim and grout under the first plate. Use non-shrink grout. By the way, fire the concrete man.Ed. Williams
*I like Ryan's idea of building up the masonry, especially since any shimming must be structural in nature. Our building inspectors will not accept OSB, plywood, etc. as shims.As far as the anchor bolts, I'm sure this will raise a few eyebrows, but check your building code or with the local inspections dept to see if they are required. In my building jurisdiction, generally, they are not required except for a garage wall that sits on top of a block foundation wall. The mudsills can be shot to the foundation with a Hilti gun or hand nailed with masonry nails. Many local builders/framers do it this way. Personally I most always use anchor bolts but would go with a combo of nails and some drill-in expanding bolts in your instance. This depends on your local wind loads, seismic conditions, etc. Further, if you had someone who calls himself a mason do the foundation *demand* that he come back and level his work - even if he did it for free! - ASAP-!! Undoubtedly, the problem started with the footers, but the mason could have / should have corrected it.If you go with your suggestion #2, be sure to shim with solid material .
*hey matt.. whadda u do, build sets fer the wizard of oz?hilti gun? , shoot the sill in?hah, hah,hah..you yust kill me..yur funnin wit us boy, haint ya?
*Matt,
View Image © 1999-2000"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle
*Ed,I thought about suggesting the coupler but I figured the coupler would fall exactly where he'd need the nut to be. Maybe they make a 1/2" sex bolt that could reach down to the anchor.
*Another 2 cents:I read your post as saying the 40 foot wall is low along its length by one inch. If so, DISCARD the 2X sill and replace it with a 3X. This will give you back the lost inch and keep a solid sill. At the bolt locations sink the washer clearance holes just enough to accommodate a washer thickness and enough threads to grab the nut. As you tighten the nuts the compression will get full thread depth after that. No need to extend the anchor bolts or redrill for retrofit bolts. Then the standard minor shimming should take care of the low spots on the other three sides.Comments? Ralph
*While I think all the suggestions are good, there's one thing I'm curious about. Is most of the foundation level, and just a bit of it is too high ? Or is there just a bit that's too low ?I would tend to want to try to fix the least amount of the sill, so I'd either go down or up depending on which would be the least amount of sill plate to deal with.
*......call the mason back on a habitat project and demand he level it....hahahahaha put the glue gun down and get some fresh air...he was not paid to begin with probably, materials yes, time was donated.This is a fellowship, feel good get someone in a house project. Get a 1/4" here and there and be happy. Keith C.
*Steve, I have built many houses on foundations as bad, and worse than yours. I've done the notching, and shimming. I wouldn't bother to add another plate, because your 1" problem will not be solved. There is one other suggestion that I might make. You can rip the joist for the first few inches to accomplish the desired drop, providing the joist aren't at their maximum limit. I have done this many times on floors that need to be dropped for the dry pack base that supports ceramic floors. I'd recommenda combination of all these methods.It doesn't sound like a major problem to me. I'd be done shimming, notching and ripping in about one hour.good luck,blue
*blue... they're usin I-joists..
*Don't rip the I joists!blue
*or.... as roseanna roseanna danna used ta say..b its always somethingor as used to sayb never mind
*Keith:Not sure if your are actually involved with Habitat for Humanity or not? I, myself have been very involved for upwards to 6 years. And I can tell you this: These people deserve a weatherproof, structurally sound, quality homes just as much as any other home buyer! So what that these are modest structures! It's just as hard for them to make their to make their $300 monthly mortgage payment as it is for us to make our 4 digit payment! On our local HFH projects, our footers and foundations are put in by paid professionals. These aspects of the building process must be managed just like any other building project. The subs don't get paid until the job is complete and correct. And we don't accept or produce crap. Sure, errors can be compensated for, which is what I think this whole thread is about, but if you "feel good" about building a foundation that is 1" out of level, then you are just the type of guy we have no use for on our sites weather paid or volunteer! At Habitat, we produce homes of reasonable quality. Why - because the people involved care about what they are doing. This was proven several years ago during hurricanes in FLA where the HFH houses were left standing and largely intact alongside the wind stripped foundation of for-profit builders.So, what is your personal experience with HFH?
*Matt G,These people "deserve" a house? Nobody "deserves" shit! You earn what you get. Those of us who have 4 digit house payments earned them. Getting a brand new home for 300 per month? they shouldn't really give a rat's ass if it is 1" out of level over a 40' span.Pete
*Pete, everyone deserves something. I read that there are 40 million living in caves in china. I tried to live in a cave here in MI, but the building inspector threw a hissy.What is a hissy anyways?I'd live in a house with it being 1" out of level. As long as 3everything was square, I'd never notice. My old buddy Doyle said that it was better to be out of level because Momma wouldn't have to work so hard when she waxed the floor. She could just pour the stuff out on the high side and chase it to the other end!blue
*Well of course we all deserve something ....we deserve what we earn, we reap what we sow.So, that cave you were staying in is vacant now? I've been looking for a vacation home and that sounds like it might be right in my price range. Then again, I could have a bunch of folks build me an out of level vaction home for cheap. I deserve a vacation home, don't I?PeteP.S. no sign of "hissy" in Webster's but I betcha Cadioli can give you some background on the word.
*Yep, your right - we all gotta earn it. And I've damn well earned mine. Now it's time for me to give some back of what I've taken.You misquoted me a bit... I said "These people deserve a weatherproof, structurally sound and quality home just as much as any other home buyer." Yes, that's right, they are homebuyers.The 1000 sq ft one we are building right now is for a family of 5. The dad was required to be steadily employed for at least 3 years prior to qualifying for the home. And he must put in 500 hrs of labor or "sweat equity", as they call it. He gets the house at a reduced rate and an interest free loan. The loan's the only thing that's a really good deal. It's called "a hand-up, not a hand out". Helping hard working people to help themselves. That's what the mission is.And you are right. 1" in 40' isn't squat. But if a mason can't build level to within an inch, he can't build shit! He's the type of guy I just love to use one of my favorite lines on: "Pretty busy, arn't ya. Well, let me help you free up your schedule..."
*Yea, your right. I'm taking this too seriously. Really, I usually just laugh at slack workmanship... Just so I'm not the one who has to live with it or go back and try to correct it. Then I just shake my head, and as Blue said, deal with it. Course, it's always a down hill battle once the wining is done! And no building is perfect.To tell you the truth, I wouldn't a put a laser or whatever on it in the first place!
* HISSY
*HISSY FIT
*Matt,I am not trying to ride your case and I really don't mind helping someone who is really trying to help themself. I just get so sick and tired of every worthless scumbag "deserving" somnething that they never worked for so when you said they deserved a house just like the rest of us it kinda set me off. I am not implying the people you speak of are scumbags but I am talking in the countless other ways this shit happens. I think these things burn my ass the most when some degenerate gets money, food and 100% top notch coverage for sitting on his/her ass while those who work and can't afford it, do without.Pete
*AMEN to that Pete.Chuck
*Our local habitat has built well over 100 houses in the last 4 years. I was a site supervisor on the last blitz(10 houses in 2 weeks) With that said, we have built alot of crap. The masons volunteer there time, the concrete guys get $100 per man for the whole house, electricians donate the time, plumbers also. (the electricians and plumbers are paid by there companies, but the company "donates" the time) Habitat is one of the biggest builders in the country, and they are selling a way overpriced product.(for what they have to pay in hard cost VS. what they sell it for) It does not take a rocket scientist to drive nails and cut vinyl, but it does take skil to do it well. I just don't agree with the premise that if you make bad choices and have to many babies that a group of people will come build you a new house. I think the screening process sucks. And I'm tired of building them for a bunch of lazy slackers. They should be there before I get there, and be the last to leave, and in between working like a dog. Not just putting in their time. Maybe our local chapter is not the norm(god I hope so) but it is what I've seen.
*One thing I learned many years ago is that some of the poor enjoy a luxury that most of us here have never tasted - getting up at 10:30 in the morning on a regular basis. It's hard for me to tolerate lazy people.My point was that these Habitat homebuyers "deserve" reasonable quality, just as any homebuyer - not necessarily that i anyone deserves a house.
*A couple months back we did some framing for an other contractor. It was just a little addition to a house, it looked to be about the third addition added to this little cracker box. The mason, or whoever put up the stem wall, was 3/4 off level in 9'. Had it been my job, someone would of fixed their f-up. But it wasn't, so we adjusted our stud heights accordingly to give us a level top plate to set rafters and tie in with the existing properly. The siding hid the discrepancy at the bottom. It was a small job but the young couple were nice and deserved better than their "contractor" was giving.
*Keith,I am in complete agreement with you. I have had considerable experience with HFH,though not as a site supervisor.I could be wrong(and if so I apologise),But I suspect Matt is currently heavily involved with HFH but has not been with it long enough to see the down side.I have seen plenty of the partner families whose idea of sweat equity was leaning on a rake,smiling,and repeating "this is so great" as I humped 3 sheets of OSB,or a bundle of shingles past them.Check out the HFH houses built 5-6 years ago and see how many of them are poorly maintained. How many have been re-po'd.How much blatant politics goes on. How board membership is a community status thing. How the partner families are clearly from one ethnic group,and yet the volunteers are clearly from another "ethnic group". In fact if often seems that the volunteers use the HFH experience to salve their conscience for living in highly segregated communities.How about the completely incompetent use of manpower?I had a site super insist on putting about 12 insurance salesmen,secretaries,and housewives on shingling a roof by hand.I offered to do the 14 sq. myself that day cause I knew it would be,neat,clean,(and as straight as the factory seconds that were donated as shingles would allow.I knew I could cull out all the defective shingles as I worked). Instead that roof got way too much foot traffic,and the eager volunteers scuffed,scarred,and generally tore the shit out of that roof.Hardly a roof of moderate quality.I could go on and on cause there is definitely a dark side to HFH in the USA.A worthy idea that is so often poorly implemented.Good Luck All,Stephen
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I'm only an apprentice boogerer, so be gentle...
Scribe an oversized rim joist to the offending sills (while holding the top of the rim level) and then use joist hangers.
Of course, if you're 1" high, you gotta do 3 sides
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Not everone who is on welfare, social security, etc is a 'lazy slacker'. There are plenty of people who have no choice about the matter. It's that or go die in a ditch somewhere.
Listening to the venom some of you use when talking about anyone who is on one of the above programs almost makes me ashamed to consider you friends.
*Hey, I have a novel idea, let's get back to the question. Six options that I can think of. 1) Bolt down the sill plate out of level and then lag bolt to it a second plate and shim it to level 2) same as #1 but hammer drill down into the foundation and tie in with epoxied anchors 3) Shim The TjI's but make sure the shims are as hard as the plate wood so that wont compress and settle and give you waves 4) us a planer and cut flat stock to act as shims 5) Check with Larry Haunn he has seen them all and does a lot of habitat work I am told. 6) get some of these guys to quit bitchin and come up with good answers. Some of these guys that are on this post are real experts at solving problems.
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Thank you Josh (22)
When I posted the question I did not realize that I also needed to post a referee. The reason that I mentioned that this is a habitat house was so you consider that when you give a solution remembering that the material and time are donated. If I would have left that part out it would have eliminated at least half of the responses. Also, why does it matter that the house is a habitat house? Does this mean that the quality should be lesser than a house built for John Doe that has a college degree and makes 5-6 figures . That same John Doe in a year from now may need a habitat house due to situations that he had no control over. Everyone that has posted could fall into a situation out of our control that would render us financial or physically disabled.
MATT G (8.1) Thank you for the following statement
"Sure, errors can be compensated for, which is what I think this whole thread is about, but if you "feel good" about building a foundation that is 1" out of level, then you are just the type of guy we have no use for on our sites weather paid or volunteer!"
Also PETE, (12) Thank you for your profound statement
"they shouldn't really give a rat's ass if it is 1" out of level over a 40' span".
If this is how you truly feel maybe your clients should know this.
Does anyone remember the question I asked? I posted this question to help in my Architectural Drafting class in how to look to others for help and take that information and come to a logical solution that includes all the variables. It was disheartening when I started to go over the responses with my class and see a simple question turn into a subject that deserves to be on a day-time talk show.
Remember the magazine title that sponsors this site:
FINE HOMEBUILDING…. The title should say it all.
For those of you that can contribute construction related ideas please do so. For those of you that want to discuss the social injustices please contact the day-time talk shows. I would like to end this unfortunate, but needed response with this quote and thank all of you that have constructively contributed to the original question.
"Do not judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes"
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Well spoken. I was having those thoughts today- wondered what message was being sent to your students. For what it is worth- I would pour a bond beam on top of your foundation- 6 or 8 inches concrete tied into existing anchors, new bolts, frame on that. Probably overkill- but cost is not prohibitive and would give me a feeling of a job done right... fer what it's worth...
*Ralph:Loved your reference to the erudite and global social structure changing study on the HISSY FIT.
*Steve...first .. all of the normal fixes have been discussed..in the first three posts...yes, i agree that some of us should be more tolerant and admit that.. ((there but for the grace of god go i))))..so, i commend those who work in HFH, even those who do so IN SPITE of their feelings that maybe someone is taking advantage of the situation.. or they don't pitch in as hard as the volunteers..but , luckily, we wern't all born under teh same star, and we didn't all have the same upbringing..so if someone in your past instilled a good work ethic.. than them and god..but don't forget what a great country we live in.. and there really is no excuse why a country of our wealth can't house and feed ALL of it's citizens.. even though this may smack of the dole ,, and socialism..if you are volunteering and not enjoying it , you're probably suffering from burn-out..too much work and not enough workers..i joined Lions Club in 1974.. one of the young turks.. now it's harder and harder to find members to keep up the good work...too many demands on people's time.. or maybe we've forgotten how to help one another..so , yeh..maybe ther is adark side to HFH, but , what is the alternative.... another government program... maybe... or how bout we bring back conscription, and the draft... and give everyone a choice... CCC, or the Military... or HFH.. or City Kids.. or Reading is Fundamental.. boy, is there a lot of work to do or what.......and wouldn't we be a better country.. a WE country, instead of a ME country
*Steve Luft.I hate to break it to you, but we have been discussing "social injustices" on this site for at least a couple of years now.Once you pose a topic you have no real controll over where the conversation will drift.The end result is some pretty vibrant conversations with opinions from all over the spectrum.( I have been called a labeled a flaming liberal by some,others probably think I am a neo-nazi,at least two have told me I am an ass and I am proud to recall Pete labeling me as a whiney prick. Thats the price you pay to discuss things with stand up guys.By the way,I will refer you back to your own last line--" Do not judge someone untill you have walked a mile in their shoes". Perhaps some of the people who posted slightly off- topic remarks HAVE walked a mile or more in those shoes.If you are gonna come trolling here for free advise,take the good with the bad and enjoy the dialogue. Otherwise,pay a local consultant.good luck with your project,Stephen
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Amen. Its funny how those who are always on about how easy the poor have it never seem to be lining up to join in that carefree, no-money lifestyle.
Hardest work does not = most money.
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Oops...my idea was not well thought out-never mnd!!!
*I love these PC discussion off post. I volunteer for Christmas in April similar to Habitat. Our philosophy is we install the cheapest crapiest stuff we can find. We install it correctly, level, square and plumb, or as close to that as we can. But these people simply don't deserve that kind of attention. It is a freebie, so they ought to be very gratefull for getting skilled trades in.We don't countersink and fill nail holes. We don't scribe vinyl flooring, just trim it approximate, and use a shoe molding. We don't do 3-4 coats of mud, just 2, usually done by novice volunteers. We don't do much prep on paint, just a quick scrape and shoot the paint on. No brushes, no rollers.This is a 1-2 day volunteer program to slap up some improvements and get outa there. They love their new homes! And I don't feel a bit guilty about cutting some corners.Oh, and to answer Steve's question, there are a lot of ways to add a second sill. I would use a transit to shoot a level line on the foundation, and measure up from there. I might use Simpson plates to join the two, extension bolts, or just some short 16's. I like the idea of using duracrete or mortar to lift the sill up and prevent drafts. I wonder about weight issues on duracret though. I think I would just add a second sill. I would do them in 8 foot sections, and rip the angle on a skillsaw.
*I am surprised that no one has mentioned shooting a level line on the foundation and taking the easier route of adding or subtracting by grinding the wall top to the level desired.I am not sure how much of the perimeter is out of level but grinding a little cement isn't so bad and a great lesson on why it should be done right the first time to the people involved. If you use the right tools it cuts, chisels, and grinds like butter. If you loose some of the threads use a steel well nut to reach down to them.My two cents worth for the problem at hand.
*Steve, I gotta believe you are enjoying making a mountain out of a molehill. I immediately offered the most basic solution that exsists. You either shim the low spots, trim the high spots, or tear the top off and redo the concrete or block. I was serious when I told you that I have run into this many times, and I don't mean on small, 1200 square foot houses. Most of the poor foundations come on cut up half million dollar houses with multiple height foundation walls and walkout basements. I wouldn't spend more than three minutes debating the "fix". If there were a couple of buckets of steel shims in the sub, I'd simply slip them under the sill plate, under each joist, and be on my way. The entire "fix" would take me less than one hour, if the steel shims were the entire fix. If the unlevel portion of the wall was 1" high, I would probably cut notches into the sill plate. I don't have any problem with that solution, even if the sill plate will eventually be only 1/2" thick. It still will be blocked in by the full thickness of the remaining sill plate, and if that was an issue, I'd run a double sill plate around first, then notch. Since I personally have built about four years worth of houses with no sill plate (that's how we built them in the mid 70's) and none have failed, I'd be pretty hard pressed to lose any sleep over the 1/2" sill plate.The notching decision would take me five minutes to think about and mentally debate, and I would be done with the "fix" in a little more than an hour-maybe less.All told, there has been more time spent discussing this "fix" than the actual work will require. This is something that master boogerers have figured out. It's better to just jump into the "fix" and get it done.The reason that I keep putting the word fix in " " is because this thread is making a mountain out of a very routine problem in residential construction. These 1" errors are so common that I wouldn't even mention it to anyone, if I was working a wall that contained one. It might seem like a major deal to an office worker, but obviously they don't know that the steel supply company has many, many 55 gallon drums full of steel shims. If there was a steel shim shortage, then I'd be taking this issue a little more seriously. But since shims are cheap and effective, just shove them in. The millionaires that are living on them don't seem to mind!blue
*It's been fascinating to read some of the comments on Habitat.A one-time physics student, I realized the academic drudgery was not for me. I enjoyed working with my mind AND my hands. Having done some week long Habitat trips, I turned to construction. I am looking forward to graduating soon in Construction Management and getting to work for the rest of my life. Homebuilding is my vocation; everyone should find work that makes them want to get up and work at 7 in the am. I've spent college weekends and spring breaks building across the country. St. Ignace, MI, Boston, Baltimore, NC, SC, MS, and here in IN. I've been fortunate to see many different affiliates. Yes, some are well organized, very fair in distributing their resources in the community. Others are slow, inefficient, and political. The greatest benefit for me from working with all these different affiliates is the chance to learn new skills and knowledge with each one. Learning how to use a circular saw and nail gun in St. Ignace, how to frame for hurricanes in SC, how to rock from a 17yr drywall veteran, learning some tricks of vapor barrier installation from a professional one afternoon, learning about good Southern cooking from potluck dinners, learning how to spot and fix someone else's mistakes(and my own, discreetly,) how to teach others how to do simpler tasks without babysitting them, how to work hard when all I get for it is tired, sweaty, and hungry, and the joy of buying my own tools.I look upon all of you guys out contracting and building with impatient envy and respect. It's dirty and risky and underappreciated by the masses.VENTING UPCOMING....So,Habitat (for Insanity) ain't perfect. They don't even claim to be. I'd rather donate nails, lumber, time, pocket change to them, food banks, or the like than have to pay FICA, SS, unemployment, to a monster of a bureaucracy that loses half the money in it's handling of it.Gees, how'd we ever get into a mess where we pay a third of our income in taxes, get taxed a higher rate on any investment earnings from what's left, have to pay sales tax when we spent those earnings, and then have to pay property taxes on what we then OWN! Couldn't the government just give us all a block of cheese and a twenty each week. We'd all be better off, not have to work, and slow the deficit.hennyweigh, thanks for keeping me entertained and educated.Ben
*Next solution.......take all the volunteers you can get on a 1000 Sq/ft deck to jump at the same time and maybe they can level the thing out before you set the walls. Blue.... you are the man, you say it so well, and quick. I also see this problem alot and worse. I correct quickly and without thought. The only time I really think about it is when the general brags how good and accurate his block layers are.( laugh wildly to myself) They never check the work, and take the masons word for it. We all cover each others f-ups, all the way down the line. Been this way for decades, probably will be for many more. Keith C.
*Steven,I've read your post over and over. I still don't understand why you feel you are entitled to free advice from so many experienced builders. You've gotten good solutions from several buy you're not happy with that, you're mad that a few others didn't stick to your suggested topic. News Flash: this is not your classroom and you are not in control here. Out here in the real world (or even the cyber world) real discussions sometimes break out. People have differing opinions and may actually present them even if they are aren't within the discussion perameters you set ahead of time in your own mind.The group on this board is very generous and even eager to help do it yourselfers like yourself. Appreciate what you did get, don't chastise anyone for not contributing when they had no obligation to do so.Sorry if this is off topic.
*CanIGeddaWitneeeess !!Well said Mike. : )
*Pete,You ever read any Ayn Rand? I think you'd like her. I've only read Atlas Shrugged, but you sound a bit like the protaganists.Rich Beckman
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The issue is not whether HFH is or is not a worthwhile cause. The issue is whether "craftsmen" take pride in their work.
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Keith C, thanks for the nod.
I too only mention something about it (poor foundations) when the super brags up the foundation guys. We all know better. But I'm not sure I could do any better on the foundations either, without investing way too much time.
There are many factors that contribute to an unlevel, unsquare foundation. I'm sure most foundation guys are trying to get the dang thing right, but sometimes s__t happens, and it's not too easy to undo a couple of tons of crete. But it is easy to shim.
blue
*Andersen... i did, in post #1, and so did a bunch of others...
*
It's me again...
Many of you feel that I am not pleased with the solutions posed, I am. I have never in any of my posts stated that I do not agree or that I dislike any of the solutions. We already had a solution worked out before I posted this question. I am simply looking for a variety of solutions maybe even something new to pass on to my students that are studying to become the future drafters, engineers and architects. All of the solutions are great some even interesting and I thank you all.
To those that think I am some pencil pushing, oh thats right it's keyboard pecking now days, geek with black rim glasses with tape in the middle you assumed wrong. I have been in the construction industry around 15 year (just a young pup to some of you) and have work on 16 million+ commercial buildings to 2 bedroom houses both in the design and in the building phases. To add a little more information to the foundation that we are working, the hole that this chunk of grey matter is in happens to be the best part.
Again, thank you all for your solutions, it has been lively.
*
Sorry didn't know what you meant by
b "and bush the high points down"
and find Ron's post #7 to be representative of what I repeated. Still worth repeating, Hit the highs and fill the lows and it would have be done by now.
Mike, thanks for pointing out a commonality among posts. I just love a bunch of suggestions on hacking up I-beams/I-Joists and sill plates to correct something so simple to adjust, along with a review of the merits of charity work and by whom.
As for HFH, Hey give 'em a T-shirt and they work for free, wish that worked for me.
*1"....My tennis courts come out better by eye for gosh darn sakes...and on a slope to boot....We throw nickels in the bird bath areas to see if they need to be shimmed....I Have a client that meets me on her court, procedes to step out of her shoes into her stocking feet so as to walk the court feeling for proper planarity....(and you can, by the by...)A long way from da tracks....near the stream,ajLooking for a cave on St. John for next January....blue
*ok..... STEVE... what's the solution u had ALREADY worked out BEFORE u even posted the damn question?
*My feet tell me a lot AJ. I was quite shocked at how bad a job I did on my ceramic floor. Only I don't mind the "rustic" feel!blue
*Good question MIke!blue
*AJ:Just out of curiosity, what are the surfaces of your tennis courts made of?
*well?....steve?
*Fast Dry which is a kind of synthetic clay....(crushed stone in the right proportions and screenings)
*
The old time way to level your mudsill plate was to mud it in. In other words you build up a bed of mortar checking for level as you go. This requires the top of the foundation be solid either by core pouring or laying 4" solids on top. Extending anchor bolts is simple.
*The way that I have accomplished the task would be to set another plate on top of the sill plate. After Drilling where neccasary to clear the bolts, I then mark layout for the I-joist's. Under each I-joist I then shim driving wedges to bring the lows up to grade
*
WELL, STEVE?
*b yeh, steve , what is the solution you had ALREADY worked out BEFORE you even posted the damn question?Pogo
*C'mon, maaaaan, he needs time to 'work it out'.LOL
*Now Stephen,I never meant "whiney prick" in a bad way. Besides, I thought I apologized later. Some days we just aren't as socially graceful as others.By the way. I have walked in those shoes and still never looked for a handout. As a matter-of-fact, I have refused handouts. I grew up and lived amongst those welfare types and I will tell you that most are lazy, cheating, stealing types. Granted there are cases in which people have tough luck and need the assistance but far too many are just users. Those of you who are "ashamed" of what I am saying have probably had limited exposure to this lifestyle.Pete
*Pete,You and I agree on many things, but this is one which I can niether agree with you on nor ignore your remarks for the sake of friendship.I grew up and lived amongst those welfare types -all my life- as well. The person I am, the people I know, do not lie, cheat or steal. We do not willingly take 'handouts'. I am aware that there are plenty of the type of people you describe on the welfare rolls. There are plenty of those kinds of people NOT on the rolls as well. Should you and all the rest of society be thrown in the moral trashcan because of the ways of some of society ? If anyone were able to discern the percentage of people on welfare who are lazy, who are cheats, etc, you would probably find the percentage to be a bit higher than that among schoolteachers, or the military. You may be surprized how close the percentage would be to the percentage of chairmen of the boards, and other buisnessmen. The point is, you don't have to be on welfare to be a lazy, lying cheat. And you aren't a lying cheating lazy thief just because you ARE on welfare.I am still ashamed to call anyone friend who so willingly and quickly disparages anyone whom they have not personaly met. Especialy one who does so to a whole segment of society. What's next, short people are unfit to be parents ? Black people are ignorant ? Native americans are all alchoholics ? Carpenter/builders are all cheats, just out to make a fast buck off the poor customer ? C'mon, Pete, what you are spouting is no less baseless HATE than any of those others.As for growing and living... Seems I grew up with honest caring forthright people. I feel pity for you that you had to grow up amongst lying cheating lazy people.I won't even get into how much we are all a product of our environments....Oh, and I didn't mean any of this 'in a bad way'.
*I never said they were all lazy, stealing cheats, just that many of them are. This is not a hate statement but a fact of what I know form my own life experiences. Don't feel pity for me cuz I didn't grow up amonst only scumbags I am only pointing out those cases I know of throughout my life. Let me make a few points. How many poor helpless people on welfare do you still see eating out at a restaurant? buying beer and booze? going to the bar? buying things beyond their needs? wearing $150.00 shoes? wearing $80.00 jackets? If they were so poor and helpless why are they squandering money on such uneeded expenses? These are things I see the most of. I also see many people who live with a working boyfriend (for instance) and still collect welfare even though the boyfriemnd or father of the children is living there and earning a good wage. I even know a lot of folks who are on disability and collecting a gov. check for injuries that are hardly disabling but I guess they know their way around the system.Now I know you don't know me too well, but I spent 6 years as a Bailbondsman, primarily dealing with and arresting those who didn't go to court when they should have. Being in that field of work exposed me to a lot more of the low class and has probably attributed a good deal to my outlook on these situations. I have also seen so much of the "useless" getting so much in the way of handouts and such and those who really deserved it getting nothing. What about the family of 5 where mom and dad both work for minimum wage to scrape by, supporting theirselves and their kids. they make too much money to get welfare but the lady down the road with 3 kids by 3 different fathers and has never had a job, gets money, foodstamps, and the best 100% medical, dental and optical care. Ain't that a hoot?How about section 8 housing(government subsidized housing)? My wife had to evict people for not paying their rent for months or sometimes a whole year. How much rent you ask? 1 dollar a month. And the real pisser is that they lived in complete filth. They couldn't clean and never worked.....go figure. Then on their way out after being evicted they would destroy what was left of the place. I have heard this scenario from countless property owners who accept section 8 tenants.Mind you that not everyone is this way but from what I have seen in my life (and believe me, I've seen a lot) this is all too commonly the case.Let me repeat myself....not all of them are like this but far too many are. I said that twice because you keep seeing to miss that.Signing off,Pete
*I agree, far too many are. Far too many are in ANY walk of life.Having read back over all the posts, I find a need to apologize. I took offence when I shouldn't have, and made disparaging comments I regret.You have my humblest apologies, my friend.
*Pete,No offense taken,either then or now.I only mentioned it to illustrate how we don't have any controll over where a thread goes,once we post it.personally,I enjoy all of the meandering conversations and I most value the guys willing to post their actuall thoughts using their actuall names.To me ,sometimes you sound like a right wing nut and other times I find myself standing and applauding your common sense.( I particularly enjoyed the day you told that guy to shove a bristle brush up his rear).I consider it a real privelege to discuss things here with people of many different outlooks.Some of us will agree on some issues,other times we will disagree.A flaming liberal,neo-nazi,whiney prick----Stephen
*Glad to see you guys are done quarelling. A tidbit regarding subsidized housing: Back in the late 70's, or early 80's, the liberals decided that paying the rent directly to landlords was dehunmanizing. So the government was ordered to give the temants the money. which in turn they would pay their rent themselves, thus learning a new responsibility.It wasn't long before the landlords in Detroit were going bankrupt because the tenants looked at this new money as a new soource of liquor. The head of the Greater Detroit landlords association decided that if he wasn't going to get paid, and he was going to lose his buildings to bankruptcy, he was going to do it on his own terms. So he lowered the rent to everyone that wasn't paying to $1! He claimed that he actually received death threats, by tenants, for doing that. A lot of landlords did lose buildings before the government finally woke up.blue
*As odd as this may sound, I have a lot of respect for most of the guys I get into heated debates with here. I respect the fact that they are man (or woman) enough to stand up for what they believe. I do not dislike any of the regulars here for their opinions. Just because Myself and another poster here maight be complete opposites on politics or whatever, does not mean I would not enjoy their company. I have some very dear friends who are complete political idiots...see that?So, here's a round for all and a toast to opinions. Mine are always right and you guys will come around sooner or later!Love,Pete
*so anyways... what happened ?and why don't u answer?
*do you suppose something serious happened to steve?maybe he got hurt in the house raising?
*I think he got hurt in the "sill plate 1" off level" thread....
*It's like every other poster. Ask the stupid question, get the stupid answers and then, don't come back and tell what happened. It's disconcerting. Like watching a serial movie and having the theatre close down before the ending.My thanks to those few who come back with the rest of the story.
*We could just all send a invitation to his e-mail and ask him to come back and give us the facts.b Send e-mail to [email protected] would, but it's probably not worth the keystroke, what does Miss Manners say about this?b Thanks for keeping up the moral standards Mike!
*anderson.. i sent him an e-mail (polite , no less) last week & he ignored it... go figger... i wonder what he's tellin his class about duckin the response.. something like usn bozos don't deserve one anyhoooo..which leads me to think he must a got hurt on the job , only reasonable thing i can think of.....
*It was probably his screw-up to start with and fingers kept pointing back to him.You know in reading the 75+ post on this. This is probably one of the first ten things you get to fix and learn on the job.Day 1, How to fix your timecardDay 2, How to wear a glove over hands to prevent blistersDay 3, Why not to be late or you will get left behind and possibly firedDay 4, How much work boots help you do the work.Day 5, How much cement goes in a wheelbarrow.Day 6, How to get out of the way of the craneDay 7-10 How to fix your f...ups....!Day 11 to infinity are repeated renditions of days 7-10 for some.
*in a parallel universe: 1) how to swing a 10 lb. sledge for 8 hours2) why a half a wheel barrow might be better than a full one..3) how to pick up a 16' staging plank4) how to mix mortar for a demon bricklayer, while cleaning used brick, and keeping him supplied5)how to cut a board so it don't pinch the saw6) how to estimate where your toes are when propping plywood up on your boot for a cut off7) how to thumb a roofing nail
*Thumbing nails....up to a thousand an hour hand driven doing tennis lines....hammer never stops moving nor the feet so as to keep up with where the nails go...and never looking directly at the nail ever.near the stream gettin tired just thinkin of the lines ready to go tomorrow,aj
*
Sorry it has taken so long to respond to your posts, I actually have a job that demands a little more of my time than this thread since I feel it has done it's intended purpose.
Mike, you must be between job right now to have this amount of time to devote to this thread. Oh by the way the last e-mail I received that deals with this thread was 5/3/00 and it was not yours.
The problem with the sill plate was not the only one we had to deal with. The wall bowed in close to an inch on the 26'side with the anchor bolts randomly spaced and placed incorrectly. The footings are not below frostline (they are at 3' - our area calls for 5'). The brackets that support the post that support the center beam are at least half the thickness (6x6) of the posts off of center. One of the walls has a crack that goes all the way through the wall and down through the footing, so the sill was the first place to start to correct some of the errors. I try to have my students come up with at least two ways of doing everything because there will be a day that the most common way will not work. That was the intent of the thread I didn't realize that it would turn into such a lively topic.
The questions/solutions that came up in the group discussion were:
A second sill is the common way of fixing the problem - Can we get the material donated do to the fact that it is a HAB house?
Lumber store
ANSWER: No, allotment of material for this stage has already been delivered.
SOLUTION: Class purchased the material and donated it to the cause.
Can we just shim under the TJI's at the locations that they come in contact with the single sill?
ANSWER:Yes, but that is not the best way.
We contacted our building inspector and had him come over to the site to discuss the situation.
An idea that we posed to our BI was:
Secure the bottom sill to the wall, place second sill on and secure with nails and shim solid under the locations of the TJI's and filling the gaps with spray foam. This idea was ok with the BI so we proceeded with the floor.
Keith C your solution we liked the best, but in trying to execute the solution we ran out of people.
To all be careful of the I LOVE YOU e-mail virus it has done some nasty thing to some of our computer. Do not open and delete right away. Our current virus checker did not detect it. Hopefully none of you have your e-mail open automatically.
So in parting all these problems would go away if we lived in a perfect world but in order to reach that perfect world we have to pass away, then at that point none of this will matter.
*
steve... all that matters is that u wern't hurt..all the terrible things i imagined wen u didn't get back to us.....
.....i got plenty werk...but nuttin is more important than keeping tabs on yu..
so anyways, alls well that ends well... sounds like a typical day in the life of a remodeler..
thanks fer sharin
*Steve, it would appear that your problems go a bit deeper than just the off-level sills. How did you deal with the depth of footer problem. I can't see the building inspector allowing the pour when the depth was wrong to start with. But apparently he did. What's up with that? Are the powers that be going to allow you to continue to buid on substandard footers? And if so, who assumes the liability when the building starts to shift around after a few freeze/thaw cycles.
*Steve, a second read of your last post brings up another question related to the footer. You say you have a crack that goes completely through the stem wall AND the footer. It would appear that your building, with no weight on it and no freeze/thaw cycles, has already decided to start moving. So not only do you have a footer that may not stand the annual testing of Mother Nature but you have one that has localized problems too. Did the group discussion address that particular item? And do you have a fix?
*And I suppose that they learned that project management is very important? Musta missed that day.Better luck.
*steve luft- you need to get a local builder to oversee you overseeing this project! You wanted suggestions on how to level a sill that was out a relatively small amount and got a ton of helpful replies and then you drop this info- your foundation has some real issues! You made the stellar decsion to frame on it? Get back in the classroom Steve and stick to drawing! your puttin' bandaids on a cancer patient...
*Man, now I am hooked. I gotta see how this one turns out. 2' shy of frost lines? And they gave the go ahead on the foundation inspection. All you loyal HFH do-gooders have got to explain this one to me. Is this quality construction? How do you get around the codes that we have to live by? Is this an isolated case( I mean isolated as in I've seen it here and he says it happens there also)? It would seem that 1" out of level was the best thing that happened on this job. This post should have been named " What the hell else could have possibly gone wrong" and I would have been the first solution 1) get the track hoe back and fill the thing in and start over.
*Now,now Doug. Lets be fair. Look on the bright side. Just imagine how easy it will be to provide a house of "moderate quality" on this see/saw foundation.Imagine the pride of "craftsmanship" the volunteers will feel about 5 years down the road when they view their handiwork.The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
*I'm hearing you Stephen. A well intentioned project with limited funding (said funding being P%$$ed away by equally well intentioned IDIo----less than qualified individuals...CHRIST!!! can I say that here?) is going to culminate in a piece of crap that no one will be proud to call their own. Some service.What are the students learning? "We don't have much money- we have a schedule to maintain- doesn't have to be done right just do it!"Steve Luft- congradualations! It takes almost an act of God to get me this angry- you move to the head of the class.
*And HFH is the 9th largest builder in the US! How many supers like Steve L? Joe H
*Gentlemen,Before you begin to make general statements regarding an organization that is able to help families worldwide, I would think you'd like to investigate further. Let me tell you of my experiences.I have been involved with HfH for over 3 years. My affiliate is lucky to have a group of dedicated volunteers who provide a hand up and not a hand out to families in need. Habitat usually doesn't get the best of lots and has to be very creative where we can build. I can imagine that this is the situation that Steve is in.My affiliate's construction supervisor is a retired engineer who is managing construction of our 22 home subdivision. Also, we are lucky to have a great relationship with our local Carpenter's Union, they use Habitat homes as training sites. Some affiliates have a constant struggle finding skilled help. Perhaps the more vocal of you could step up and help out by leading a Saturday work crew? Your role should be to teach volunteers to do the job right. I, for one would welcome being trained by a true craftsman.I do not want to start another round of stone throwing. Habitat is not a flawless organization but it works better than any most government run organizations. I'd like to believe the challenge Steve was presented with was an exception. Home quality varies builder to builder, Habitat affiliate to Habitat affiliate. Do not believe that we are given any slack by the Inspectors. We are held to the same standards as other builders.One home at a time until sub standard housing is eliminated.Peace,Martin
*well said martin..HfH is a great organization... if i wern 't already involved with a lot of other things i'd do more than just give money..hey, it's good enuf for jimmy.. it's good enuf fer me..in the meantime...the saga continues......i can't wait fer steve to cum back and set us straight....i'll bet he's got some real wild solutions that they worked out with the bldg. inspector...right steve ? .. steve..
*Martin... BULLSHIT, you guys are not held to half the inspection scrutiny we are held to. Foundation 2' above frost and they are talking solutions to fix the out of level crap...give me a break. If you did not have all the cash and high powers behind you(ex peanut farming presidents and such) you would have been run out on rails long ago. I've done many HUD houses for the " so called needy" and paid prevailing wage on every stinking last nail. They get a house at half price and we get paid for our work. And the house is 10 times better, we pass not only local inspections but also local metropolitian housing authority inspections and federal inspections, and must use all HUD approved materials. The over 100 houses built by HFH in my area would'nt pass an outbuilding inspection. They suck.
*Keith- I wish you'd stop sugar coatin' things and say how you feel...Martin- I do volunteer for habitat- and donate materials- and buy stuff in their local reclamation store- and steer my friends and relatives to that same store.so I'm not damning the organization- I'm questioning a particular individual...Oh yeah- an individual who is supposedly qualified to teach the craft of building to- what was it?- three hundred eager young minds per yearkey-rist again!
*Maybe I'm off base AGAIN here, but I think Pete, Stephen, and myself are in the same goegraphic location of NE Ohio, and maybe our HFH affiliates suck. We are singing the same tune I believe. Hard working mid-westerners not willing to give a "hand-up" to a lazy low life who played(and made babies) while we blistered. The rest of the country just has better needy people. And us in the rust-belt are just harder hearted, and personally speaking JUDGEMENTAL.
*Keith,we may not be singing the exact same tune,but perhaps they harmonize?I used to donate a fair bit of time to hfh.Usually 3 days during a spring blitz,and 3 days during a fall blitz.This worked out to 6 days or more than a full week of my valuable time. To put it another way---1 out of the approx. 35 weeks I can roof a year I donated to hfh. Reducing my earnings by 1/35.Most of the other volunteers were either retired or using paid vacation days,paid sick days,comp time or were otherwise compensated by their employers.I also contracted work at VERY nominal rates for projects deemed too risky for volunteers.I do not regret a minute I spent on those projects.Eventually ,though,I came to see the down side to the whole thing.I was always annoyed by the total in-efficiency of the operation.45 well meaning folks spending over a day to frame a house that only required 5 experienced guys who don't stop to pray every 10 minutes.Many of the partner families were incapable of the basic resonsibilities of homeownership.I remember one family who had a large tree limb fall on their house(several years after taking possesion of the house)The head of the household was completely incapable of dealing with the insurance company----her first phone call was to hfh.houses poorly maintained--apparently cutting the grass and taking trash to the curb is to much effort.It really appeared that "partner families" were selected racially. Very disconcerting to see virtually all the families of one race,all the volunteers of an other race. Kind of helped pepetuate the "hand-out" mentality.Many of the projects were sponsored by churches. Of course the project houses were located in neighborhoods far removed from the church.(" lets keep those people in the neighborhoods they belong") Disturbingly segregationist.A lot of obvious liberal guilt amongst the volunteersA lot of politics and power struggles on the Board. I could go on and on,but basically I see the thing as an originally good idea,poorly implemented in our area.I currently prefer to spend my free time and money on another american evil. Sponsoring and coaching little league baseball.(LOL)Good Luck All,Stephen
*
Sorry about the previous delete. Had some typos.
Keith:
Sorry to hear that you have been so frustrated with HFH. Habitat works in our city, building inspectors look more closely at Habitat homes, and we are proud of what we build. We have helped some hardworking families become homeowners. My only regret is that I can't help on a more regular basis - you know, it's a time thing
Your statement "Maybe I'm off base AGAIN here, but I think Pete, Stephen, and myself are in the same geographic location of NE Ohio, and maybe our HFH affiliates suck." struck me as a little odd at first. Then after I thought about it, maybe you are right, maybe HFH doesn't work as well in some depressed economies where most folks are just so busy trying to make a living that they couldn't hardly even imagine doing something to help out someone else out, much less doing a good job at it. Or, maybe you did give it a try, didn't find it as rewarding as you had hoped and decided it wasn't for you. Fine, but I'm not sure what your need is to condemn the entire national/international program.
RE your comments on the quality of construction, I think you should bring your thoughts to your local Habitat affiliate and building officials. It sounds like they have some issues.
*
I think Keith may have a point where he mentioned that we typically deal with a different class of folks here in the rustbelt than others do in Nebraska, for instance.
Mike Rupp,
I didn't see where Keith condemned the entire HFH program. Furthermore, it is not those trying to make a living that are the problem around here, it is those looking for something for nothing that are the problem as well as the do-gooder, bleeding-heart, naive saps that run around doing "good deeds" to allieviate their guilt for having something.
Actually it seems as though Steve Luft, who started this thread, did more to bad mouth HFH just by presenting us with the lowdown on the low quality work his group is putting out.
I also have to agreee with a lot of what Hazlett had to say concerning HFH and the sort. I see the same thing so often in so many groups of do-gooders.
Signing off,
Pete
*
Some of you (Pete to mention one) are assuming that my group was the one that constructed the foundation - WRONG - we inherited the problem. A licensed and bonded contractor did the foundation work.
Doug, please inform me to what post I stated that I am instructing 300 students/year.
*
Steve,
what was the solution to the sinking foundation? I know there's been alot of trash talk but I'm genuinely on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what you guys did to fix it.
-Ryan
*Steve Luft- Well I've looked high and low and admit I'm stumped. I can't locate that post anywhere. You should keep better track of where you leave them. Perhaps you could post a reward and have some luck retrieving the lost one...
*Steve,A licensed, BONDED contractor did the foundation work?And the building inspector passed the foundation?I, like you, have other work to do but this is too much to pass up without restating the questions of my posts #48 and #49. Consider them restated. You can see what happens when you post dribbles of information and ask for responses. So, since you started the ball rolling, could you take a few minutes and let us know what happened with that foundation. Hint: Did the contractor's bonding company cover the tearout and replacement of the footer and stem wall? Your group is short on funds, this would have been a freebie and no out of pocket expenses by your students for the sill fix which would not be necessary with the new work (hopefully). Hint #2: Did the building inspector get reamed for overlooking the code violation(s). Hint #3: Are you nailing on the sill fix, covering it up and hoping the structure is still standing in a few years?
*Steve,I am assuming that your group screwed up BECAUSE your group screwed up! Or maybe HFH just stumbled across this poor excuse for a foundation and decided to build on it later. "HFH builds the greatest houses on Earth and if something is screwed up it was done by someone else"? It's still a HFH job and obviously the local building inspector doesn't lean on you nearly as hard as he does on real contractors. DOesn't HFH supervise their own jobs? What kind of Mickey Mouse operation you folks running in your area?Later,Pete
*
Hmmm, Doug you want me to keep track of something that I never wrote and you picked out of the clear blue sky to make your point have more teeth -good one- Is this how you bid jobs? Pete, your response isn't even worth addressing.
Ralph, $300.00 will get you licensed and bonded and workers comp coverage will get you up and working. The HFH site supervisor is someone that has just finished the required 500 hours and thought it was fun and now is a supervisor.
We are working with our structural engineering professors as well and the BI on the crack in the foundation and footing. We are on hold as of now.
Doug, to help you out some those numbers used in the last paragraph are in reference to dollars and hours.
*
Here we go again-
Hey Steve-
guilty as charged- I cross threaded you- you never mentioned three hundred students, or three hundred year old students for that matter. So o.k.- it's not your job to super- still doesn't make your decision to frame on a faulty foundation anymore palatable to me. I wouldn't have done it.
gonna stand by my statement about what your students are learning- just do it!- you and Nike mano. I jess don' unnerstan' numbers like you...
forgot something stevo-
last contract house I bid- design and working drawings by me, project ramrodded by this selfsame dumbass numerically challenged carpenter, finished three weeks ahead of schedule and one percent under budget.(four hunnert thousand dollar home baby boy- wish I could draw and grind numbers like you...mebee I can sign up for a class...)
*Steve,You sure like to stir things up with these guys don't you? Are your students reading this?I must have missed the solution and discussion about the frostline depth problem, did you explain this?
*Steve, 1st, HFH should have a constuction supervisor who has final say, just like on the big jobs!HE should have caught the problem BEFORE the forms where filled(in a perfect world) but at least immediatley after the forms were stripped,while he was checking for square.2nd,final pay should NEVER have been made UNTIL someone had checked the work, and then they(you) should have filed a claim with the bonding Co.Why haven't you done so?If you have cracks and other settlement problems you have good grounds for a claim of faulty workmanship. To the rest of the crew, all have made valid points, both pro and con HFH,and they are true, the quality of the leaders in the groups DOES vary, if not just by geography but from month to month and year to year, like any other volunteer group.It's up to the local groups to see to it that good families are given a hand up, with no regard to race, only their ability to pay the mortage and maintain the property,so that HFH and it's mission are furthered.Seems simple... I know 'cause I'm a supervisor AND a full time remodeler, thing is, it takes a year or more to do a house 'round here, but it is done right and to code, or better. just my two cents! Geoff
*
Hey guys anyone know where i can get licensed, bonded, and workmans comp. for $300. Cause im ready to move!!
*
question: I am teaching a class in Architectural Drafting and part of this class is to work on a Habitat house. Our problem is that we are getting ready to put on I-beams, but the foundation wall in not level. The house is a ranch with stress skin panel walls and the floor construction is I-beams. The dimensions of the house are 40' by 26'. We have the sill down and square. Along the 40' wall the foundation is 1" plus off of level. We do not have enough threads on the anchor bolts to add another sill. We could nail another sill to the other, but this would require notching or planing the second sill.
Two suggestions have been mentioned to us and are as follows:
1 Measure off the placement of the I-beams and cut 1-1/2 notches in the sill and place the I-beams into the notches ( in some places the sill would only be 1/2 thick).
2 Bolt the sill down as is, then at each I-beam location shim the I-beams to level.
We are scheduled to work on the house on April 28
Some help on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You