Month: January 2025

both ceilings

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So the Structural Engineer came.  And so did a plumber.  Not a lot of time to do physical work today.  I looked into the attic …

… and found cobwebs, dust, an old chimney, and a little insulation.  More:

  1/3/2025 11:46 AM      3012141 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114644 attic.jpg
  1/3/2025 11:46 AM      2691156 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114659 attic.jpg
  1/3/2025 11:47 AM      2619088 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114708 attic, doorbell transformer.jpg
  1/3/2025 11:47 AM      2817146 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114726 attic.jpg

So I continued with the floors.  An idea struck me – to soundproof the floors while I had access.  I bought 11 pieces of SONOpan from Home Depot and began cutting them to width.

 

 But I hit a snag – literally – and wondered why there was 1st floor ceiling light wiring when there were no ceiling lights.

 

Some jack*** cut through the ceiling light wiring.  Thanks, Jack!

  1/3/2025 11:56 AM      2642814 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_115626 cutting floor plywood.jpg
  1/5/2025  8:21 AM      1017147 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_155354 floor boards removed.jpg
  1/3/2025  3:53 PM      3128910 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_155359 Sonopan soundproofing (11).jpg

Structural Engineer

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I met a Structural Engineer today.  We had a look at various parts of the house to determine why there is such a slope in the east half of the structure.  We have determined:

  1. Concrete footings in the crawlspace had broken apart due to slumping in the soil.
  2. Upright supports have moved due to soil slumping, and 6×6 notched support beams have split and come away from the house.
  3. The living room and bathroom addition to the structure was done poorly.  They cut through many of the framing members (balloon frame studs) to open up the walls.  (See diagram below.)

So, to correct this, most likely:

  1. Screw piling will be put in the front and rear of the property.
  2. A beam will span this length under the house.
  3. An LVL bulkhead will be added to the living room / bathroom span.

I will open up the floor in the 2nd storey to expose more of those cut-through timbers and email him pictures.

I did a brief laser level check.  (The laser should be 1-5/8″ above the floor, from my measurements.  Funny – nothing in the manual stating this.)  This shows that, in about 4 feet, the floor dips down about 2-1/16 inches.  Wow!