How Does Your Foundation Affect Your Plumbing?

Did you think that we meant to swap the subjects in the title? It’s true – your plumbing (or challenges within) can impact the quality and maintenance of your foundation. But a little-known fact is that the reverse can be true as well! Welcome back to the Restumping Melbourne blog! We’re experts at underpinning, restumping and reblocking – all of which ensure that the place that you call home is safe and comfortable.

There are many different elements that you need to think about maintaining when it comes to your home. There’s no set cadence, but the best practice is… as often as you deem fit! For a foundation, all of the signs are there. The same is true for plumbing. But did you know what a relationship there is between the two? Read on for more information:

Foundations can seem like a headache, but they’re far simpler than you may think. In essence, they’re giant slabs of concrete that serve as the go-between between the house itself and the ground underneath. If we’re taking it to the next level, they’re the conduit between the home’s water fixtures and whatever local water supplies and sewer systems are in the immediate area. In fact, though we’re partial to foundations, generally anything to do with plumbing and sewage come first. Only then can whatever concrete makes up the foundation, be poured around all of these.

In a perfect world, anything to do with the structure of your home would be good for life. Unfortunately, we don’t live in this “perfect world,” and plumbing needs to be updated. If you live somewhere that’s very cold, the pipes can freeze or burst. If you live somewhere warm, you may deal with over-usage of any elements of your system. Regardless – your plumbing becomes damaged. And where does it live? Ah, the foundation. So, if the pipes crack, they’re going to leak and cause immediate damage to the foundation. Think about where the foundation is. There’s nowhere for the water to go, is there? That just means the pressure will mount – ultimately causing the foundation to crack under it.

We know that we mentioned earlier the focus on plumbing, but we also must mention the way that your foundation can negatively impact your plumbing. If there is any shrinking or if your soil starts to swell, it’s going to immediately cause your plumbing fixtures to bend. And then, they leak. So, it’s basically a chicken and an egg cycle.

We know that this may seem overwhelming, but as with any challenge that we describe – you’re in luck. The Restumping Melbourne team has your back in every way. Be it sharing information, answering questions, or simply having conversations about your dream home, you’re in safe hands.

Questions? Comments? Let us know! You can email, call or visit us in person. It’s time to ensure that you are as proud of your house as we are proud of the work that we do.

Does Building a Basement Make Sense for You?

Does Building a Basement make Sense for You?There’s something niggling you about the rental property you’ve just bought, or you’re worrying about why it’s not doing as well for you as you thought, but you can’t work out why. After all, you’ve ticked off most of the blocks on the list of requirements for a good ROI – like location, accessibility to amenities, and the rest. But there’s one thing that is missing, and maybe that’s space. Baxton Property Management in Hobart suggests digging deep in search of a solution, because giving your ROI a lift could lie in going up and under with a basement.

Adding usable space

When thinking of renovating to add space, going downwards may be the last idea that comes to mind. But it’s a very real option for Australian investors who own timber-framed structures, traditionally supported by stumps or concrete piers.

Restumping companies like Restumping Melbourne, through years of experience restumping Australian homes, have all the know-how needed to jack up your house, and create a whole new space underneath it. This allows for extending the space without the need for a new roof or changing the basic design and layout of the existing house.

The resulting new usable space in the basement will be larger than you would get adding on an extra room, allowing you various usage configurations. You could provide the extra storage area or secure parking tenants put high on their wish list for the perfect rental, or you could create a second self-contained rental area, or even decide to do all three. Ideas for using this space are limited only by your imagination.

Why choose going down rather than up or out?

The more common choices of going up or out both have their difficulties. One of the main ones is that you are losing space to gain some. Expanding your house’s footprint by adding rooms means sacrificing a large part of the garden, and perhaps getting a bit too close for comfort to the neighbours next door, if your plot is small. Going under and building a basement instead could also prevent infringement of local council restrictions on how much of your stand a house can occupy. Aesthetically, the up and under approach is also more likely to fit in well with the original structure, instead of revealing obviously that it is an add-on.

Adding a second storey? You will need to consider various issues, such as whether or not the walls and foundation will support another storey, how you will connect in the plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and how you are going to fit the necessary staircase into the existing floor space. And what about the roof? You can’t always save the old roof, and even in those instances where you can, it will have to be off while new walls are built, and your house will be vulnerable to rain and storm damage in the interim.

The concept of making space down under is a fairly novel idea for Australian home or rental property owners, but is gaining popularity as a feasible alternative to building up or out when looking to add space. As property management specialist, Baxton knows how rental property owners are always looking for ways to increase their ROI, and Restumping Melbourne has all the expertise necessary to do so.

Guest Author: Baxton Property Management

Our Home Renovation Services- Part II

The easiest way to set ourselves up for success as a company and a partner in your home renovation process, is to elevate you as a major stakeholder in every decision that we make. While we certainly consider ourselves experts in our skill-set, that doesn’t mean that we’re not open to conversations and questions about our ideas for your homes and businesses. That is how great collaborations are fostered, and we are all about great collaborations.

1So let’s talk through the remainder of the process, the services that you can expect (both tangible and not so) through the duration of your renovation.

So far we’ve walked through the pre-process, which is where most of the creative conversations will take place. After all, we won’t feel comfortable having you sign on the dotted line for our services with any project, if we can’t promise you alignment with the vision that has been in your head for so long.

But if we’re on the same page, then it’s time to get the home renovation party started. You now have in-hand contract with duration and costs. If we see these numbers changing once the work has begun (whether it will take longer or cost a different amount), then we will communicate that to you immediately. You won’t be put in positions to sign away your life based off of our updates, we’ll always give you options. For example, if it’s going to take two weeks longer to give you one product, but we can give you a secondary product in one week– it’s up to you which you prefer. We will give you our opinions– sure– but you make the final decisions.

Our work should take up to ten days, dependent on customizations, size of the land and specific challenges. For 80% of instances you shouldn’t even have to leave your house. There’s a good chance, if we’re only working on the foundation of the home, that you won’t know that we’re there. During this time we will give you updates as frequently as you’d like. If you don’t want any updates, then we’ll be quiet as mice, unless we need cost/time/material approvals. If you want daily updates on exactly what is going on, then that is exactly what you will get. You will have one Team Lead from Restumping Melbourne, one consistent face to see each day and to ensure you that everything is always under control.

And when the work is done? Well then it’s time for an in-person walkthrough. We should have answers to any questions that you may come up with. We can explain the materials that we’ve used. We can explain exactly how long your restumped foundation will last and best practices to make sure that this duration is as long as it can be.

Only once we receive a seal of approval and firmly shake hands, will we settle all accounts. But the relationship doesn’t stop there. Our work with foundations traverses into a host of knowledge about the durability of walls, floors and homes in general. Feel free to reach out with questions at any time. Our friendship and commitment to you, is lifelong.

Reasons For Sub-floor Problems

Restumping at its most basic definition solves sub-floor problems, helping to maximize the value of your home or your business. It’s the process of updating the current stumps, helping to hold up your foundation, with concrete or steel stumps. It will be a necessity for any home or business throughout its life.

But what is a sub-floor problem?

There are many types of sub-floor problems that area common for homes and businesses. Three of the top most popular ones are sinking floors, creaking or popping and uneven floors.

1First up- sinking floors. If the floor is sinking it was probably not installed properly to begin with. The most common reason is an excess of water or moisture. The moisture will cause the joist to rot. When the joist rots, it makes the beams sag. Confirming that the floors are sinking is an exercise that you can do on your own. To determine, you’ll need to take a look at the floor from underneath, most popularly from whatever basement space you have. If a trampoline effect is occurring where the floor (ceiling) is bowing in the middle, you’re looking at one sinking floor.

Creaking and popping noises are a second sub-floor problem that you need to look out for. Both creaking and popping are noises that you hear frequently when visiting older homes or structures. You probably attribute them to ghost stories or horror movies. Well this is a different kind of horror that we’re talking about– the horror of ignoring these noises. Don’t overlook these noises, because they may mean that your sub-floor is not secured to the underlying joists. What is a joist? You may say. Here’s your restumping fun word for the day. A joist is what supports foundations, walls or beams with ceilings and floors. It runs horizontally and can be made of concrete, steel, or wood. Typically a joist has the cross section of a plank, while a beam is bigger than a joist. Joists are often supported by beams laid out in repetitive patterns.It may also mean that your plywood or OSB was the wrong thickness. The recommended width is ¾ inch.

And finally, uneven floors. Uneven floors are simply caused by a foundation or a structure that hasn’t settled correctly. This may be due to the terrain, to moisture, or to other issues that Mother Nature has sent your way. These most notably include floods or earthquakes. They’re no fun to begin with, but uneven floors frequently go unnoticed for years after a natural disaster, especially if the difference is very minimal. No matter how minimal the difference however, it’s a sign that your foundation is slowly buckling and that it’s time to do something about it.

 

Restumping Melbourne wants to ensure that the process of updating your home or business is painless and positive. By noticing these types of sub-floor issues early and often, we can ensure that your foundation is updated and truly supported so that you can get back to living your life.

Welcome!

Welcome to Restumping Melbourne! We are so excited that you’ve visited our site and want to share with you what sets us above and beyond other restumping, reblocking and underpinning companies in Melbourne and the rest of Australia. At base level, we also offer general construction, repair, decking and renovation works. More holistically, we ensure that your home or business is a place that you’re proud of, and that it will be for years to come. Consider this blog a forum to keep you up-to-date on all things restumping, reblocking and underpinning. We want to continue the conversation about your needs and how we can best service you. Check back in regularly for seasonal deals, tips, and helpful knowledge about restumping, reblocking and underpinning.

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