This week the last bits of the demolition took place in preparation for the house being raised and re-stumped. The cottage currently sits on a mixture of concrete and steel posts and original timber stumps, most of which are in poor condition.
The main reason we decided to lift and re-stump the house was to gain better clearance for vehicular access and storage in the undercroft and to sort out the uneven and sloping floors. As we are not building habitable rooms underneath, the house only needs to be raised approximately 400mm, which retains the scale and proportion of the house.
Here are the before and afters:
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| TIMBER BATTENS AROUND THE PERIMETER REMOVED |
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| SERVICES DISCONNECTED, STAIRS AND THE LEAN-TO ADDITION AT THE REAR REMOVED |
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| HOUSE LIFTED INTO POSITION (I'VE NEVER SEEN THE HOUSE THIS LEVEL!) |
And here's a view of the rear:
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| BEFORE |
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| BATHROOM AND REAR LANDING - GONE |
It's every homeowner's worst nightmare to discover that their home has been invaded by termites and I've read that one in three houses in Queensland are affected. If there was any chance of termite damage to our property, it was bound to be near the bathroom as they are fond of dark, damp conditions. And sure enough when the bathroom was demolished, here's what we uncovered:
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| TERMITE DAMAGE |
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| THIS STUMP IS ONLY BARELY STANDING UPRIGHT |
At some point termites had made their way up through a timber stump and across part of a bearer. Fortunately there was no live activity - this is fairly old damage. For whatever reason the termites cleared out and fortunately this is the only damage that needs repairing- phew.
The structural steel beams and posts are next to go in.
Gosh how lucky you are that the termite damage is so minimal. they can be such destructive and costly creatures.
ReplyDeletex
It's great that you are able to maintain the scale and proportion of the house while making good use of the area underneath. Let's hope the termite damage is the last little surprise that you face!
ReplyDeleteAnd up she goes!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting that there has been definite progress.
And that the termites decided to take up residence elsewhere!
So lucky that the termite damage was minimal! I'm scared of them! Looking good! x
ReplyDeletePhew for inactive termites. We have some damage too in the front room, thankfully all old. Your girl looks happy to have new heels. Mine is getting her sensible flats all adjusted today as she was leaning in multiple directions. mel x
ReplyDeleteYour lean-to looks close to original judging by the window and walling, are you going to keep any weatherboards for spares? Guess termite/borer damage in these 100+ year old houses is to be expected, hope that is the only obstacle for you. Looking good.
ReplyDeleteThe bathroom was built sometime after 1946 and I suspect that sash window was taken from the kitchen and relocated. And yep - the builder has put aside all the good weatherboards, hardwood flooring and window from the bathroom to re-use in other areas of the house. Nothing like a bit of recycling. xx
DeleteWe looked at a small Queenslander in Belgian Gardens a few weeks ago, with the thoughts of doing the same as you are doing here. When we walked under the house you could see why it sloped inside - there was daylight between a couple of the stumps and the house, and a few of the bottom ones were like the photo above. Wish I had found your blog last year - looking forward to seeing the whole renovation come together.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Col