Older home remodeling in San Dimas, Los Angeles County
Remodeling Older Houses in San Dimas
Why the crawlspace is our first stop at an older San Dimas house, what the sill, bolts, pipe and wiring show, and how it becomes a room by room scope.
Our first stop at an older San Dimas house is the crawlspace. From underneath, a flashlight shows whether the sill sits on anchor bolts, whether short cripple walls are braced, and what the supply and drain lines are made of. Old wiring stapled across the joists shows up there as well. That view tells us how sound the base of the house is before anyone talks about moving walls upstairs.
What the floor framing reveals
An awl goes into the sill and the ends of the joists, looking for soft wood near old plumbing leaks or where soil has built up against the framing. Galvanized supply lines are checked for rust at their joints, and cast iron drains for cracks or patched sections. Knob and tube runs and open splices are noted where they sit. Each finding goes on a sketch of the floor, so the scope can show which repairs are confirmed and which still depend on opening a wall.
From below the floor to a written scope
Up in the rooms, those readings from below guide where we look next: switch plates near the noted splices, the ceiling under a leaking bath, and doors that bind in frames that may have settled. Original windows, doors and casing are listed one at a time with the repair each needs. Any wall the new plan would move is marked for an engineer to review. Anchor bolts and cripple wall bracing, when needed, are drawn into the plan set filed for the San Dimas permit before work begins.
What we can do for a house in San Dimas
Whole-house work leads, and every other service is available for the same house.
Planning work on a house in San Dimas?
Tell us about it. We will walk through the house and send a written scope.