Structural Work in Older Mar Vista Homes
Structural work for older Mar Vista homes that starts with water: roof runoff led off the lot, damp crawlspaces dried and corroded anchors replaced.
Rain that leaves the roof of an older Mar Vista home needs a planned route away from the foundation. When a downspout empties against the wall, the soil there stays wet, the stem wall wicks that moisture upward and the mudsill above begins to soften. Near the coast, damp air can slow the drying that would otherwise follow a storm. So we map where roof and plumbing water go before any bolting or bracing is priced.
Giving roof water somewhere to go
Gutters are checked for slope and for leaks at the seams, and each downspout is tied into a solid pipe or a long extension that ends where the ground falls away from the house. Planting beds and mulch are pulled down until the weep screed at the base of the stucco shows again, which lets moisture trapped behind the plaster escape at its lower edge. Inside, we look under each bath and the kitchen sink for a slow drip, since a supply line that weeps slowly and unseen can rot a joist end. Leaks are repaired first, and wet soil is given time to dry out before framing work starts.
Hardware and wood near damp soil
Metal in a damp crawlspace close to the ocean can rust faster, so existing anchor nuts, washers and straps are checked for scale and lost thickness. Badly pitted pieces are replaced with hot-dip galvanized or stainless parts suited to the treated lumber they touch. Soft sill lengths are cut back to sound wood and spliced. A heavy plastic sheet laid over bare soil keeps ground moisture from rising into the framing, and the foundation vents stay open with their mesh intact. LADBS reviews the work, since Mar Vista is in the City of Los Angeles, and whether a lot sits inside the coastal zone is confirmed during planning.
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Musty air coming up through floor registers, rust streaks on the foundation, floors that slope and doors that catch at the top all deserve a look. Under the floor framing, sill wood that is dark or crumbles under an awl, rusted anchor nuts and cripple walls with no plywood are the things to note.
For structural work in Mar Vista, the permit comes from LADBS. A simple bolt and brace retrofit can usually be built from the city's prescriptive plan without engineering of its own. Replacing a rotted footing, setting a beam where a wall stood or changing how a floor is carried calls for an engineer's design.
Drying the crawlspace, splicing sill wood and adding anchors and plywood all happen below the floor, so plaster and trim in the rooms stay untouched. When a beam is part of the scope, nearby casings and base are removed by hand, kept safe and set back once the wall is patched.
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