Structural Work for Older Houses in South Pasadena
Before bracing an older South Pasadena house, we steer roof and garden water away from the footing and sill so the new framing stays dry.
Water around the foundation of an older South Pasadena house decides how long a retrofit lasts, so we look at it before any bolt goes in. On an inland lot, dry months can end in a hard storm, and a downspout dumping beside the footing or a planter piled against the stucco will wet the sill each time. Those get corrected first. Bracing nailed to damp wood loses its grip as the wood softens.
Where the downspouts go
Downspouts are extended or tied into a buried line that discharges well away from the house. Soil along the wall is reshaped to fall outward, and beds holding wet earth against the stucco or the weep screed are cut back. Irrigation that wets the foundation is moved or capped. Under the house, hollows where water stands after rain are filled and leveled. We run a hose over each fix before any work starts below. The original siding, wood windows and trim are left alone throughout.
Keeping new wood dry
New sill pieces and post bases are pressure-treated, with a foam gasket or membrane separating wood from concrete. Plywood panels get vent holes near top and bottom so moisture in each framed cavity can escape. Connectors that touch treated lumber carry the heavier zinc coating that treated wood needs. We probe the old sill with an awl and replace only the lengths that have gone soft. A plumbing leak that has soaked the sill is repaired first, since nailing new plywood over wet framing traps the problem inside.
About our Structural Work serviceEverything we do in South Pasadena
Structural Work in South Pasadena: common questions
A marble that rolls across a bedroom floor, a door frame that has gone out of square, and cracks running diagonally from upper window corners are the usual hints. At the foundation, look along the sill for anchor bolts. If the house sits on short framed walls and none are visible, a retrofit belongs on the list.
South Pasadena's building department handles the permit and inspections, and a permit applies even to a simple retrofit. Prescriptive plan sets cover most bolt and plywood work on a raised house. Engineering enters when a beam goes in, a footing is added or a wall that carries roof or floor load is altered.
Drainage fixes stay in the yard, and bolts and plywood go in through the crawl-space door, so a retrofit leaves the rooms untouched. If the scope includes a beam, the wall or ceiling is opened only as wide as the drawings require, with casings lifted off whole and returned to their own openings afterward.
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