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Thread ID: 126171	2012-08-12 00:41:00	Repiling / raising a house	Chilling_Silence (9)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1294116	2012-08-12 00:41:00	My wife and I have had some movement cracks getting worse in our home. I'm looking into the possibility of raising the house to build another storey underneath (Council permitting) as I figure we may as well kill two birds with one stone. Has anybody done this before, or can recommend somebody in the Auckland area who might be able to come, check out my place, and potentially even provide a quote / consultation / advice? I'm sorta in a jam coz I need half a dozen people to all agree on it, the bank, a replied, a builder, the council and an architect, and I'm just not too sure where to begin? Any advice / pointers appreciated. Cheers Chill.	Chilling_Silence (9)
1294117	2012-08-12 00:46:00	My wife and I have had some movement cracks getting worse in our home . I'm looking into the possibility of raising the house to build another storey underneath (Council permitting) as I figure we may as well kill two birds with one stone . Has anybody done this before, or can recommend somebody in the Auckland area who might be able to come, check out my place, and potentially even provide a quote / consultation / advice? I'm sorta in a jam coz I need half a dozen people to all agree on it, the bank, a replied, a builder, the council and an architect, and I'm just not too sure where to begin? Any advice / pointers appreciated . Cheers Chill . You forgot the neighbours	plod (107)
1294118	2012-08-12 00:57:00	A pic of the house might help, obviously all distinguishing marks removed	gary67 (56)
1294119	2012-08-12 01:03:00	Hi I work as a designer in the building industry. First thing would be to engage a designer or architect. They will inspect your house and advise. They will also check the district plan to see that raising the building complies - eg height to boundary ratio etc It will not be a cheap exercise, depending on what rooms you will have on the lower level - allow 50-100k starting If you were just to raise it up and build rooms in say 5 years time (keep it on long piles for now), allow around $20-30k Cheers	superoman (6703)
1294120	2012-08-12 01:06:00	I've actually engineered this same idea on three houses in Idyllwild, California where the laws are nasty and to-the-letter codes and such are rampant (can you say: nanny state?) One of the homes had slipped down the mountainside and came to rest at the base of two huge pine trees and I had to winch it 90 feet (NZ = @30 meters?) back up a 12% incline. We got it into position, raised it level (from the new 12% tilt) and build a new foundation under it with dual bond beams that had to go down 20 feet on the uphill side and 30 feet on the downhill side. We had to go that deep to hit decomposed granite (DG) for a firm footing. After the soil engineer signed off on the footing, we mono-poured 40 yards of low slump and dog tied the rebar to Dobies to create a 4" standoff from the trench walls and at the same time installed corner eufers for electrical ground(s) of the new wiring I was going to put in the place. We also poured two stem walls connecting the two bond beams and they were epoxy-set with #12 rebar at the corners. All this in a driving snow storm and water running everywhere with pumps to (almost) clear out the trenches and the rebar framework for the concrete pour. The final course was three rows of cement block to facilitate windows and two man doors. The whole new foundation stood proud at seven feet on the downhill, two and one half feet on the uphill side. Thirty six hours later and a shell test (.22 caliber captive mandrel impact test) for the cement by another 'engineer' from the nanny state, we set the house back on the new foundation. It's been there for over five years and so far, so good. It's a lot of fun and I had a blast doing it. I say: Go for it!. Get permits and/or whatever NZ needs and get dirty! If I had any lungs left, I'd still be doing that work as I loved it so much --- and all this after I retired. I wish this had been my first calling though. Remodels are some of the best work to do I feel. Well -- that or brain surgery. ,	SurferJoe46 (51)
1294121	2012-08-12 01:11:00	It's a chicken vs egg scenario in many ways. You'll need to check out the height to boundary ratio applicable, and show where the shadow line impacts - if at all - on the neighbour(s) property. This before council will even look at your proposal. So I think you'll have the expense of preliminary drawings, and then approval from the neighbour(s). Keep in mind the neighbour(s) can give still their consent even if the shadow line criterion is not met. Hope this helps somewhat.	WalOne (4202)
1294122	2012-08-12 05:05:00	If the cracks are inside the house I wouldn't worry about it. A bit of NoMoreGaps and some paint. Sometimes a wife will worry about nothing If the cracks are on the outside of the house, eg in concrete foundation wall, I would probably contrive to hide them with shrubs. Eventually sell the house Raising the house is pretty well guaranteed to lose money. I would only do it if I really loved it or for sentimental reasons. If I wanted extra facilities I would shift house	BBCmicro (15761)
1294123	2012-08-12 05:09:00	If you raise the house, be prepared to stay for the next 10-15 years or lose money	gary67 (56)
1294124	2012-08-12 05:22:00	A few years ago we looked at this because of movement. Since then there have been so many building regulations change in light of the Christchurch Earthquake the prices went higher and the piles went deeper due to geo tech surveys of the ground. We have not bothered to go any further in finding out the costs now but unless your house is one that you are going to make a huge profit on by doing this. Our lost value in the last GV and the market values of property here are not reaching GV values despite what is happening in Auckalnd. For us throwing money into the house currently we might as well burn it in the fire place and keep warm (the money that is). One the regulations you need to be awre of is the shadow rules on the neighbouring property, basically this means the height of your house should not be more than the distance to the fence. This parts a joke for us as house around here were built either on or within a metre of the boundary, technically our house and the neighbours should be moved. Raising your house pretty much can be objected to by your neighbours so I hope you have a good and friendly understanding with them. End of the day your choice especially if your sure the house value will stay in place.	coldfront (15814)
1294125	2012-08-12 07:25:00	My wife and I have had some movement cracks getting worse in our home. Movement? It all depends why it's moving. Piles? Is it a real old house with wooden piles then? Or is it your and that's causing it? You need to find out why exactly before rushing into fixes.	pctek (84)
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