Category: Home Maintenance

The Really Really Big Project

 

With the back half of my living room floor flat and hump free, it was time to tackle the really big project – the front half. For the front half I didn’t have to rip up as much sub-floor so it was less disruptive for day to day life. But the issues in the front half took more time and work to resolve.

Why the Floor Dropped

Looking at the picture above under the 3rd tile seam from the left is the main beam for my house. The wall to the left is the main load bearing wall in my house. That wall should have been built over the beam. I am using the term “beam” loosely because it’s actually just three 2 x 6 of random lengths nailed together. Over time, the weight of the roof pushing down on floor joists caused the joists to deflect and the beam to start separating.

Undersized joist hanger number 8 or 10 common screw

Making the project more complicated, there is a lot of plumbing going on in the front half of my crawlspace along with my furnace. In the end none of what I did would meet any building code. It didn’t meet code before either. Instead I had to take comfort that all of my work was additions to the support of my house, not subtractions. Also the 20 or so 1-1/4″ common screws that held up the center of my house have been replaced with the appropriate fasteners. I added a beam under the main load bearing wall.  I laminated three 2 x 6 together for the beam and jack posts to support it.

Doorway CrackThen I added a double floor joist under the doorway so it’s no longer held up just by subfloor.

 

Wrapping it up

Hat’s off to the DIY bloggers who can carry out big projects like this and blog them as they are happening, because I’m not one of them. Crawling around under my house with bottle jacks was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. Doing it while living in the house just ramped the stress up even more. At some point I started referring to the crawlspace as downstairs and the living space as upstairs.

I do have a picture of my youngest screwing down the final piece of new subfloor. My favorite tool is that mini sledgehammer with the orange handle. Her name is Bertha.

Plus I have this picture. Placing furniture in this location without having to adjust the legs used to be unfathomable. Yet here is a book shelf sitting directly on my new sub floor AND sitting level. Is the living room floor perfectly level now? No it’s not, but I did manage to achieve flat enough for flooring and I’m good with that.

Tackling the Hump in the Floor

I really did not want to tackle the hump in my living room floor myself. Seriously. I’m 52 and not exactly physically fit. If we’re being totally honest, my champagne taste wants to just pay people to do this shit, but my beer wallet isn’t having any of it.

So after getting 2 wildly different quotes, it was clear – to me at least – that the only way I would ever have a flat or nearly flat living room floor was if I did it myself. Let me start by saying that this post is in no way, shape, or form meant to be a tutorial or a how-to. If I had money, I would still push this house down in a heartbeat, but since I don’t have money at least now I have a normal looking living room floor.

How it Started…

After a month of reading, researching and watching YouTube videos, I tore up my living room subfloor starting with the old tile and 1/2″ underlayment.

Dog in middle of floor being pried up
Gabby laying in the middle of where I’m trying to work

If you’re looking for it, you can probably see how much the floor humps up in the middle. Those bricks at the top of the picture are the story of that hump. My house used to have a fireplace but back in the 40’s when it was built, the geniuses decided a footing really wasn’t needed for a tall skinny chimney. Inevitably the chimney started tipping away from the wall and we tore it down when I did the siding. As the chimney fell back, it lifted the front of the hearth and created the hump.

Once that underlayment was gone, it really became apparent how bad the subfloor was. With floor joists on 24″ centers it’s a good thing I never got into fish keeping as a hobby. The floor could not have carried the weight of a fish tank. Some of the planks were so thin, I honestly don’t know how the couch didn’t just end up in the crawl. That 1/2″ underlay was working hard you guys.

Room with floor missing and dirt showing between floor joists

With the old tongue and groove subfloor removed I could tackle this hump. Earlier my son had taken the top layer of brick down. The hearth used to stick up through the floor – I wanted it out of sight and out of mind.

Fixing the Hump

Pressure treated wood attached to brick, floor joists attached to pressure treated wood with joist hangers

I re-routed some of the wiring through the wall and out of my way. Then I attached a pressure treated 2 x 6 to the blocks with appropriate masonry screws. After trimming  the joists just enough to fit, I attached them to the 2 x 6 with joist hangers and properly sized nails. This had the effect of dropping the center of my living room floor at least an inch (I think it was really 1-1/2″, maybe even two) and the hump was now gone.

In case it isn’t clear from the above picture, the north wall of my crawlspace is a single block high. There are absolutely no footings – just a plop of mortar or cement and then the block. My house has no footings. Sill plates are not attached to the block either. Whoever built the house just slapped down a dollop of mortar and set the sill plate on top. Somehow it’s still standing 60 years later so I kept my focus on what I could fix or improve.

A Few Odds and Ends…

With this part of the living room floor open and the crawlspace accessible, I took full advantage. I added a 3rd light in the crawl and a bunch of plugs where they were lacking. Then I ran Cat 6 Ethernet cable to my office, my sons room and the north wall of my living room. Along with that I ran antenna cables and internet cables to any place I thought they might be needed.

Before closing everything up, I also removed any debris that would interfere with encapsulating and insulating the crawlspace. Plus I sucked up six decades of cobwebs and dead spiders with the shop vac. You guys, the cobwebs were so thick in places it was like sucking up batt insulation.

Putting it Back Together…

Very cluttered room with some plywood on floor but floor joists still showing

With everything I wanted to do in the back half of my crawl done, it was time to lay some plywood.

Room with less clutter and plywood covering majority of floor

Bear with me while I point out some details here. First look at the back of the couch where the two sections meet. Prior to all of this the 2 sections would have angled away from each other. Next look at the buffet along the back wall – it looks pretty level doesn’t it? Then look at the light. That section of floor used to have such a significant slope to it the light would have looked like it was leaning back. It’s the main reason I wall-mounted the TV. I lived with that hump for 30 years, and it is finally gone!

Next up the really hard stuff – the front of my crawlspace and that drop.

Getting Crawlspace Repair Quotes While Female

Within my normal social/work circle, I tend to forget sexism is still a thing but getting crawlspace repair quotes was an eye opener. Now I’m willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to the guys who quoted me for heat pump systems. Not that they weren’t shitty quotes, but I believe they would have given the same shitty quotes to a man. I think they just didn’t believe in heat pumps.

But the crawlspace repair quotes had me livid.

I had two companies quote. Both quotes were wildly different and neither was talking about my crawlspace. Now to clarify, my furnace is in the crawlspace and I have lived in this house since 1991. I have lived in this house single since 2000. In all that time someone was changing furnace filters, checking on leaks, putting down rodenticide, basically all the crap that has to be done to maintain a house with a crawlspace. That someone was me, because if I had the kind of income to pay someone for that crap – I would not be living in this particular house.

Now my crawlspace is a nasty place to spend any time in. It’s dirty and spider infested. It’s damp and smelly.  The worst part is the back half is claustrophobicly tight. There are spots without even have enough room to roll over. Forget hands and knees – you get around by army crawling.

My House has Issues

Going into this, I knew there were structural issues going on under my house. It wasn’t rocket science – all you had to do was walk into my living room to see the hump in the middle.

One inch drop in living room floor
Third tile from the wall is my main beam. Look at that drop to the left.

Or the 1″ drop in the corner and the main beam sitting proud. I would show you more pictures, but I was always careful to exclude those details whenever I took pictures so there really aren’t many – at least not any ‘before’ photos. You will get to see plenty of during photos.

I also want to be clear that my issues with the quotes I received had nothing to do with the quoted cost. My complaint is these people came into my home and gave me sales pitches that did not describe my house. They assumed I did not know my house or how the structure of a house is supposed to work.

Crawlspace Repair Quote #1

Generally for anything I start with a Google search. So the first company to come and give me a quote was the top result when I searched “Crawlspace repair near me” and I did later end up having them do work for me – but that first quote was a disaster.

So guy number one arrives. I show him the hump in my living room floor, the 1″ drop to the front of the beam.

Doorway CrackI show him the crack in the doorway between my kitchen and dining room and the bounce in the dining room floor. Then he goes in the crawlspace and I hear him bumping around – it really is a tight fit. Once he’s done, he goes to his car does some stuff and comes in to deliver his estimate.

You guys! Buddy actually sat there and told me – with a straight face! – there was nothing wrong with the structure of my house. That there was no rot, my joists, rim joists, beam and everything were all fine! He gave me an estimate for encapsulation of the crawlspace and to insulate the foundation. And honestly for the scope of work on the estimate, the price was right around what I expected, but everything else the guy said was a bald-faced lie.

Crawlspace Repair Quote #2

The second quote left me thinking I was in the middle of a Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale. And again, my beef isn’t with the cost. The estimate given was probably exactly right to genuinely fix the structural issues I’ve got going on in this house. My beef was with the pitch I was given. So I pointed out everything to guy #2 that I had pointed out to guy #1 and guy #2 goes under the house.

Now had guy #2 come up and said anything about the fact that the main load bearing wall in my house sits 2 feet in front of the beam instead of on it which is what caused that 1″ drop in the floor I would have felt respected. Had he talked about the fact that the reason my door way between the kitchen and dining room was cracking is because there was no joist under the wall, I would not have felt like I was getting snowed.

Undersized Joist HangersIf instead of talking about “rusty” joist hangers he had talked about undersized joist hangers attached with common screws instead of nails I would have agreed with him. So guy #2 quoted around $20-28,000 to repair the structural issues with no encapsulation/insulation of the space. That would be on top of the repair work. Also, I would still have a hump in my living room floor.

And that is how I wound up spending what felt like the entire summer, in my crawlspace.

My Greener Homes Retrofits

Before starting my Greener Homes retrofits, I needed a Pre-Retrofit Audit. The audit is pretty interesting. They take measurements, look at your insulation and then do a blower door test. The blower door test puts your house under negative pressure and while it is running you can walk around your house and find out where outside air is getting into your house.

When the report from my audit was completed it included an EnerGuide label, an information sheet explaining how and where my house uses energy and a Renovation Upgrade Report. The upgrade report is the one that outlines your recommended upgrades. In order to be eligible for the grant and the loan, your upgrades must be on that list.

My Recommended Energy Efficiency Upgrades

With my recommended upgrades was and “Energy Efficiency Roadmap” which prioritizes upgrades by potential energy savings.

  1. Upgrade heating system for a potential savings of 22 GJ/year by installing a new Energy Star certified air-source heat pump. Potential grant between $2500 and $5000.
  2. Upgrade hot water system for a potential savings of 12 GJ/year by installing a new Energy Star certified electric heat pump water heater. Potential grant of $1000.
  3. Insulate Foundation for a potential savings of 9 GJ/year. Potential grant up to $1300.
  4. Perform air sealing to improve air tightness of home by 28% for a potential savings of 4 GJ/year. Potential grant $550-$1000.
  5. Increase attic insulation for a potential savings of 2 GJ/year.

Greener Homes Retrofits I Chose

Before applying for the Greener Homes Grant, I had already decided one of the retrofits I wanted to complete was installing a heat pump. This had the benefit of adding centralized air conditioning, reducing my dependency on Natural Gas and my dependency on an aging furnace.

Encapsulating my crawlspace was also something I really wanted to do. Not many people would consider crawlspace encapsulation sexy, but as the person crawling in and out of mine to change furnace filters, I do. I have a dirt crawlspace with minimal clearance and tons of spiders. Looking at pictures online showing clean white plastic instead of dirt has a definite appeal. Encapsulating the crawlspace would reduce household humidity and adding spray foam insulation to the crawlspace would seal up a lot of drafts.

Next up in this journey – getting quotes!

Canada Greener Homes Program, My Experience

I’ve been busy this last while making some upgrades to my house through the Canada Greener Homes Program.  You guys, this has been a process! Parts of it were super cool, parts of it were nerve-racking and it is, or at least it was for me, a lengthy process. But I’m almost at the finish line, so I figured I would share how the program worked for me, the retrofits I had done and a bit of a timeline.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Greener Homes Program is a grant of up to $5000 that the Canadian Government is offering for to homeowners who make improvements to their home to improve it’s efficiency and/or reduce fossil fuels consumption.

Why I applied to the Program

Some time ago, my central air died. The outdoor unit or “condenser” developed a leak and could not be repaired. Because my system ran on an older refrigerant, I would have to replace the entire system at a cost of $4000 – pre-Pandemic. I just could not see my way to paying that much to add central air to a 25+ year old gas furnace. While researching the most economical to run portable/window air conditioners (Midea U-Shaped Smart Inverter Window Air Conditioner for the win) I kept seeing heat-pumps come up, and by chance remembered the Greener Homes Program. And – jackpot – heat pumps are eligible!

Greener Homes Program Eligibility

To be eligible you need to be a homeowner and not have started or completed your planned work. That’s it. The program isn’t restricted by income or age. Personally, I feel the program design has too many barriers for anyone on a limited income to take advantage of it. Which is a real shame because there is also an interest free government loan available but again, barriers.

My Canada Greener Homes Timeline

  • May 29th 2022 – Application to the Greener Homes program submitted
  • June 16th 2022 – Application reviewed and officially approved
  • June 19th 2022 – Received email advising of the Canada Greener Homes Loan.
  • June 23rd 2022 – Pre-retrofit audit performed.
  • July 12th 2022 – Inquired with Service Organization on timeline to receive audit results. Advised 40-60 days was average.
  • July 25th 2022- I received my Home Energy Evaluation Report which was also uploaded to the Greener Homes Grant portal.
  • September 20th 2022 – I questioned the delay in processing my report.
  • September 22nd 2022 – The issue corrected, I was finally eligible to apply for the Greener Homes Loan
  • October 4th 2022 – Submitted Loan Application
  • November 14th 2022 – Loan Approved
  • December 8th 2022 – Loan Accepted
  • February 14th-16th 2023 – Crawlspace Encapsulation and Insulation completed.
  • February 21st-24th 2023 – Ductless Heat Pump System installed.
  • March 1st 2023 – Post Retrofit Audit
  • March 5th 2023 – Reports received but not yet available for NRCAN review
  • April 14th 2023 – Audit reports available for NRCAN review, my invoices etc submitted and balance of loan funding requested.
  • April 17th 2023 – Loan funding approved

Some final thoughts

I went into this process expecting I would be just looking at installing my heat pump around now, so in reality it went a bit faster than my expectations. But when the initial approval was processed so quickly, my expectations went up  and it still took nearly as long as I originally thought it would. There was also a bit of a glitchy delay between my pre-retrofit audit uploading and it actually being reviewed. Later applicants were actually beating me through the process. As of now, I still have not received anything from the government beyond a very small loan advance in December but I will update the timeline as things happen.

My understanding is the program has changed and new Ontario applications now go through Enbridge rather than NRCAN.