The Foundation of Extreme Remodeling

It's fascinating to me that most homes that stand today fall FAR below today's structural requirements. And, the truth is, no one really thinks about the safety and soundness of a home's foundation and structure when there's at least 50 other things more important to worry about on any given day.

Having spent the last 25+ years remodeling and building - the structure (aka bones of the house) and the foundation are one of the first things we look at before we purchase a home. It has to be, because if an inspector misses the need for foundation/structural work, or we miss it, it's going to be a VERY costly mistake.

That said, even the 1971 Ugly Brown Boxes we are currently Extreme Remodeling need complete foundation overhauls. As always, our structural engineer has big improvements laid out for us. Ugh.

Steel beams and the Simpson Strong Walls will be installed next week, as will the new "mac daddy" headers and joists. Because we're opening up the main room out to the back patio with 14' wide Fleetwood folding doors, added lots of large windows and opened up the first floor to achieve that coveted "open concept," we're required to install extra support throughout, in order to carry the new loads.

A constant theme with Extreme Remodeling, no matter where you live... it all takes time and money, but it's worth every minute and dollar spent. It's important to us that we guarantee the homes are quality built with quality finishes and construction throughout, so they have 100 plus years of life left when we're finished.

And one of best parts? When I walk out of the now framed 14' opening to where the patio, outdoor kitchen and fire table are soon to be, all I can hear is the stirring of the Pacific Ocean and it's crashing waves.