We broke ground on our Woodridge Multi-Gen project project back in February, kicking off with lead-safe demolition. The lead-safe demo mainly focused on removing hazardous lead-painted trim and asbestos materials in the dormers. Currently, the basement foundation walls and slab are wrapping up in preparation for framing of the upper floors. Five months is a long time to start framing but we had some unexpected setbacks that pushed the schedule back.
Originally the basement walls were supposed to be underpinned, increasing the ceiling height to 8′ but the walls were found to be completely unreinforced during demolition. Underpinning wasn’t feasible at this point so our engineer recommended building new concrete basement walls instead. This required a permit revision which we submitted and got approval immediately. There was another round of setbacks with permitting confusion over whether or not we needed a raze instead of permit revision but eventually the permit revision prevailed to get the project back on track.
Full demolition exposes unreinforced basement walls.
Despite the unexpected setback (which all projects face in some way or another) we’re moving forward with added benefits. The owners now have a brand new concrete basement walls, complete with exterior waterproofing and drainage. This is a much better product than the originally planned underpinned existing concrete masonry wall which would have utilized internal french drains for water management. The existing masonry inherently has multiple entry points for water intrusion. Concrete walls are better to keep water out because they have minimal seams for intrusion; exterior waterproofing and drainage mat complete the “belt and suspender” system.
Another thing that we discovered was that the sewage line is actually higher than originally thought. As a result the project will need a sewage ejector for the basement bathroom. Luckily we had plenty of space in the basement utility room to accommodate the additional ejector.
Basement concrete walls with exterior waterproofing
We’re looking forward to framing of the upper floors over the next few months. Check back for updates on the framing progress as this reimagined family home takes shape!