Having moved to a 2 storey house in Canberra I have been wondering where I can add value through renovation, particularly given I have time on my hand to do as much work as I can by myself.
The upper floor of the house has styrofoam/wood/gyprock walls which rest on a lower floor wall of single-brick at its higher section on top of a double-brick wall extending up about a metre from the foundation.
Half the ground floor is slab concreted for a double garage and a store. An internal door leads to the other half of the lower floor, a sub floor which houses the heating/cooling ducted system and a clay ground. However, the sub floor has good height clearance of 1200 to 2300 mm. Brick piers supporting the upper floor are about 400 mm square at ground level and about 1600 to 1800 mm apart.
The piers are built on clay at higher ground level than the height of the skirting brick wall of the house, which extends down about 2300 mm to the base of the concrete foundation.
My idea is to remove the clay between the piers leaving each pier sitting on a base of about 600 mm square to make a standing height of about 2300 mm, which is at the level of an internal slotted flexible plastic irrigation pipe. This will create level space for installation of scaffolding supports when piers are needed to be removed and replaced with metal beams or posts. When a reinforced concrete slab and plaster board ceiling are eventually put in, the standing height may be reduced to 2200 mm. The irrigation pipe drains into a 100 mm plastic drain pipe that goes through a brick wall into the driveway slab further into the grilled external drain at the front of the double garage.
Windows can be made through the single brick wall with metal lintels installed. Some piers will need to be replaced with metal beams and metal posts to create a bedroom at least 3m x 3m wide and with built-in robes. There will be enough space for a sitting room/entrance/laundrette/kitchenette, a study and a shower/toilet/vanity. There will be a dividing wall with a panel of glass and glass panelled doors to allow in natural light. The external entry to the 'apartment' will be through the carport in front of the garage. Internal access will be through the internal door in the garage and the sub floor.
I hope this is not too difficult to understand.
I will try to post a sketch of the layout if there is interest in this development proposal. However, if you have managed to read this far can you help with some comments:
1) Can I get approval for height clearance of less than 2400 mm for bedroom, shower/toilet/vanity in Canberra?
2) Anyone knows of a structural draftsman with the right experience for budget development of this type and who may know the solution to the technical challenges of this situation (dampness, height, pest, structural, plumbing, electrical) and specify appropriately to provide support for the owner-builder who will source/provide materials and manage the tradespeople and sub contractors?
Feel free to comment on anything I may have missed.
F
The upper floor of the house has styrofoam/wood/gyprock walls which rest on a lower floor wall of single-brick at its higher section on top of a double-brick wall extending up about a metre from the foundation.
Half the ground floor is slab concreted for a double garage and a store. An internal door leads to the other half of the lower floor, a sub floor which houses the heating/cooling ducted system and a clay ground. However, the sub floor has good height clearance of 1200 to 2300 mm. Brick piers supporting the upper floor are about 400 mm square at ground level and about 1600 to 1800 mm apart.
The piers are built on clay at higher ground level than the height of the skirting brick wall of the house, which extends down about 2300 mm to the base of the concrete foundation.
My idea is to remove the clay between the piers leaving each pier sitting on a base of about 600 mm square to make a standing height of about 2300 mm, which is at the level of an internal slotted flexible plastic irrigation pipe. This will create level space for installation of scaffolding supports when piers are needed to be removed and replaced with metal beams or posts. When a reinforced concrete slab and plaster board ceiling are eventually put in, the standing height may be reduced to 2200 mm. The irrigation pipe drains into a 100 mm plastic drain pipe that goes through a brick wall into the driveway slab further into the grilled external drain at the front of the double garage.
Windows can be made through the single brick wall with metal lintels installed. Some piers will need to be replaced with metal beams and metal posts to create a bedroom at least 3m x 3m wide and with built-in robes. There will be enough space for a sitting room/entrance/laundrette/kitchenette, a study and a shower/toilet/vanity. There will be a dividing wall with a panel of glass and glass panelled doors to allow in natural light. The external entry to the 'apartment' will be through the carport in front of the garage. Internal access will be through the internal door in the garage and the sub floor.
I hope this is not too difficult to understand.
I will try to post a sketch of the layout if there is interest in this development proposal. However, if you have managed to read this far can you help with some comments:1) Can I get approval for height clearance of less than 2400 mm for bedroom, shower/toilet/vanity in Canberra?
2) Anyone knows of a structural draftsman with the right experience for budget development of this type and who may know the solution to the technical challenges of this situation (dampness, height, pest, structural, plumbing, electrical) and specify appropriately to provide support for the owner-builder who will source/provide materials and manage the tradespeople and sub contractors?
Feel free to comment on anything I may have missed.
F
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