Improvements for your Place

Remodeling a House Will It Be Worthwhile?

By Gerald E. Sherwood.

An existing house on a small acreage may offer comfortable living conditions at a moderate cost. Such a house may be generally adequate, but to meet your needs and desires it will probably require some remodeling. Perhaps it is old and run down, too small, or otherwise not quite what your family wants. Remodeling may be the answer.

Retaining an existing house has real advantages. It may save money, because rebuilding is expensive. Remodeling is also a conservation measure, for it doesn't use all new building materials. If the house has a unique and desirable character, saving this example of our architectural heritage is another plus.

But every existing house isn't worth remodeling. How do you evaluate the house, and how do you assess your needs and plan to satisfy them?

Determining whether a home is worth remodeling requires a thorough inspection and analysis. Besides your own observations, professional help is usually necessary in some respects. Regardless of who performs the actual evaluation, these points should be useful to the homeowner:

The Foundation. The foundation is vital because it supports the entire structure. Any foundation failure may distort the house frame, resulting in problems with doors and windows, loosening of siding and interior finish, and cracks that allow air to blow through the house.

Most foundation walls of poured concrete have hairline cracks that have little effect on the structure. However, large open cracks indicate a failure that may get progressively worse, so some professional guidance may be in order. Crumbling mortar in brick or stone foundations can be repaired, but if most of the mortar has deteriorated, a major repair is required. Complete replacement of the foundation may also be necessary.

Localized failure or minor settling may be corrected by releveling beams or floor joists.

If pillars are used under the house, or under porches, check to see that they are sound. Sometimes replacement is more difficult than it appears.

Standard Wood Frame. The building frame should be examined for distortion from failure of the foundation or from inadequate framing. General condition may not be too apparent, but key points should be checked for any damage from decay and insects. Instructions for recognizing such damage are given later.

Floor supports are easily observed in a basement, but may be difficult to check in a crawl space. In a basement, wood posts should be examined for decay at the juncture with the floor.

Girders resting on these posts should be checked for sag by sighting along the girder. Some sag is quite common under heavy loads such as bathtubs, heavy appliances, or partitions. This sag usually affects appearance more than strength, but it can be critical if the floor above slopes noticeably.

Sill plates or joists and headers rest on top of the foundation and thus are exposed to moisture from the concrete. Wherever possible, examine these contact points for decay and insect damage. If the basement or crawl space seems very damp, the entire floor framing system should be examined.

Sag in floor joists is not critical unless it is readily apparent. A more common problem is to note springiness as you walk across the floor. The floor can be firmed up by adding extra joists or girders to increase stiffness.

A point of particular concern in the floor system is framing around stair openings. Check floors around the opening for levelness. Where floors are sagging, the framing should be leveled and reinforced.

Wall framing usually has more than adequate strength, but may become distorted if the foundation settles too much or floor framing is inadequate. Check doors and windows for squareness to make sure they do not bind. Also check for sag in headers over wide window openings or wide openings between rooms. Headers that sag noticeably will have to be replaced.

Look at the roof for sag at the ridge, in the rafters, or sheathing between rafters. If the ridge line is not straight or the roof appears wavy, some repair may be necessary.