Friday, March 18, 2005
Kind of Like Playing Jingo, Except with Your Home
Question: How do I know if I can remove a center wall in my house and not effect anything? The length of wall I would like to remove is about 10 feet. I am trying to remodel my kitchen and expand it. What is the rule of thumb for removing walls? How much can I take out before causing structural damage?
Good question, and thanks for sending it in. First, a simple but necessary disclaimer. Tearing down and moving walls in your home is a difficult and painstaking process that is best left to professional carpenters. You should always seek the opinion of a professional builder in your area before you attempt to rearrange the original structure of your home. You might cause some irreparable damage to your structure. That being said, here are some ways you can determine if the wall you are considering moving is a load bearing wall.
Most of the walls in the center of your home are load bearing walls. Load bearing walls support he weight of the ceiling joists and most of the roof. The quick way you can check for this is to examine your construction from your attic space. Walking on the ceiling joists can be dangerous and can result in damage or injury of you fall, so please be careful. When you locate the center walls, be on the lookout for metal or wood plate where the raters and wood supports are joined together. The only exception to this would be a truss support home that relies on trusses to support the weight of the structure.
If you find that you need to move a load bearing wall, you can do so with the help of a beam installation. The beam can be open, like those you see in a doorway, or a blind beam installed in the attic. Installing a beam should only be attempted by a skilled builder with the knowledge of structures and their weight distribution. Thanks so much for you question.
Good question, and thanks for sending it in. First, a simple but necessary disclaimer. Tearing down and moving walls in your home is a difficult and painstaking process that is best left to professional carpenters. You should always seek the opinion of a professional builder in your area before you attempt to rearrange the original structure of your home. You might cause some irreparable damage to your structure. That being said, here are some ways you can determine if the wall you are considering moving is a load bearing wall.
Most of the walls in the center of your home are load bearing walls. Load bearing walls support he weight of the ceiling joists and most of the roof. The quick way you can check for this is to examine your construction from your attic space. Walking on the ceiling joists can be dangerous and can result in damage or injury of you fall, so please be careful. When you locate the center walls, be on the lookout for metal or wood plate where the raters and wood supports are joined together. The only exception to this would be a truss support home that relies on trusses to support the weight of the structure.
If you find that you need to move a load bearing wall, you can do so with the help of a beam installation. The beam can be open, like those you see in a doorway, or a blind beam installed in the attic. Installing a beam should only be attempted by a skilled builder with the knowledge of structures and their weight distribution. Thanks so much for you question.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Flood Insurance Sure Hurts
Question: Hi! We are trying to sell a home in Hammond, Indiana. We just found out we are in a flood plain and new buyer MUST buy flood insurance. It is hurting us and some others who are trying to sell their homes. We lived there for twenty six years. It has not flooded in over twenty years and then only because they were replacing storm drains and did not get them installed in time. Any ideas what we and the others can do to sell? It is very discouraging. We get lots of bids but the flood insurance hurts.
Thanks so much for your question. It seems that flooding, and flood insurance, are fast becoming hot topics in the world of home improvement. Once an extremely under considered part of owning a home, the steady increase in wash outs has brought flooding back into the spot light. And it sounds to me if you are caught squarely between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.”
First, some quick background information. From 1968 until 1973, home owners decide whether or not to purchase flood insurance coverage for their properties. With the arrival of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, the government regulated the mandatory flood coverage for properties in affected areas. This piece of legislation prohibited any regulated lending agency from servicing any new or existing loans without the mandated coverage.
My response to your dilemma is a mixed bag. On one hand, I certainly empathize with the fact that your property does not see the flooding that the extra money would go to protect. It certainly is frustrating to miss closing opportunities because of such a technicality. On the other hand, if it rains, you must have an umbrella. Meaning, the rules are the rules, and there really is no legal way around them. And if there ever is a flood, you will be so thankful you followed the program.
You should also check out some of the incentives that the government has put into place following the reform of this legislation that make the monthly flood insurance payments more tolerable. Once you know of these incentives, make sure you feature them in your sales pitch to potential buyers. Once they become aware of the options, they may be more inclined to be accepting of the flood insurance monthly premiums.
Thanks so much for your question. It seems that flooding, and flood insurance, are fast becoming hot topics in the world of home improvement. Once an extremely under considered part of owning a home, the steady increase in wash outs has brought flooding back into the spot light. And it sounds to me if you are caught squarely between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.”
First, some quick background information. From 1968 until 1973, home owners decide whether or not to purchase flood insurance coverage for their properties. With the arrival of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, the government regulated the mandatory flood coverage for properties in affected areas. This piece of legislation prohibited any regulated lending agency from servicing any new or existing loans without the mandated coverage.
My response to your dilemma is a mixed bag. On one hand, I certainly empathize with the fact that your property does not see the flooding that the extra money would go to protect. It certainly is frustrating to miss closing opportunities because of such a technicality. On the other hand, if it rains, you must have an umbrella. Meaning, the rules are the rules, and there really is no legal way around them. And if there ever is a flood, you will be so thankful you followed the program.
You should also check out some of the incentives that the government has put into place following the reform of this legislation that make the monthly flood insurance payments more tolerable. Once you know of these incentives, make sure you feature them in your sales pitch to potential buyers. Once they become aware of the options, they may be more inclined to be accepting of the flood insurance monthly premiums.
