Major Remodel

Opening Up Your Existing Floorspace By Replacing Load Bearing Walls with Long Span Beams

by Marc Jannone on April 25, 2012

The most important component to a home’s structural integrity, its load bearing walls support the bulk of the weight the structure must endure.  Needless to say, any remodeling project must take care preserve the structural integrity of its load bearing walls—but that does not mean that once in place they cannot be modified.  When your plans call for a large open space, one in which load bearing walls cross between two rooms you want to connect, then the only option you have is to install a beam structure that can take the place of the former load bearing wall.   Strict building codes are set up to help you determine exactly what size this beam must be, and in almost all cases it is recommended that a structural engineer be involved to create a plan.

Using a stud finder, first check to see if the wall you have in mind is a bearing one.  If the wall is load bearing, you will almost always find that the ceiling and floor framing will run perpendicular to it.  An experienced contractor or local building inspector can help you to verify your findings.  Once you make the determination, you will then need to consult a structural engineer or architect to find the right size of beam needed.  The size of the beam will be determined by two factors: the length of the opening you desire, and the overall length of your home.  It takes an experienced tradesperson to make these calculations, which will have to be verified by a local building inspector in order to proceed.  In some rare cases, the size of the beam needed will require you to have new dedicated footings dug out and poured to support the structure.  The requirements for this will be determined by your local building codes, and your local inspector will be sure to let you know if this is the case.

For these long spans, a common material used is known as LVL, or laminated veneer lumber.  It is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of wood assembled with glue.  As such, it offers a number of advantages over milled lumber: it will remain straighter and more uniform, and it will resist warping and shrinkage.  This inevitably saves you money on onsite labor and this is why we use it in most cases where we are installing a large beam.

lam-beam-jannone
A laminated wood beam opens large areas where load bearing walls once were

Remember, a header, or beam is required to support the load over any framed opening.  This means all openings in exterior walls and over all interior load-bearing walls.  In recent years, a lot of homeowners have been opting for the large open spaces that these types of structures afford.  It’s a great way to create a flow within your home that gives you a lot of latitude with your decorating choices—especially with furniture and fixture placement.  But this is certainly the domain of construction professionals, so be sure to consult your local codes before you proceed.

Jannone Construction and Development
502 San Vicente #105 Santa Monica, CA, 90402 USA 
 • 310-989-3499

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Adding a Hillside Deck to Your Home

by Marc Jannone on October 10, 2011

Hillside deck recently constructed in L.A.

Adding any square footage to your home adds more space and room for enjoyment, and is also a great investment. When speaking of adding outdoor construction in Los Angeles, such as a deck, it can result in a return on your investment of about 73% on average. Adding a hillside deck can take about 10-15 days with a pro-install.

The quality of a wood deck begins with the integrity of its concrete foundation. Check with your general contractor to make sure that the type of foundation you select is adequate. This is especially true for hillside projects. Deck foundations normally consist of a combination of pre-cast concrete pier caps supported by poured-in-place concrete footers. (Pier caps resting on dirt don’t last.) The footer is simply a hole in the ground filled with concrete, and its size and depth depends on soil conditions. Whereas footer dimensions will vary, the pre-cast pier cap is a standard item that is readily available at most home-improvement centers and hardware stores. For best results, carefully level each pier cap before the supporting footer concrete dries. Uniform pier height is not important. The wood posts that are between the pier caps and the floor frame are used to compensate for any differences.

Don’t use fence-post concrete for the footers; it isn’t as strong as regular concrete mix. And, don’t rule out mixing your own concrete from scratch. It is easy to do. Concrete consists of cement, stone (rocks) and sand. The ratio for a really strong mix: one part cement (we like portland), two parts rock and three parts sand (anything but sea sand will do, concrete and salt don’t mix). This concoction is known as six-sack mix because, when the combined ingredients total one cubic yard (by volume), the mix contains exactly six sacks of cement.

The floor framing can consist of girders supported by piers or floor joist supported by girders and piers. Girders double as floor joist when there isn’t enough room between the earth and the decking for two layers of framing. Girders by themselves can be used as the primary floor frame, but to be cost-effective, they must be spaced farther apart than regular floor framing, resulting in a bouncy floor. Tightly spaced floor joist atop widely spaced girders produce a sturdier floor. The deck frame will be exposed to the elements and should be assembled with fasteners that are coated to prevent rust and corrosion. Pressure-treated fir or pine are good choices for the floor framing.

Pressure-treated material for the framing parts is a good idea, but either cedar or redwood for finished surfaces such as the decking and rails will have more aesthetic appeal. Pressure-treated material is OK if a painted finish is desired. Cedar and redwood contain natural resins that resist insect attack and moisture damage, and provide a luxurious natural wood look. If you like the knotty-pine look, consider Alaskan yellow cedar. It looks like knotty pine, but is weather-resistant, whereas pine is not. For deck joist that are spaced 16 inches apart, 1×4 or 1×6 decking can be used. If the joist are 2 feet apart, 2×4 framing is needed. Twox6 decking will span up to 4 feet. If redwood is your choice, consider construction heart redwood. It is moderately priced and comparatively knot-free.

A tip that will reduce wood rot: Wood rots when it remains wet for long periods of time. Wood-to-wood connections have a tendency to retain water. Wet wood means rotten wood. Eliminate wood-to-wood connections by insulating them with strips of 15 or 30-pound roofing felt. We like to staple a strip of felt to the top edge of each floor joist to insulate the joist from the deck covering. By preventing the two wood surfaces from coming into direct contact, water retention and accompanying wood rot is minimized. Insulating material is not required when hidden deck fasteners are used. Another way to reduce rot is by using hidden deck fasteners. They provide a space between the joist and the decking that allows air flow at every connection. Hidden deck fasteners eliminate the need to drive nails through the top of the decking.

When decking is installed at other than right angles to the joist, there can be as much as 20 percent waste. We don’t recommend against installing decking at an angle, but you should know that there is some additional labor and material cost involved.

Handrails are required for safety when a deck is 30 inches or more above ground. And, handrails can be used to divide and define areas within a deck, or to separate the deck from other areas of the landscape. Check the current building code when preparing to build handrails. The code defines how much weight a handrail must resist to qualify as safe, and defines the maximum space allowed between rail surfaces horizontal or vertical to prevent children from crawling through.

For more information on building a hillside deck, or any other kind of outdoor decks, contact us at Jannone Development.

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Helpful Tips from Your Contractor to Update Any Kitchen

by Marc Jannone on August 24, 2011

Glass tile backsplash in West Hollywood kitchen.

If you are trying to sell your home, rent it out, or just thinking about updating it, the kitchen is a great place to start. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most popular rooms in a home, especially when upgrading. Even though the thought of a kitchen renovation seems expensive and time consuming, there are several things you and your contractor can do that are budget friendly and will make a world of difference to your home.

First, you can go to a local home improvement store and find various colors and shapes of tile backsplash. If on a stricter budget, there are often clearance items in this area. Pictured left, is an example of one kitchen backsplash we did in blue glass tiles.

Another good way to update an outdated kitchen is painting or staining your cabinetry. If you have wood cabinets and they look worn out, chipped or just out of style, there is a vast array of stains and paint colors that you can choose from. There are even kits completely set up with all the equipment you need to sand, prep, and stain your cabinetry. Further, if your cabinets are in decent condition, simply updating all of the hardware can make a huge impact.

Additionally, upgrading laminate, linoleum or old tile floors can make a very big difference to your kitchen. Either hardwood, laminate wood (if you have a tighter budget), bamboo, or updated floor tiles are good options for any kitchen. This can also add a lot of value to your house if you ever want to resell; sometimes it can add more value than you actually paid for them because flooring is such a huge selling feature.

Lastly, another main way homeowners are finding cost efficient options to upgrade their kitchens is replacing countertops and surfaces. Great, and obvious solutions are stone slabs such as granite and marble. A more cost efficient option is tile countertops, there are even granite tiles that you can purchase for countertops. However, if you want something more smooth and don’t want to clean grout, there is a new option on the market called granite overlay. You get 100% granite countertops without the expense and mess of slab granite. Also, it is more eco-friendly because these granite overlay countertops are manufactured from existing granite pieces, and granite slabs are actually mined out of the earth. They are going to be much cheaper than any other slab stone, but more expensive than laminate or formica counters. There is minimal cleanup and no demolition also, because they can be installed on top of whatever existing countertops you have. If any of these stone options are still too expensive for your remodel, you can try updated laminate or even concrete countertops. Some newer laminates are made to look like granite so they look nicer, and these will be much cheaper than using any kind of natural stone. Concrete is another material that is used for countertops these days, and there are many colors to chose from.

All of these cost efficient updates around your kitchen will improve the look of your whole house and can even add significant value to it! Check back soon for more information on kitchen renovations!

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A Guide to Projects That Bring You Outside!

August 10, 2011

Although summer seems to be winding down, here in Southern California the amazing weather will stick around for some time. With that in mind, putting your money into an exterior remodel could benefit you and your family, as well as the option of resale. Being a development company in Los Angeles, we have completed several [...]

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