Leveling the Foundation on our Wilmore House

I wanted to jump on here real quick and give you an update on our flip house.  If you missed the first post in November, you can read about this little house we purchased HERE.

Truthfully, this house was in such bad shape that most people would have torn it down and started from scratch.  But Cy and I LOVE to restore what seems lost and make it brand new again.   It was pretty obvious when we bought it that there was some serious issues with the foundation, but after assessing it, Cy knew he could fix it.  Other than that, the “bones” of the rest of the house were pretty good!

You can see in the picture above, that I took of the house in November, the right side of the house is drooping.  After a process that is way too hard to explain, Cy was able to jack up the foundation and stabilize it on the right side of the house.  

He also had to sister in some new floor joists in the foundation.  You can see that below…

New joists runs the full length and becomes a “Sister” joist to the old one that had damage. It is attached with construction adhesive and 3” screws.

Most people will just nail the joists on, but that is not the correct way to do it. You must use a liberal amount of adhesive and 3 inch screws staggered every 12 inches.

Cy still has more to do, like pouring a concrete foundation (or something like that!,) but it’s been to cold and muddy to do that.  As soon as the weather warms up, he will continue to work on making the foundation even stronger.  

I made a youtube video of my Instagram stories from a few weeks ago.  I show you the foundation on the inside of the house, and Cy talks briefly about what he did.  We still have a loooong way to go, but it will be fun!

 

 

So what do you think?  Are we crazy for taking this project on?!  haha!

6 Comments

  1. I don’t think you’re crazy, and if my hubby had the skills we would be doing some of the same things! I’m excited to watch the process/progress on this project.
    Funny thing, I was re-watching your YouTube videos about cabinets, cabinet doors, hinges, etc. last night to reacquaint myself with the process. We’re going to attempt to tear out a linen closet in the master bath – it’s deep and narrow and just not a good use of the space – a shallow tall cabinet will be much better. I’m drawing out the plans based on your videos so thank you for those! My husband starts sweating every time I start with “well, I saw where Traci did…” – LOL. Thank you for making small changes possible even for those who don’t know one hammer from another. My daddy was a man who could (and still can) do anything – much like Cy, and my momma was fearless so between the two I will try anything, almost :), and make my poor husband crazy I’m sure.
    BTW, your video out-takes are hilarious!!!!

  2. I’m so looking forward to following along on your journey with your diamond-in-the-rough flip house! Kudos to both of y’all for doing most the work yourselves. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we find a house in our area for dirt cheap so my husband and I can do the same thing.

  3. The two of you remind me of Ben and Erin, from Hometown on HGTV because y’all have a vision of what an old rundown home can be. Then you work to restore it while helping revitalize the town you live in.

  4. Do I think you’re crazy? Heck no! Why pay someone else, if you’re saving money? Sure, it may take a little longer, but in the end, you’ll know that the project was done right.

    I own a little house that’s currently a rental. Now ready to sell, but it will need kitchen and bathroom gut job. I’ll do the demo (I love destroying things!), and have my burly cousins to help put it back together. One’s a plumber, the other an electrician (what a blessing!).
    Good luck on your project; look forward to seeing the progress!

  5. Yes, I think you’re crazy! BUT if you welcome a challenge and have the skills to do it, go for it! You’ll restore something so that someone else can use it and further develop your own skills as well. I’m impressed that your husband knows how to “jack up” a house! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with this place.

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