A Carport Foundation Fix

The next order of business in my 1960s split-level refurb was repairing a sagging carport roof. The original contractors who built the house had set the carport posts on top of the brick veneer wall that faced the slab. Over the years, the brick wall settled under the weight, separating from the concrete block wall behind it, and from the carport slab.

Two different contractors recommended the same fix: Jack up the roof, detach the carport support posts, take off the top row of bricks, and, using cement for mortar, re-lay the bricks level, then sit the posts right back down on the wall.

That would indeed be a quick fix, but I wasn't happy with it. It seemed to me a temporary fix, because the roof load would still be on the brick veneer, and over time it might settle some more.

I decided to remedy it by transferring some of the post load into the slab. I jacked up the roof a couple of inches, removed the top row of bricks, then built forms to pour concrete pads that would sit on top of the brick veneer. I drilled holes into the slab to receive half-inch reinforcement rods that tied the pads and slab together.

That way if there's any more settling, everything will move as a one unit. The job was completed several months ago, and we've had a lot of rain, and nothing has budged.

This picture shows the top row of bricks removed, and some digging I did to make room for a form for the concrete pad:

Here, the form is in place:

Here's a look inside the form at the reinforcement bars. They tie the pad to the slab and to the brick veneer wall. You can also see some of my redundant jacks and temporary supports holding up the roof. Having so many supports was overkill, but I wanted no surprises while I did the work:

The concrete has been poured

I went ahead and did the same for the middle post on the carport. The bricks are removed here, holes drilled, and the reinforcement rod in place:

The form in place for the pad for the middle post: 

Middle pad poured:

The form removed from the corner post, the pad is complete:

Here's a look down the length of the wall showing both pads:

Another look, with forms removed and bricks replaced. I finished the mortar and cleanup later, as the mortar joint between the carport slab and the brick needed repointing for its whole length. Incidentally, the sprayer you see in the picture was used to wet the slab before pouring the pads, so the slab wouldn't pull the moisture out of the wet cement too quickly. After I jacked the roof back down onto the pads, I anchored the posts to the new pads with self-tapping concrete screws .

My DIY Remodeling Adventures Part 1 - Lamp Post Repair

I've considered blogging about my many house remodeling projects for some time, and rather than start a new blog, I thought I'd just post articles here. Remodeling doesn't really qualify as building a tiny house, but it's still construction related, and the house I'm currently working on (and living in) is relatively "tiny" by some standards (although not mine).

It's an 1,800 square-foot split-level home built in the mid-1960s. The neighborhood it's located in is renewing, so repairs and upgrades are certainly worth it.

The first order of business was replacing the roof shingles and repairing some decay around the eaves of the house. I hired a contractor for that job, reasoning that once the roof was done, everything else could be done at my own pace.

Then I took on my first small job -- repairing a decorative lamp post. It was a manageable project, and a good place to start building up my DIY confidence. Besides, it's location is such that it is the first thing visitors to the house approach, so it made sense to make it the first cosmetic repair. I could have simply replaced it, but I get a lot of satisfaction from repairing and restoring things.

The aluminum post was broken at ground level from having been struck by a car. It was also dented a foot or so up from its base, probably from the car bumper. I decided to build a decorative brick pier to cover the damage and hold the post. The original color of the lamp post was black, and it was very weathered. I chose to brighten things up by giving it a fresh coat of white paint.

There was plenty of good used brick already on the property in an old dry-laid patio and in a few loose stacks. My only expense was a couple of bags of mortar and cement mix, and a rattle can of white paint. I even scrounged the glass to repair a broken panel in the lantern from a flea market art print. While I had the lantern apart, I rewired it and replaced the bulb socket.

The bricklaying went easier than I expected because I didn't have to pour a footing. The concrete the post was originally set in was wide enough and flat enough on top to serve as a footing.

The one thing I was most mindful of was to make sure the lamp post was set plumb and straight. Being that close to the corner of the house, it would be obvious if it was out of plumb even a little.

That thing hanging from the eave in the last photo below is a carpenter bee trap. I built a few from plans I found on the Internet, and they really work! I later painted the traps white and attached them directly to the eaves so they aren't as obvious.

And if someone tells you carpenter bees don't do structural damage, in the course of remodeling this house I found that that's simply not true. They can and will do structural damage in addition to cosmetic damage, boring half-inch wide tunnels right through trim and possibly into studs, joists, or plates. And indirectly they cause even more damage by attracting woodpeckers that tear up house trim attempting to get to the bees inside. So the traps were an insecticide-free way to deal with the problem. And they're a lot less effort than chasing them around with a badminton racket.

That little decorative cross bar on lamp posts was originally for lamplighters to rest their ladders. It's strictly decorative now, since the days of oil and gas street lanterns are over and lamps like this are much smaller. The cross bars are usually only five feet or so above the ground. I thought it might be funny to build a small ladder to rest on it, but I'm not sure many people would get the joke.

The Pirogue Tiny House

Years ago I made a few sketches for a tiny house design with some actual living space. I was inspired by live-aboard boats that utilized every square inch of area. And I wanted to make a design that would look as at-home on a sloping mountain lot as it would in the flattest bayou. I decided to call it the Pirogue.

As drawn, the tiny house would be 12' wide and 34' long, including the porches. The four-foot-deep front porch would be open, the six-foot-deep rear porch screened. Interior space would be a little under 12' by 24' on the lower level, with less on the loft level, as the front room would be open to the ceiling. The lower level includes a bath and a small kitchen area.

I planned to drop the ceiling of the lower level a few inches to provide stand-up height on the loft level. This could be done using a ledger strip for joist support, and tie plates for structural unity.

I sketched a foundation of brick piers, but the Pirogue would work just as well built on a 12' by 34' slab. My personal choice for exterior finish would be a board-and-batten style cement board siding, but you could use any style siding you like.

I never finished detailed construction drawings, but any competent builder should be able to work out a framing plan from the sketches.

So here are the sketches, with the important disclaimer: If you use these sketches to build, you assume all liability and responsibility connected with use of the plans. Enjoy, follow all building codes, always consult with a professional, install code-approved guard rails where appropriate, and build safe!

Just click on a picture to enlarge, right-click to open in a new tab or browser, then right-click again to save to your device or computer.

Sugar House Google Sketchup plans now available for free download!

The original Google Sketchup file of the complete Sugar House plans used for creating the plans and pictures on this site is now available for download!

You'll need to download and install Google Sketchup to view the plans.

You must also agree to the following:

By clicking on the following link, you agree to read and agree to the License and Disclaimer enclosed in the folder with the file, and you agree to assume all liability and responsibility related to any use of the plans.

You also agree to not repost the plans elsewhere, offer them for sale, or use them commercially.

Okay, I agree! Let me have the plans!

Sugar House plans 20 -- Conclusion

This wraps up the series on the Sugar House tiny house plans. I certainly hope you enjoy them and find them useful.

Feel free to put the design to any use you desire -- as a tiny house, an office, a garden getaway, vacation cabin, whatever you like.

If you do build from the plans, I'd love to hear from you. I hope you'll consider sharing your building experience here, and share photos of your efforts as well. I'll continue to get updates from Blogger whenever someone posts a comment.

My original intention was to build this structure in my back yard. Since then, though, I've thought about how fun it would be to find a couple of acres somewhere and build several of them scattered about the property to serve as bedroom bungalows, with a central, larger structure providing a full kitchen and other amenities. We all can dream, can't we? :)

As to why I decided to make the plans available free, consider it my contribution to smaller carbon footprints and greener living. And to just plain fun.

Anyway, thanks for visiting!

-- Walt

Complete index to the plans.

Sugar House plans 19 -- Completing the porch

Before beginning this phase of construction, check your local codes on porch and deck handrail construction. Make adjustments to the plans where necessary.

Use standard 5/4" decking (1 1/4" x 5 1/2") on the porch, with 1/8" gaps between planks. Allow planks to overhang 1 1/8" on sides and front.

Trim the height of the posts. Use a chalk line to mark the posts 3' 2" above the top of the decking. In the design, the top point is cut at a 30 degree angle. Take your time with this -- securely clamp and tack a board to the posts to guide each saw cut to prevent slip-ups.

The top rail is a 2 x 4. The rail beneath it, and the bottom rail, are 2 x 3's ( 1 1/2" x 2 1/2"). Support rails at posts with small metal angle brackets, or fasten them with pocket screws underneath using a Kreg R3 Jr. Pocket Hole Jig System or something similar. Check building codes in your area for proper fastening.

The balusters are 2 x 2's cut 2' 6 1/2" long and mitered 45-degrees at the bottom. Note the baluster spacing is 1/8" wider on the front sections of the railing than it is on the side sections.

A cutaway view of the front right corner of the porch railing.

Same corner, this time viewed from the inside looking out.

Top view of the porch, top rails and main structure omitted for clarity. Note how the deck planking extends into the portico inset.

Sugar House plans 18 -- Siding, window boxes, and trim

The tiny house was designed to be clad with a layer of 3/8" sheathing, followed by house wrap, topped off with fiber-cement siding. Keep in mind when choosing siding that it's a good idea to choose a style consistent with the scale of the tiny house. For instance, with a vertical siding pattern, simulated plank grooves set 6" apart will look more appropriate and to scale than if spaced 12" apart.

Allow the fiber-cement siding to extend a little lower than the sheathing on all bottom edges, so it can serve as a drip edge.

If installing sheets of siding material vertically, rip them to widths that will avoid any horizontal butt joints around the front door and dormer (illustration 18-07.jpg)

As you can see in this next picture, the window boxes sit under the window sills, so water runs off the sills and into them. They're an integral part of the window trim. The side trim butts against them.

Construct the window boxes out of 3/4" (one-by) pressure-treated material. Drill half-inch holes in the bottoms for drainage. You might consider finding or making water-resistant liners for them. The triangular pieces of the support brackets are cut from two-by stock.

Window trim is 3/4" stock ripped to 3" wide. Trim all four downstairs windows. Don't trim the dormer or diamond windows.

For trimming under the eaves on the ends, I'd suggest installing 2 x 6 pieces cut to the same lengths as the verge rafter pieces. Miter the pieces at the bottom flush with the walls. Finish siding for the tiny house can butt against them, making its installation much easier.

For an extra touch, you might consider installing some profiled plywood under the eaves, such as a beadboard pattern. Use construction adhesive and a lot of brads to secure them.

All that remains now is decking the porch and building its railing.