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Advice needed - replacing house stumps with beams


kmcrosby78

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Hey all,

I've been digging out under half my house (approx. 1940's Qlder/workers cottage with wooden stumps) in Murarrie in readiness to pave under to use as an entertainment area (pool table, bar, etc) and storage. Not much more digging to go, and hoping to replace a couple of posts that are looking dicey with Dad when he stays with me next week. I also want to remove two posts and replace them with a structural beam which will be about 4.5m long. However, I thought more about it today and I could actually put in a beam to potentially span the whole width of the proposed room, which would be about 6.5m.

Anywho - what I'm wondering is, if I'm going to do the job with Dad, what plans, etc do I need to ensure that when I sell the house in the future it is all 'legit' and council will be happy with it? Have spoken briefly with a mate of my brothers and he mentioned getting a building engineer /certifier to draw up plans and then inspect it once finished to 'tick it off'. Not sure if I also need to obtain council approval? It's not going to be a 'dwelling' so not sure if this negates the need for council approval?

My brothers mate has accrow props that I can borrow so between that and Dad's help I'm hopeful of getting the job/s done relatively inexpensively. However, I also want to ensure that everything is 'legit' as I'd kick myself (after the missus had finished!!!) if it caused a problem when selling down the track or if there was a problem down the track and the insurance company deemed it was my fault and we weren't covered.

Thanks in advance for any advice forthcoming. Will post up some pics when I get a chance and also some when the job is finished. Keen-as-fisho (Dennis) - the finished product should have the area looking a heck of alot better than the day you popped in to look at the blocked drain!!!!

Cheers,

Kelvin.

P.S. Other question I had was, for the beams, are they a set thickness, height and strength for particular lengths, or is this dependent on the 'load'?

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1. That type of work is classified as building work under the BCA which requires a building approval.

2. As it needs a building approval you will at minimum need a certifier and also a structural engineer

3. structural engineer can draw up the plans

4. from the sounds of it (if just underneath the house) you won't need any council Town Planning approval

5. For the last question - that is why you need to engage a structural engineer.

Whilst it all may seem good to do jobs without proper approvals etc they are there for consumer safety. You would hate to buy a house and then have it collapse on your family....

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before going ahead and throwing a beam under it you want to make sure of the rating ofthe timber you are using and its ability to perform over a span that long. Thats why like guys have said, get a plan drawn up, it wont cost much then if you guys can do the work, get it certified. I did a lot this kind of work during my time in the game and ive seen some really shonky home jobs that do end up costing more when an engineer comes in and say, nope that has to go, thats not right,. change this ect..

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Thanks guys for your advice. I'll organise for a structural engineer to draw up some plans and advise me on what span I can do, then I'll get it certified. They should be able to tell me if I also need to go through Council. Milan - my brothers mate has a contact he used and was happy with (they had 70m3 excavated and are building under - he is a surveyor so handy to know) so I'll try and get him but failing that I'll get in touch with you - thanks for that.

Just to be clear - I definitely plan/planned to get a structural engineer to advise on what beam & posts I need and how to do it - just wasn't sure if I needed council approval as well.

Will let you know how I get on. Dug for 4 hours this morning - one section to go and then some areas need another 10-15cm taken off. Getting excited - the more dirt I remove, the easier it is to visualise the finished product. Have already started keeping an eye out for 2nd hand pool tables - getting a little ahead of myself!!!

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Have a chat to Peter Crichton at Crichton Engineering in Milton. They will be able to help you out with drawings and certification. He is a great bloke to chat to and well respected in the industry. (07) 3367-3570

Depending on your house if you are doing this much work you may want to level up the floors if one is sagging. You do not need to get yourself a theodolite if you do not know how to use it a long piece of clear plastic pipe with coloured water (u tube manometer) in it will work fine to get a common point to work to. If you have painted the inside of the house though jacking and changing the house may cause a few cracks in the paint work after you have made the adjustments. I helped restump and put beams through a mates house a few years back.

The Beams come in many different sizes and thickness. You will be surprised how big a beam you will require to span 6.5m. it is always better to double what is required as you do not want to create bounce in the upstairs floors.

Good luck Kelvin - it is a fun job to tackle.

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Cheers for the contact and tips Ted. Yeah I am expecting to have to go around and paint a few cracks that appear - painting the inside of the house was the first thing we did. Every room was a different colour and most took 4-5 coats so was glad when it was finished!!!!

Good tip on getting a stronger than required beam - my floorboards are creaky enough already!!! Yeah I am expecting that the beam will be extremely heavy so that may be a limiting factor to doing it myself (with Dad). Failing that the 4.5ish metre span will still create enough room for a pool table if it is placed at an angle - might just be a couple of annoying spots around the table. Haven't looked into how you deal with moving/raising the beams if they are, say, 300kg??? (or more!!!). Any tips?

I am placing a small retaining wall alongised the house to stop water runoff but don't envisage it being a problem (although I may well be proven wrong ...).

Plan is to finish digging and levelling by the time Dad arrives, put in the retaining walls under the house (the front half of the house will be about one metre higher so going to pave that also and use it for storage) and get cracking on the paving. Plus replace one post on the outside line of the house. That will give me time to nut out the plan for the beam before Dad is next down. Gotta love Dads!!!!

Cheers, Kelvin.

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1st step as the boys have said is to get a engineer to spec the beam for you and give you a form 15 for the design. He will also need to give you a form 16 after inspecting the installed beam. You will need to find a private certifier and lodge a building approval application. There are a few hidden fees along the way ( like council archiving fees). Once you have the plan from the engineer and the approval from the certifier you can go for it. You wont need a owner builder licence as the value of the work should be under $ 11 000 including GST but be prepared for the certifier to ask how much the job is valued at at a full retail level ( if a builder did it).When its all done and the engineer gives you the forms take them to the certifier and he will give you the final inspection form 21. Dont forget to tell the insurance company of the improvements.

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1st step as the boys have said is to get a engineer to spec the beam for you and give you a form 15 for the design. He will also need to give you a form 16 after inspecting the installed beam. You will need to find a private certifier and lodge a building approval application. There are a few hidden fees along the way ( like council archiving fees). Once you have the plan from the engineer and the approval from the certifier you can go for it. You wont need a owner builder licence as the value of the work should be under $ 11 000 including GST but be prepared for the certifier to ask how much the job is valued at at a full retail level ( if a builder did it).When its all done and the engineer gives you the forms take them to the certifier and he will give you the final inspection form 21. Dont forget to tell the insurance company of the improvements.

couldn't have said it better.

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