All the meetings with contractors and engineers have left me with a feeling that my house is in pretty good shape, not at all screaming for demolition and replacement.
It has some quirks of course, and even if it has held up for 50 years it does have some "faults", like a level difference of 1.8" on the west facing side: one corner is way up, the other is way down. But the rest of the house has only differences of .6" which is really nothing.
Here are the level measures inside
In connection with a bid for wrapping my crawlspace, one of the contractors provided me with a free-of-charge level measurements using a zip level. It was relatively good news. The level difference is mostly within .6" except for the SW corner (the blue bedroom) the west facing wall slopes 1.8"
West to east - N side: 1.1 0.6 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 -0.3
BRw BRe BA BA/corr study LRw LRe
West to east - S side: -0.7 0.0 0.3 0.4 -0.1 -0.6 -0.4
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Well drilling - water finding
Wow. What else can I say? Magic? Fraud?
I had the well driller, Wilkinson Enterprise, come out to inspect the lot in preparation for a bid on well drilling work. The fellow who came brought along this little homemade device: a rod attached to a handle that allowed it to move extremely easily. He held it out, closed his eyes and started mumbling 6 gallons at 140, 20 gallons at 187,....
In retrospect I am a bit sorry that I let him see the soils report beforehand - it would have been interesting if he had been able to locate the high water table area at the fault area with the rod alone.
I don't have any problems accepting that some people may have special abilities to "read" the land and combine these reading with whatever the rod might indicate. So it seems fine to use an expert "dowser" to locate likely places. The problem though is how to decide if a particular individual is a true or false dowser.
Now, in this case I was worried that he seemed to go too far. He claimed he could tell how much water production I would get at different boring depths. That's almost ;-) OK with me. Where I hit the brake was when he claimed he could tell me the age of the water. He "read" that some of the upper chambers were 18 years old, that the average was 6 years, and that the level he was aiming for was only 1 year - presumably meaning that is was an actively renewed source.
Aug 31: The dowser/well driller sent me a quote of 17K, of course with no guarantee whatsoever that the borings would have any value. I wouldn't be surprised if that is actually close to the avg. price for any well drilling, guided by dowsers or geologists, so I am definitely going to pass on the well idea.
I had the well driller, Wilkinson Enterprise, come out to inspect the lot in preparation for a bid on well drilling work. The fellow who came brought along this little homemade device: a rod attached to a handle that allowed it to move extremely easily. He held it out, closed his eyes and started mumbling 6 gallons at 140, 20 gallons at 187,....
In retrospect I am a bit sorry that I let him see the soils report beforehand - it would have been interesting if he had been able to locate the high water table area at the fault area with the rod alone.
I don't have any problems accepting that some people may have special abilities to "read" the land and combine these reading with whatever the rod might indicate. So it seems fine to use an expert "dowser" to locate likely places. The problem though is how to decide if a particular individual is a true or false dowser.
Now, in this case I was worried that he seemed to go too far. He claimed he could tell how much water production I would get at different boring depths. That's almost ;-) OK with me. Where I hit the brake was when he claimed he could tell me the age of the water. He "read" that some of the upper chambers were 18 years old, that the average was 6 years, and that the level he was aiming for was only 1 year - presumably meaning that is was an actively renewed source.
Aug 31: The dowser/well driller sent me a quote of 17K, of course with no guarantee whatsoever that the borings would have any value. I wouldn't be surprised if that is actually close to the avg. price for any well drilling, guided by dowsers or geologists, so I am definitely going to pass on the well idea.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Soil reports and well drilling ideas
While looking into swimming pool options, I got a copy of the 2004 soil report from Sigma Prime - originally created for the planning of the Tuscan villa that the prev. owners designed for the lot.
It suggests that a small fault is crossing the property way down in the meadow. Actually, the fact that it is somewhat green down there in the midst of an otherwise dried out grass meadow may confirm it: I read that the fault forces water from the clay uphill to rise. Of the 6 borings they did, only one (#4) came up with ground water present (at 2') and only one did not have Whiskey Hill formation (#5) as a 2-8 feet layer between rock and surface soil.
Later I learned from Ron Morris that WH fm was a big trouble maker due to its extreme expandability and unpredictable run. He used the term that it "serpentine'd" - that water saturation in places where it was covered/concealed by upper layers might cause the water to move to other places in the layer where it could cause swelling. So it sounds like you cannot just assume that water travels downhill when it is embedded in the clay layer.
Now all that is bad for planning new construction. As to the existing house, it has been sitting there since 1957, and it has only minor settling in the SW corner.
But I wonder: would it be an idea to make a well down near the fault where the water table is really close to the surface? The water could be used for irrigation.
I have contacted a couple of well drillers. One of them will come by next week.
I am a bit uneasy about the project though. I had thought it would be a simple digging of a 3-6 feet hole, securing the walls and then attaching some pump and piping. But according to the well driller, they would go down 200 feet and create a concrete walled well. Sounds like overkill relative to the use I had in mind. I wonder if there would be some other kind of specialist to consult?
Just to get a sense of my current water usage and how much of that goes into irrigation: My monthly usage with minimal irrigation (oct-mar/apr)is 10 ccf; irrigation starts kicking in around May, topping in August, with an avg. of 20 ccf/mo.
[10 ccf = 7480 gal)
It suggests that a small fault is crossing the property way down in the meadow. Actually, the fact that it is somewhat green down there in the midst of an otherwise dried out grass meadow may confirm it: I read that the fault forces water from the clay uphill to rise. Of the 6 borings they did, only one (#4) came up with ground water present (at 2') and only one did not have Whiskey Hill formation (#5) as a 2-8 feet layer between rock and surface soil.
Later I learned from Ron Morris that WH fm was a big trouble maker due to its extreme expandability and unpredictable run. He used the term that it "serpentine'd" - that water saturation in places where it was covered/concealed by upper layers might cause the water to move to other places in the layer where it could cause swelling. So it sounds like you cannot just assume that water travels downhill when it is embedded in the clay layer.
Now all that is bad for planning new construction. As to the existing house, it has been sitting there since 1957, and it has only minor settling in the SW corner.
But I wonder: would it be an idea to make a well down near the fault where the water table is really close to the surface? The water could be used for irrigation.
I have contacted a couple of well drillers. One of them will come by next week.
I am a bit uneasy about the project though. I had thought it would be a simple digging of a 3-6 feet hole, securing the walls and then attaching some pump and piping. But according to the well driller, they would go down 200 feet and create a concrete walled well. Sounds like overkill relative to the use I had in mind. I wonder if there would be some other kind of specialist to consult?
Just to get a sense of my current water usage and how much of that goes into irrigation: My monthly usage with minimal irrigation (oct-mar/apr)is 10 ccf; irrigation starts kicking in around May, topping in August, with an avg. of 20 ccf/mo.
[10 ccf = 7480 gal)
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Meeting w Kundig
Tom Kundig has created some really cool houses. I started noticing him just after the Katrina disaster when I was still living in Seattle and had started researching current trends in prefabs and cabins. Somehow I stumbled over his ChickenPoint house and then found his Delta shelter.
I bought his book Houses, and in it I found the Studio House which is very close to what I would love to build.
So I like most of the exteriors; I love the use of strong materials that age with beauty, and I am completely taken by the mechanics element, like the cranked window wall where ingenious design make the action super-easy (I would like to know the proper terms for this magic: something about transfer of forces). I am less thrilled about some of the interiors where I think he is too "raw" and also a bit too dark - and I have no affinity for the medieval/mystical elements.
I met with him in his Seattle studio and we spent an hour talking about my site and ideas. I went away with a neutral feeling. Perhaps he would be great - perhaps not. I didn't get any particular ideas from him - besides the general concepts I have already described in this blog. But that is of course not to be ignored; it means a lot to have these general concepts validated by a an expert.
We did discuss the dilemma of remodel versus building new, and he seem to echo the sense I had: that rebuilding might end up being more expensive - and perhaps less satisfactory - than tearing down and starting from scratch. On the other hand, he had himself been remodeling for 6 years.
And somehow the question is simpler in my case: I cannot currently afford to build a new home from scratch, and I need to do something on the existing home to make it pleasant to live in (like stopping roof leaks in a roof that is way beyond its functional lifetime). Where it matters is that I will rather live on in the current home than spend 3-400K on something mediocre.
We ended the meeting with a kind-of loose agreement that he should come by and see the property when he next time visits the Bay Area. I think that will be important, and hopefully move my neutral stance to one of enthusiasm: I really need the power of architectural vision to end up with something I am totally happy about.
Swimming - current thinking
I got the quote from Corby Gould for a 40x10 lap pool, concrete w/ fiberglass skin; it is close to 60K. The price doesn't include permits, which could get up in the 7K range. Previously I got spoken quotes from Swan, which was close to 90K. And Coral pools never came back.
Meanwhile I have started using the Google pool, a SwimEx swim spa with paddle wheel wave generation. It is really nice. Just too bad it is always booked up in the mornings and late afternoons. So I am thinking of getting one - in stead of the lap pool. The Google pool is a highend (model 600 w/ 28" tall current; cheaper ones have only 18"). The cost of the cheapest one will be close to 40K installed - close to 50K for the 600 model. The expected tax deduction is equivalent to a cash rebate of 5K. So at least a 35K expense.
That should perhaps be compared w. the 20K one-time cost of membership (plus $250/mo in dues) in the Alpine Swim and Tennis club - where the new pool likely will be opened this fall - I am still some way away from reaching the top of the waiting list. It will be busy in morning, noon and late pm hours, though.
So it looks like my options are:
A. A real lap pool, say 10x40, with cover and possibly vanishing edge: 75K - tax deduct
B. A SwimEx: 40K - tax deduct
C. A club membership: 20K + $250/mo
PS: I found a perfect outdoor shower to go with my own pool:
Meanwhile I have started using the Google pool, a SwimEx swim spa with paddle wheel wave generation. It is really nice. Just too bad it is always booked up in the mornings and late afternoons. So I am thinking of getting one - in stead of the lap pool. The Google pool is a highend (model 600 w/ 28" tall current; cheaper ones have only 18"). The cost of the cheapest one will be close to 40K installed - close to 50K for the 600 model. The expected tax deduction is equivalent to a cash rebate of 5K. So at least a 35K expense.
That should perhaps be compared w. the 20K one-time cost of membership (plus $250/mo in dues) in the Alpine Swim and Tennis club - where the new pool likely will be opened this fall - I am still some way away from reaching the top of the waiting list. It will be busy in morning, noon and late pm hours, though.
So it looks like my options are:
A. A real lap pool, say 10x40, with cover and possibly vanishing edge: 75K - tax deduct
B. A SwimEx: 40K - tax deduct
C. A club membership: 20K + $250/mo
PS: I found a perfect outdoor shower to go with my own pool:
Just a quick list of accomplishments
- 8/1 mtg. w. Russell , roof inspector / repair person (rirs "at" comcast "dot" net):
The roof is not in a good shape, and spot repairs (estimated at $767) will not be guaranteed. But since the rainy season is likely to start before I even make a decision on what to do with the roof, I am decided to go forward with the repairs - scheduled now for early september.
- 8/4 Chimney inspection and cleaning (sorry but the cricket guy is a bit of a challenge - pushy, patronizing and also pretty expensive)
- 8/3 Met with the Day worker center people in Mountain view. Arranged to have 2 workers available when Tony is here, at least from Tuesday-Friday
- 8/9 mtg. w. Ron Morris, structural engineer
Thought the structure looked pretty sound and worth building onto. Though that my expansion plans were all good, but really wanted a second opinion on the soil condition. Liked the idea on the breeseway to separate preservable and new space from the maze-like west end.
- 8/13 mtg. w. David Moore, the arborist
Calmed me down about the redwoods - they just need water. Which is bad news: I find it wrong to have to irrigate 50+ ear old native trees. But that was what he said. We walked around the lot and he gave me a lot of advice on plants and care.
- 8/11-8/17 Tony visited and did a lot of magic, including maintenance things like oil-treating countertop (why am I to lazy to do it myself?), hanging lamps and mirrors, adding deck receptacle, repairing ll the screendoros and some interior sliders, overseeing the installation of garage drain, and brainstorming on larger remodeling projects. Tony ended up NOT wanting the day workers, so I cancelled.
Research on
- well drilling (scheduled 8/21 pm)
- swimming pools and swim spas
- siding
- 8/1 mtg. w. Russell , roof inspector / repair person (rirs "at" comcast "dot" net):
The roof is not in a good shape, and spot repairs (estimated at $767) will not be guaranteed. But since the rainy season is likely to start before I even make a decision on what to do with the roof, I am decided to go forward with the repairs - scheduled now for early september.
- 8/4 Chimney inspection and cleaning (sorry but the cricket guy is a bit of a challenge - pushy, patronizing and also pretty expensive)
- 8/3 Met with the Day worker center people in Mountain view. Arranged to have 2 workers available when Tony is here, at least from Tuesday-Friday
- 8/9 mtg. w. Ron Morris, structural engineer
Thought the structure looked pretty sound and worth building onto. Though that my expansion plans were all good, but really wanted a second opinion on the soil condition. Liked the idea on the breeseway to separate preservable and new space from the maze-like west end.
- 8/13 mtg. w. David Moore, the arborist
Calmed me down about the redwoods - they just need water. Which is bad news: I find it wrong to have to irrigate 50+ ear old native trees. But that was what he said. We walked around the lot and he gave me a lot of advice on plants and care.
- 8/11-8/17 Tony visited and did a lot of magic, including maintenance things like oil-treating countertop (why am I to lazy to do it myself?), hanging lamps and mirrors, adding deck receptacle, repairing ll the screendoros and some interior sliders, overseeing the installation of garage drain, and brainstorming on larger remodeling projects. Tony ended up NOT wanting the day workers, so I cancelled.
Research on
- well drilling (scheduled 8/21 pm)
- swimming pools and swim spas
- siding
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