Comments on: Foundation Progress

By: Building Permits | Bifurcated Carrots

Building Permits | Bifurcated Carrots — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:45:56 +0000

[...] I’ve posted before about the repair of my 325 year old wooden house foundation. [...]

By: Søren

Søren — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:07:16 +0000

Very interesting to follow your foundation. I can understand the problem of piles, as we have it in Copenhagen too. Fortunately not where I live, but in the very heart of the city. Really hope you will get the chance to take some photos.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:23:20 +0000

Meg — My house is going to need one of those props, or it will fall over. I’m sure I’ll be able to take a picture, but it’s a large wooden structure set in front of the house.

Kate — The cost of the foundation can almost be determined by taking the price per pile, and multiplying it times the number of piles. Almost the entire cost is in the piles.

Cynthia — Thanks for the comment! I always like reading your emails and comments. I was having a hard time translating technically oriented architect from Dutch. While I guess most places have mostly general architects, here they are very specialized.

I hired a more junior one to both make the initial drawings of the house and serve as building advisor for the whole project. I hired the more senior ‘technically oriented’ one to do the pile plan. I think the latter just sits behind a desk all day doing these calculations as they come in. It seemed like the pile plan was very cookie cutter, and it wasn’t as expensive as you might think.

I think the more senior architects are the ones that design the appearance of buildings or neighborhoods.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:20:03 +0000

I like the term ‘technically oriented architect’! I had never heard this sensible term used but it is a necessary distinction as many architects have no clue of the reality of building something. Haha.
My comment when voting for you in the ‘Mouse & Trowel’ award is that yours is a blog with meat on it’s bones to go with the vegetables.(You are not a vegetarian me hopes)! Like a ‘technically oriented architect’ your words embrace a bigger picture, a connected picture. In this world of exclusiveness THAT is a necessary distinction.I’d say most gardeners I meet help bring people together a little or a lot.THANks for your part and for having the guts( there’s meat again)!—to speak your mind & spirit. Dank u. Sincerely, Cynthia in Virginia

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:55:13 +0000

21 metres! That sounds very expensive and noisy! Good luck.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:02:39 +0000

I recently read Bill Bryson’s Neither Here Nor There and totally thought of you guys when I got to his Netherlands chapter, where he talks about all the houses that are kind of propped up or whatever while their foundations get replaced.

I can’t believe how deep they’re going to go! I guess that’s necessary with the proximity of the water, but you’d never guess that houses are sitting on foundations that go down that far. Good luck to you guys in getting your application through and getting all that work done smoothly!