OT: Bulkhead for basement access

[J Tiers]

Well, not all of us can afford the time it takes to build a perfect house like yours.

I bought mine used. but thanks for the thought.....

If they were not good enough, we just left them for someone else. You don't have that option when building new. Have a nice day or two

[flylo]

3 Phase, I hope with that attitude you don't do any of the work of your Extra 300 or whatever it's supposed to be. Build everything right or don't build anything IMHO.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

3 Phase, I hope with that attitude you don't do any of the work of your Extra 300 or whatever it's supposed to be. Build everything right or don't build anything IMHO.

Besides the bulkhead door, and the outlet that needs to be moved, everything else I looked at is great.

[mikegt4]

When I built my house I used a "C" Bilco door with an "extension" (see Bilco link post #71) for a full depth basement. I have a track loader that I use to lower heavy objects down into the basement after removing the Bilco doors and the steps. My lathe just fit down through the opening, the mill was easy.

I would agree with everyone that the installation here is messed up, someone varied from the original design mid stream and those that followed didn't fix it. Back in the 1950's my aunt had a house with a Bilco door into the lower level of a tri-level house. It was a half bury basement like we see here. She had the steeply sloped tall Bilco like was posted on page #1.

Shoddy workmanship, cheap materials and cut corners are some of the reasons that I designed and built my house myself, that is with my own hands not just writing checks. At the same time another house was being built down the road and the contractors would stop on occasion to see what SIPs panels were all about (this is 25+ years ago). They would tell me how much better my workmanship was over the norm. One day I went to see the house and the electrician showed me how the mortar between the bricks crumbled at the slightest touch (bricks laid in well below freezing weather without any heat) and the drywall was barely staying on the wall having been fastened on 24" spacing around the edge and a couple of nails in the field. I see that not much has changed since then.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

When I built my house I used a "C" Bilco door with an "extension" (see Bilco link post #71) for a full depth basement. I have a track loader that I use to lower heavy objects down into the basement after removing the Bilco doors and the steps. My lathe just fit down through the opening, the mill was easy.

I would agree with everyone that the installation here is messed up, someone varied from the original design mid stream and those that followed didn't fix it. Back in the 1950's my aunt had a house with a Bilco door into the lower level of a tri-level house. It was a half bury basement like we see here. She had the steeply sloped tall Bilco like was posted on page #1.

Shoddy workmanship, cheap materials and cut corners are some of the reasons that I designed and built my house myself, that is with my own hands not just writing checks. At the same time another house was being built down the road and the contractors would stop on occasion to see what SIPs panels were all about (this is 25+ years ago). They would tell me how much better my workmanship was over the norm. One day I went to see the house and the electrician showed me how the mortar between the bricks crumbled at the slightest touch (bricks laid in well below freezing weather without any heat) and the drywall was barely staying on the wall having been fastened on 24" spacing around the edge and a couple of nails in the field. I see that not much has changed since then.

Very cool! Could you post some pictures? I'd love to see the details.

[darryl]

The answer is back in post #9. Your pictures of the framing show that it's possible. From everything I've read in this topic, it seems your contractor is simply unwilling to make the right changes, and he's fed you bull**** since being shown that he screwed up. Maybe the drawings weren't right, but why would the wall be framed for the full opening, then framed in for that set of doors? He should have confirmed this with the architect and you, and it could have been done right weeks ago. HE should have checked to see if this was right. I bet he wouldn't do his own place like this-

The fix is in post #9. Cut out the siding, remove the framed-in section and install a header if need be. Actually it looks to me that the existing header is fine. Maybe have to add a wood frame to allow for an inside door there- otherwise you've got a large break in the insulative ability of the wall. Add the rain cap and appropriate vinyl pieces to finish the siding ends.

I still don't get why they had to 'alter' the concrete-

[danlb]

I still don't get why they had to 'alter' the concrete-

If you look at the frame of the door, it slopes from the high up on the wall down to the concrete edge. The frame is located OVER the raised concrete edge so the outside part of edge has to be removed for the last foot.

Probably the wrong door for the concrete that was poured.

Dan

[dave_r]

Or could it be that the dimensions of the door were flipped around between the concrete and the frame (ie, the concrete was poured for the door in the orientation it currently is in), but it was supposed to be in the other orientation (more tall than deep)?

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

I got the proposed fix from the builder which should be good enough. The post+beam tie downs were also installed but not as I expected them to be.

[J Tiers]

They will probably work as well either way.

That AWC document did prohibit bracing on center posts, only allowing it on end ones, as I recall. I don't remember just why they put that in, or if they stated a reason. Maybe that is not a "center" post.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

They will probably work as well either way.

That AWC document did prohibit bracing on center posts, only allowing it on end ones, as I recall. I don't remember just why they put that in, or if they stated a reason. Maybe that is not a "center" post.

AWC claim "Diagonal bracing can contribute to the stiffness of the deck and, therefore, cause additional lateral loads on the posts. Since center posts receive more vertical load than corner posts, additional lateral load can cause overs tress. For this reason Figure 10 does not show the use of diagonal bracing on center posts."

Fair enough. It's not a code violation and I don't plan on having 100 sumo wrestlers over on my deck so nothing to worry about. Or maybe the extra stiffness might help if I do decide to invite 100 sumo wrestlers over for a cook out on the deck.

I believe the concern is, if the deck were to be hit from the side, the stiff vertical posts would absorb the impact more so than if flexing/bending at the upper and lower post caps/bottom tie downs. So in an earth quake, they feel it would be better for the posts to sway around rather than have more rigidity. Makes sense

[Bob Engelhardt]

I got the proposed fix from the builder which should be good enough.

Looks to me to be about the best way to do it. Even if starting from scratch, you probably couldn't do better. Enough room to get most any machine in there (if suspended on forklift forks).

The post+beam tie downs were also installed but not as I expected them to be.
...

That's what I meant in post #87

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

Looks to me to be about the best way to do it. Even if starting from scratch, you probably couldn't do better. Enough room to get most any machine in there (if suspended on forklift forks).


That's what I meant in post #87

Yup, but it's actually not what the manufacture designed those brackets for. There are much better brackets available than those in that configuration. I would have preferred they installed them as intended an adjustable post cap:




If they wanted to install strapping after toe nailing, then I would have chosen these instead which are clearly much better:

[mikegt4]

Very cool! Could you post some pictures? I'd love to see the details.

i can't figure out how to add photos, no 'Manage Attachments' button.