Stephen Lentz
General Contractor
The Greater Victoria Area was upgraded for seismic risk in 2012. For second floor additions, this means increased engineering requirements. Historically adding a second floor meant new point loads(downward loads) but now it means addressing lateral loads as well: spread footings, reinforcing steel in foundations, increased connections from foundation to framing and plywood sheathing added to existing walls to create brace panels.
Because of these new requirements, raising your home to add a second storey may be the more efficient solution. Drawbacks to raising your home and adding a level below is that the use of the upper level may need to change. This requires interior renovations which add to the cost. The best situation is when the upper floor continues to be used as is, with the new lower floor becoming a separate living unit. This way, the added unit can readily be built to conform with structural and other safety considerations.
Here is a report about hemlock being sawn in a manner to be waterproof making it able to be used in bathroom shower installs. I believe the author says it all when they say, there is a reason that ceramic tiles are made to look like wood. Article: Would You Choose Wood Tiles over Ceramic […]
Contractors are ubiquitous. As you prepare to embark on that kitchen remodel or create a rental basement suite, the question arises: whom do you call? The construction industry is filled with specialty contractors, including those for concrete, plumbing, and electrical work, among others. The General Contractor is the professional tasked with organizing, coordinating, and overseeing […]
My wife and I did a university semester exchange in Paderborn, Germany. As you may know, Germans seems to love long words. So, when coming up with a name for our firm here in Victoria, BC, Canada, that affection came through in us naming ConstructoGroup as all one word. However, having to explain this hundreds, […]
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