One of the signs that the Real Estate market is getting better is that a house on Queen Anne was purchased and completely gutted down to the studs inside, and out. That means that the price that was paid made it worth while to gut it. That’s just a side issue.
The real purpose of the post is the 41/2 inch slope from the front to the back on the east side of the structure. The contractor was adding top plates, then planing them down. he pointed out he has to do the same with the floor, and I asked why not just jack up the corner of the house. The contractor said is was a matter of money, but what I know is that it’s the fireplace they are trying to preserve. That’s what usually sinks the foundation.
What we found is that it is cheaper and easier to pay the house jacker to raise the fireplace than work around it. The contractor said it would cost $5K which seems about right.
Even if they do all the leveling the fireplace will still be off kilter, so if that’s the case I still think raising the corner from below is better. The real issue, I’m sure, is the vintage tile work on the face of the fireplace.
My immediate thought is to cut the flooring and siding away from the concrete and chimney to raise the structure. After that I would see if raising the corner of foundation with fireplace and chimney attached is worth it. It just makes sense to me that shimming sub floor to match ceiling supports is time consuming. It just never seems to work out.
