Working On Old Houses - Foundations

Working On Old Houses is a multi-part series intended to educate the consumer on best practices to be used when approaching renovation projects on older homes.

Prior to the 1910's brick masonry foundations were the most common foundation type in victorian era homes in San Francisco and the surrounding areas. Brick foundations are generally prone to major damage during seismic events since they are fundamentally nothing more than stacked bricks and mortar. Fun fact, have you ever wondered why so many victorian era homes have steep driveways leading down to subgrade garages? Many homes that were originally constructed on brick foundations prior to the 1910's are now sitting on concrete foundations that were added when garages were built under homes to accommodate the increasingly commonplace automobile. We generally advise our clients to replace brick foundations before taking on other significant home renovations so their investment is (literally) sitting on a safe foundation.

The advent of concrete foundations in San Francisco and the surrounding areas was around the turn of the century and they were the predominant foundation type by the 1910's. These early concrete foundations were a marked improvement over brick masonry foundations and most homes in San Francisco that were constructed on concrete foundations are still sitting on their original foundations. Although these early concrete foundations were a big improvement over brick masonry, they are inferior to modern concrete foundations in a number of ways; these concrete foundations were not reinforced with steel rebar; they were often significantly smaller and less robust in size than a modern foundation; they were not constructed above a waterproof backing material, and water permeation damages concrete over time; there was often an insufficient amount of Portland cement, the active ingredient in concrete, added to the mix; the stone and sand aggregate added to the concrete mix was often dirty which lessens the bond with Portland cement; and finally, the concrete was typically mixed on-site instead of in a plant which meant that there was a lot of inconsistency in the quality of the mixed concrete. Many of the foundations from the first half of the 20th century are showing significant signs of aging with cracking, spalling, and efflorescence. Although there are some cases of particularly stoutly built foundations from this era that are in good serviceable condition with a significant amount of life left, these are the exceptions and not the rule. We typically advise our clients to replace their early concrete foundations if their expected life span is significantly less than the lifespan of the other renovations they are considering.

The next major advancement in foundations trickled down from rapidly developing concrete technology due to the World War II effort. Soon after WWII ended, the foundations of the 1950's were increasingly using steel rebar reinforcement, more robust "L" shaped designs, and higher quality plant mixed batches that weaken less over time. These foundations are very similar to today's modern concrete foundations. In most cases modern (1950's and newer) foundations that are in good serviceable condition have plenty of lifespan left to justify major renovations to the structure they support.

By the way, I often enjoy hearing the opinion of other folks in the industry when it comes to working on old houses. Larry Teves of Craftsman Foundation Repair has a series of humorous blog posts about foundations that you can find here.

Peters Design-Build Featured by Barn Light Electric

A San Francisco project recently completed by Peters Design-Build has been featured in an article on the Barn Light Electric website. The text below is from the Barn Light Electric article:

Handcrafted Lighting Brings Warmth, Authenticity to Kitchens

Whether you live alone in a trendy tiny home or share a spacious farmhouse with your family, the kitchen is likely a mainstay of your home. With so many activities taking place in this space, from food prep and entertaining to midnight snacking and family chit chat, this hub must not only be adaptable to many needs but should also reflect your style.

When Jonathan built a new home right here in our hometown of Titusville, he wanted a Florida coastal look for his kitchen. With Barn Light Electric located less than a mile from his new home, Jonathan knew exactly where to find the style he envisioned for his kitchen.

“I wanted something different, not plain,” he says. “I didn’t want the made-in-China stuff off the shelf at the big-box store.” Jonathan selected the Outback Pendant Light to highlight his kitchen island. He customized these handcrafted lights with 18″ shades, a paint-to-match Jadite finish, and standard white cords. He also chose contrasting white guards and ribbed glass to slightly diffuse the illumination.

On the other side of the US, in sunny San Francisco, California, the team at Peters Design Build tackled an extensive renovation of a 1930s Marina-style home. The owners wanted to preserve many of the home’s original details but modernize the kitchen and other spaces in a way that honored the home’s history.

“Lighting was very important for this project’s embrace of the home’s heritage,” says Michael Ford, lead architect with Peters Design Build. “I wanted durable fixtures that didn’t just provide functional light but that also worked as elegant objects and points of interest.”

For the kitchen sink and counter space, the team chose the Conoco Gooseneck Light. This handspun, American-made wall light is customized with a 12″ shade, powder coat White finish, and a G26 gooseneck arm in a contrasting Galvanized finish. A 40-watt Thread Edison bulb adds a vintage touch.

“This gooseneck references designs from the 1930s that would have been in wide use at the time the home was built,” Michael explains. “The elegant, simple shape of the Conoco shade gives the fixture a slightly more refined look that works perfectly with the handmade, thin brick tiles.” He adds that the white finish helps keep the kitchen bright and airy while the contrasting arm references the raw zinc countertops that surround the range to create an elegant, but casual, material palette.

In the nearby family room, a new wet bar is highlighted by matching Conoco Draftsman Pendants. These pendant lights are customized with 10″ shades, a porcelain enamel White finish, and putty cotton twist cords.

“Specifying the coordinating shades across the project creates a sense of unity throughout the home,” Michael notes. “These pendants provide excellent ambient light and coordinate perfectly with the painted v-groove backsplash.” He adds that the cotton twist cord is a beautiful retro option that contributes to the overall palette of natural components.

“We love being able to specify American-made products whenever possible,” Michael says. “These lights create a sense of warmth and authenticity to the home, and the styling is perfect for the updated, classic design direction.”

Photos courtesy of Peters Design Build

Finding Sustainable Workwear. Last year I read a great book, Fashionopolis, by Dana Thomas. In the book Thomas shares some alarming statistics, two of which are:
"[the clothing industry] is responsible for nearly 20 percent of all industrial pollution annually [and] releases 10 percent of the carbon emissions in our air."
and
"Internationally, the clothing industry produces 100 billion new garments every year and employs one out of six people, yet only 2% of them earn a living wage."

Since reading Fashionopolis I have resolved to be more thoughtful in my clothing purchases.
A couple of months ago, I reached out to the San Francisco-based screen printer that we use for workwear for our crew. Instead of placing an order without consideration for the source of the garments, I asked them what Fair Trade and Organic garments were available. I was surprised at the answer I received, they didn't have any experience with garments with these certifications but promised to look into it and gather some options. Fast forward a couple of months, dozens of emails, and many hours of online research later and we were finally able to source garments that are ethically and sustainably produced. I expected to pay more for garments made by workers earning a living wage and out of non-toxic materials, however, the reality is that even after many hours of searching, the cost was still more than double the cost of similar garments that are not ethically and sustainably produced. Although stomaching the extra cost and effort in this situation was uncomfortable, it was the right thing to do and I'm glad we stuck to our resolution to do things a better way. We take this same approach when building or remodeling homes, the path of least resistance is often appealing at first, but resolving to do things the best way possible, despite the obstacles, is ultimately the path to the best end result.

A vision for the future Design and text by Aliona Konvai

While the quarantine is nearing its end worldwide and life is getting back to normal some things such as our homes will never be the same. The confinement imposed a greater function on our dwellings, and while the square footage remained the same, the variety of activities that needs to be accommodated has significantly broadened.

We now need a dedicated well-lit and quiet work space, where we can stay concentrated and maintain healthy posture. We need a private outdoor space for leisure and exercising to enjoy nature without leaving our house. We need a space that provides a comfortable setting for our hobbies and crafts projects and becomes a place of perpetual discovery

This major shift in our lifestyles fostered an idea to design a compact space that can host the entire array of activities without adding to the footprint. Using an open layout that with little effort can be transformed into dedicated spaces enabled us to easily accommodate changing need and circumstance. This little project is an exercise in creating a self-sufficient mini-home with a strong indoor/outdoor connection that allows us to expand the space beyond the boundaries of its walls and reflect the specifics of the region, climate and patterns of local life.

Peters Design-Build is proud to be the first Passive House certified design-build firm in California! PDB Lead Architect Michael Ford has received his Passive House Institute US CPHC credential for passive design, and PDB Lead Carpenter John Humphrey has received his Passive House Institute US Certified Builder credential for construction.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Passive House Institute US, it is the most respected and robust authority on Building Science in the US. From the PHIUS website:

PHIUS (Passive House Institute US, Inc.) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. PHIUS trains and certifies professionals, maintains the PHIUS+ climate-specific passive building standard, certifies and quality assures passive buildings, and conducts research to advance high-performance building. Buildings that meet the PHIUS+ standard use 40-60 percent less energy for space conditioning than conventional buildings. PHIUS+ buildings provide superior indoor air quality, resilience during power outages, and an extremely quiet, comfortable indoor environment. Project teams are increasingly adopting passive building principles and the PHIUS+ standard for single-family, multifamily, and commercial construction to achieve Net Zero buildings. 

I need a home office! Working remotely in the age of Covid.

Since working remotely from home became a necessity for most Bay Area residents in March, we have been receiving an increasing number of calls from homeowners who are desperate to increase their productivity while working from home. People want a dedicated work space where they can get away from the distraction of kids, their partners work zoom calls, the dog barking, etc.

For those of us who live in San Francisco or other parts of the Bay Area where homes are often on the smaller side and space is at a premium, creating a dedicated home workspace often means converting existing space such as garage or storage into an office or work area. In other cases, a stand alone office in the yard is a viable alternative. There are quite a few companies that are making prefabricated structures that can be used as home offices. Studio Shed and WellMade have offerings starting around $100/sf, while high-end offerings like Buhaus and WeeHouse can cost $1000/sf and beyond. For those who want a truly custom solution, hiring a firm like Peters Design-Build to design and fabricate a unique space to suit your needs and desires will typically cost between $700-$1000/sf.

Permitting can require some expertise. Certain jurisdictions have permitting exemptions for accessory structures, while others offer a streamlined permitting process, and still others require a robust permitting process similar to what you would expect when adding on to your home. Whether you are building out garage or storage space, purchasing a prefabricated solution, or commissioning a custom design, permitting is something that is worth retaining a professional for.

sus·tain·a·ble /səˈstānəb(ə)l/ adjective: Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

The first step in creating a sustainable building is to create a durable one. A home that falls apart in a few decades is always going to be less sustainable than a home that lasts generations. San Francisco and the Bay Area are full of beautiful older homes that are well over 100 years old. With proper maintenance and upkeep, many of these homes will endure for generations to come. San Francisco is a relatively young city and in much of the world functioning buildings that are hundreds or even thousands of years old is commonplace. Despite this history of durable old buildings, many, if not the majority of, homes that we see built in the last few decades are falling apart and generally aging poorly. There are many practical reasons why newer homes tend to be less durable, but in most cases quality has been sacrificed for quantity. Although the upfront cost to build a home that will last for generations is higher than the cost of a slapdash home that will be falling apart a few years down the road, the lifecycle cost is actually far lower for the well built home. And better yet - The durable home is actually sustainable.

The photo at left is of the Abner Phelps House built circa 1850 at 1111 Oak Street in San Francisco.

In subsequent posts I will discuss the properties that make many old buildings so durable and I’ll compare these properties to modern building techniques.