Project Description

The clients found a two-story, non-descript 3,000 square foot house in the Firethorne section of Charlotte. The house was standing in the way of a new sub-division plan. Their architect saw great potential in the house and the price was particularly attractive; it was “free.”

After removing the attached garage and chimney, the house was moved several miles to an attractive 5-acre rural property and placed on a sloping site overlooking a pond. The client did not want us to move the house from the site where it was placed. It had to stay in that exact location.

Our challenge was to dig a basement during a rainy spring season and construct the entire foundation while the house was jacked up and supported by the transport beams and cribbing. The basement and footings had to be excavated by hand and Bobcat and the foundation poured in three stages. The load had to be carefully transferred from the beams to the new foundation and piers and the transport beams extracted.

The project entailed adding a large lam-beam and masonry suspended concrete deck sweeping across most of the back of the house facing the pond. Because of poor soil conditions, four 8’ to 12’caissons had to be sunk to support the deck.

In addition to a full finished basement recreation room and bath, a two-car garage and shop, a fireplace and chimney and second floor side balcony were added. The windows and siding were replaced.