[On to Phase 11] [Seen Enough]

Leveling the floor was a mammoth task and one that involved a number of hours of thinking. What helped it all turn out right in the end was the use of a skilled plumber. The plumber actually helped us get this right because it had to be a certain way for him to install these new bathrooms. His input was invaluable in solving this problem which in the end no one will fully appreciate. Above the kitchen is 2x8 supports. However, between the kitchen and the porch was a mixture of 2x4s and 2x6s. In some cases the the support was less than a 2x6 (essentially a couple 2x4s that were offset. It was very ugly!

What complicated things significantly, was the fact that in this very same area two bathrooms needed to be installed. To fix this problem, we decided to carry the height of the kitchen to half of the second floor. What this means is pretty much the east side of the second floor is at one level and the west side is at another (the elevation change ended up being the height of a 2x6 plus flooring (3/4 inch).

With much of this flooring figured out, the plumbing went in easier -- albeit still a very complex task.

Overall installing the plumbing these two bathrooms forced our skilled plumber to really think through the plan so that everything would work right.

We also tore up the old floor above the kitchen to carry over the same tong and grove flooring used on the rest of the new addition. This flooring consisted of particle board that was glued and nailed to form a very stable and quite floor.

This new floor height was carried over to the stairs going up to the third floor as well as the new 2nd floor laundry area (which can be seen just beyond the stairs and the the wall). Once the plumbing was roughed in, the rest of the floor was covered.

Here much of the kitchen floor height has now been carried across the east half of the 2nd floor. All that remained was to devise some way to get up to that new level. Options were to just leave a step or put in some type of ramp. My preference was to put in a ramp only I did not want the slope to be as noticeable (there in lie the challenge).

The contractor I hired to set the floor did not believe this ramp should be much longer than a few feet. However, I didn't want the slope noticeable. So, I built this stage myself.

Here the elevation change from east to west is evident. To the east lies the master bedroom and closet, to the west lies the guest room.

Unlike some new homes, I wanted to make sure that the hallway was sufficient for two people to comfortably pass each other. All hallways are nearly 4 feet wide which is nice for easy movement within the hallway and also makes it easier to move furniture up and down the stairs. A good test is if you can carry up a 10-12' piece of wood with relative ease you've done a good job making space in your stairways and hallways.

[On to Phase 11] [Seen Enough]

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