Loading…

Structural Repairs

Gordmay has performed many structural repairs within the Ottawa and Barrhaven area this year.  If you are experiencing carpenter ants in your house or a musty smell in your basement, you may have dry rot damage on the exterior of your home that needs to be addressed. We live in an unforgiving climate and if the exterior of your home is not caulked, flashed or properly sealed, unwanted rodents could be living in your walls among your insulation, risking potential damage to electrical wiring. Water damage and or mold showing itself on interior walls is another common indication there is a problem. This sometimes leads to extensive repairs which could have otherwise been avoided. Join our Yearly Exterior Maintenance Program and we will do a thorough investigation of the exterior of your home, replace and install caulking where required and identify any potential problems you should be aware of.

Structural Repairs Experts

Structural repairs are essential if you want your home to be a safe building to reside in. While structural repairs might not always add to the aesthetic beauty of your home in some cases, they will ensure that it is secure and solid. It’s never a good idea to delay addressing structural damage. At Gordmay Construction, we have noticed that most of our clients aren’t aware that their home is suffering from damage. Here’s a list of warning signs that you should keep in mind.

Leaning or Settling

Most construction contractors will account for the leaning and settling and design the home accordingly. Over time, you might eventually start to see signs that this leaning or settling is getting worse. These signs include cracked walls, bent and jarred windows, and a slightly tilted home. You can check whether your home is leaning by placing a level on the outside corners. If you’re worried about your results, you should give us a call immediately.

Rotting Joists

It’s a good idea to check for rotting joists regularly. All you would need to do is poke the wood in the ceiling with something sharp like a screwdriver. If the wood crumbles and gives away, you have a problem. If the wood remains solid, it’s healthy. It’s very important to immediately check all of the joists for rot because this type of damage can actually spread if it’s not corrected early. Replacing the joists can be expensive and time consuming, but if you ignore it, your home could be at risk.

Foundation

It’s very important to check the foundation for structural damage as well. The basement is usually an area of a home that’s most vulnerable to structural damage. While small, hairline cracks in the crawlspace walls are very common, deep and thick cracks can be a sign of serious settling. It’s a good idea to get your home professionally inspected if you spot any large cracks.

Load Bearing Walls

Load bearing walls are an essential part of the structure of your home. They will bear the weight of your entire home, including the roof. Their placement is carefully planned to ensure that your home is well balanced. Any shifting in these walls is a cause for concern.

 

Beams & Beam Installation

There are two types of beam installations that Gordmay Construction specializes in.  Whether you need a steel beam or a wood beam installed, we’ve got you covered.

Installation of Steel Beams

Steel beams are often required when people are removing walls during a home renovation. Sometimes the load carried by interior walls is too heavy for a wood beam.  An engineer will let you know whether you need a steel beam or a wood beam.  Gordmay Construction is your go to source for steel beams.

Installation of Wood Beams

The installation of a wood beam is similar to that of a steel beam.  The reason you might be allowed to use a wood beam is because the engineer believes that the strength of an LVL (laminated lumber veneer).

With all structural wall removals, we ask that you contact our structural engineer Chris from Kollaard & Assoc.  He can be reached at 613-860-0923 or by email chris@kollaard.ca.  They typically charge a small fee for the site visit, as does every engineer.  Also if you have your own structural engineer by all means, you can use them.  We would require this report to enable us to properly price the beam & other materials he specifies.  Once you receive his report you can apply for the building permit with the City or we can do this on your behalf for an additional fee.  This process is a fairly simple one, you can print the building permit application from the City’s website, attach engineer’s report, bring into the City and they will call you once it’s approved.  You then return to pick up the permit and display it in your window.  Once we have the beam in place we contact the inspector to do a site visit & approve our installation, then the permit gets closed.
After you receive a copy of his report you can forward to us and we will set up a site visit to view the project and discuss details of scope of work and can then provide you with an estimate.

Don’t worry if you have seen these signs of structural damage. You can always contact us at Gordmay Construction and tell us what you want to get done. We can handle all kinds of structural repairs and installations. You can contact us at 613-715-4841. You can also fill in this contact us form.

ROTTED BEAM                                              REMOVAL OF ROTTED BEAM

Before rotted beam                During structural beam replacement Ottawa

                                     AFTER BEAM REPLACEMENT

  Structural Beam Replacement Ottawa               10704081_765024840236950_7861422147181851504_n

Screen Shot 2015-12-09 at 2.38.54 PM

27 Providence Pl

Nepean, Ont. K2J 1N9

Ph:  613-715-4841

Email:  gordmayconstruction@sympatico.ca

Website:  https://gordmayconstruction.ca/