Foundation
We planned the foundation work around the original slab, tying in the new slab section and the garage slab, and scheduled the over-excavation and compaction testing so the garage pour wasn't held up.
Case study · Ojai · 2019
Thomas Fire rebuild.
Rebuilding a family home larger than before, on the foundation that survived.
Project facts
- Location
- Ojai, CA
- Completed
- 2019
- Project type
- Thomas Fire rebuild, single-family home
- Size
- 1,600 sf before · 2,400 sf after, plus a new three-car garage
- Construction time
- 5 months
- Our role
- General contractor, including coordination of finish trades the owners handled themselves
The project
After the Thomas Fire damaged the original home, the owners chose to rebuild larger rather than replace what they had. The new home grew from 1,600 to 2,400 square feet and added a three-car garage, which meant joining new construction to the existing foundation and bringing the utilities up to what a larger home needs.
The challenges
- Keeping the original slab. The existing slab was kept, and a new slab section was added to carry the larger floor plan, so new and existing concrete had to work together as one foundation.
- Garage soil conditions. The new garage slab required over-excavation and compaction testing before concrete could be placed.
- Utilities sized for a bigger house. The electrical service was relocated to the point closest to the utility pole, the gas line was upsized for the larger home, and the water line was upsized to supply a new fire sprinkler system.
- Owner-performed finish work. The owners wanted to handle certain finish trades themselves, which meant fitting their work into the overall schedule.
How we handled it
Planned around what could be saved.
Utilities
We coordinated the electrical service relocation and the gas and water upsizing with the service providers early, so the larger home and its fire sprinkler system had the capacity they need.
Owner coordination
For the finish work the owners took on, we provided the scheduling and coordination, so their trades and ours moved through the house in the right order.
Project photos
From damaged structure to finished home.
A 2,400-square-foot home with a three-car garage, completed in five months on the property the family already knew, with utilities sized for the house it is now.
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