HomeMy WebLinkAboutJ24.074 - 80 Irving Ave, Hyannis - Letter - Recommended demo - rear wing 11-13-2024
JCowen Structural Engineering
Licensed in MA, NH, ME
508-868-4085
Jon@JCowenSE.com
Mr. Jon Cowen, P.E.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Mr. Michael Collins
DMC Architecture
21 Eliot St,
Natick, MA 01760
J24.074 – 80 Irving Ave, Hyannis Port, MA
Recommended Demolition & Rebuild – Rear wing
Dear Michael,
Upon your request, the writer visited the site on Tuesday 11/12/2024, for the purposes of
reviewing the existing conditions. The house consists of a 2 story original portion, with a one story hip
roof extension to the rear of the building. The focus of the visit was the rear wing, and assessing
whether the structure can be feasibly reinforced and reused.
At the time of the visit, partial demolition has taken place, removing some interior finishes, but
not all. It is our understanding that demolition was halted, due to safety concerns. Structural framing
elements were exposed in many locations. The age of this portion of the structure is unknown. Some
portions of the structure appear to have been re-built in the past.
The foundation consists of a modern concrete block (CMU) full basement, which is unreinforced
with unfilled cavities. The existing block foundation is in good condition, and appears to be straight and
crack free. However, no sill anchorage exists, whatsoever. The original timber sill appears to rest
directly on the hollow blocks, and in many areas has rotted away. This foundation appears to have
been added at a much later date to the wood framed structure above.
The 1st floor framing consists of modern 2x10 joists, very poorly installed. The joists were
severely notched over the existing sill and the tops of the existing CMU blocks, leaving a large notch at
each joist, and a rotational instability. The connection of the joists to the sill is insufficient. These joists
appear to be of similar age to the CMU foundation.
The exterior walls of the structure consist of vertically oriented board sheathing, spanning
between the top timber plate, and the sill at the base (around 8ft). Several interior timber posts support
the upper timber top plate, with very large spacings. No interior vertical studs exist, except where added
in order to frame wall elements in a few areas. The base of each of the sheathing boards, where a
connection to the sill once existed, has rotted severely, leaving most sheathing boards unsupported.
This has caused the building to become unstable laterally. At the time of the visit, internal bracing had
been installed to temporarily stabilize the structure, and prevent collapse.
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It should be noted that this type of wall construction is not typical. While the writer has seen one
other similar example, in a barn, this style of construction differs substantially from what is normally
seen in the area, at a single family house.
The roof framing for the building consists of widely spaced 2x4 members. Cross ties only exist
at the locations of timber posts, spaced very widely. Connection of the rafters to the timber top plate
appears to be very poor. The condition of the timber top plate appears to be poor in several locations,
where rot has occurred.
It is the opinion of the writer that the Roof, exterior walls and 1st floor framing of the structure
require removal and replacement, in order to avoid the potential dangers associated with attempting to
stabilize a structure so far gone. No wood structural elements are re-usable. All exterior sheathing must
be removed, as it is inadequate, and rotted. The existing sill must be removed and replaced with a sill
properly anchored to the foundation. Once these elements are removed, almost nothing remains. And,
in order to reinforce the foundation for sill anchorage, the sill needs to be removed. It does not seem
feasible to perform this work while the building is in place.
In conclusion, this office feels that the existing 1 story portion of the building structure is unsafe
to work in, and all structural elements require complete replacement. We recommend complete
demolition, except the foundation.
If there are any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Jon Cowen, PE