Would like to lower our highset home. Any do's and don'ts appreciated. Cannot find any info on the pros and cons of lowering a home.
It is at the stage of needing to be restumped.
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Would like to lower our highset home. Any do's and don'ts appreciated. Cannot find any info on the pros and cons of lowering a home.
It is at the stage of needing to be restumped.
Cons:
costs lots
less views from house
less breeze through house
less breeze under house
less storage under house
Pros:
more "contemporary look" (maybe)
ummmm, can't think of any
There's heaps of reasons they were built the way they were and cooling was a major factor. I've seen plenty of houses lifted, but none lowered, can't imagine why you'd want to.
Mick
Thanks for your reply.
Main reason for wanting to lower is not having to climb the stairs :-( , past knee injury will become a problem soon.
Views - don't have any
Storage - have to erect shed
Breeze - that's a point, but this is Rockhampton - very hot anyway.
There are some houses of this style on the ground, don't look out of place.
I guess the dodgy knee is a reason but still...never heard of a highset being lowered!
pros of lowering:
easier to paint, less chance of breaking neck when falling off ladder
less chance of breaking neck when drunk and falling off verandah or down stairs
cheaper stairs, less needed
guard dog can hide easier under house, potential intruders get bitten without warning
not as hair raising when cleaning out guttering, not perched on a 4/5 metre high edge
cons of lowering:
easier to see that the house needs painting, new gutters and other costly jobs
cant put mulitude of junk underneath house, unless its pipes or timber
good snake den (especially in all the pipes and timber!)
if intruders get past guard dog its easier to empty house as there's no heart and backbreaking flight of stairs to carry heavy furniture down
maybe put a lift in?
I guess one thing to think about is all the connections ... plumbing, existing stairs, duct work, decks etc. It'd be a big job.
I'd love to have more room under my house ... I have so little I had to go through the floor in some parts to re-stump.
what I wouldn't GIVE to have this bloody place 3 metres higher! Can't even get under to run ducting.
My recommendation would be to move or install a lift - I know it sounds ridiculous but I wonder if once could easily be made from a secondhand car hoist..... it would never have to carry the load of a car and surely can be bought more cheaply than a residential passenger lift.... once prettied up and so forth, could be a funky option and very practical when needing to lift/lower larger items into/Pu of the house.
OK, I am going to go back on my pills
:D:D:D:D:D:D