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Central PA | My wife and I recently bought our new home farm, with a 200 year old log house on it. It's covered with vinyl siding, but we're ripping the plaster out to expose the logs inside. We plan to remove the original chinking, put batt insulation between the logs, then rechink the surface. We have ripped out the drywall and tiled ceilings to expose some beautiful old beams underneath. We're going to update to 200 amp service, rewire the whole house, and probably install some new plumbing. There shouldn't be any structural changes to the house other than probably modifying the existing stairs or a beam between the first and second floor. You currently have to duck low to go under the beam at the bottom. Our township uses the International Building Code. If we get a permit for plumbing or electrical work, can they force us to modify other parts of the building to meet code? Sewage currently goes to a holding tank, while gray water goes to a drainfield. The 3x7 beams we exposed are on 35 inch centers which appears to be well over any floor joist spacings I can find listed in the code. The floors are creaky but I'm not remotely concerned about falling through anywhere. Also, can they make us stud out and insulate inside? With an r-value of 1.41 per inch, 10 inch thick log walls would have an r-value of 14.1. If there are some hardwood logs there, the r-value would only be 7.1. The vinyl siding has what looks like 1/2 an inch of styrofoam insulation under it, and is over a layer of asbestos siding. I'm thinking I read somewhere that walls are supposed to have an r-value of 15 per code. The house is pretty well out of sight of the road, so we could fly under the radar, but I'm pretty sure we can't upgrade to 200 amp service without a permit, and we're also planning on putting up a pole building that will need to be permitted, so I think the codes officer will probably have to come around. | |
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Building codes for renovation
