Insurance cancelled on century-old farmhouse. What are the alternatives now?

California · May 17, 2021

Good news sorta. My renewal payment was accepted and now the non-renew will be effective 5/2/22.

I have a year to remedy the arborist and electrician issues (reasonable), but I now need to find a specialist willing to insure without the required earthquake upgrades. Putting a manufactured home on this footprint would be a better use of money than raising this old house to make a perimeter (and likely middle-row) foundation to meet current earthquake code.

So the immediate crisis is off but I still have a problem.

MossRoad · May 17, 2021

That's good news. Can you get a manufactured home that still has the "feel" of the original place, or would you change it up?

A friend of mine bought a manufactured house about 20-25 years ago. Her husband in an engineer. He figured out what size steel beam to put under it lengthwise, and built supports for the beam into middle of the basement and foundation ends. On house day, the crane arrived, set the beam in place, and then set the two haloes of the house in place. They have a huge clear-span basement now. No supports. A great space to do anything they want.

California · May 17, 2021

MossRoad said:
That's good news. Can you get a manufactured home that still has the "feel" of the original place

A friend of mine bought a manufactured house about 20-25 years ago. Her husband in an engineer. He figured out what size steel beam to put under it lengthwise ... They have a huge clear-span basement now. A great space to do anything they want.

I have a reference to an architect specializing in updating while preserving 'farm ambiance', so we'll see what he comes up with. I think he does $million barn to showy weekend home, type stuff, not the simplicity I have in mind. We'll definitely have expansive windows to enjoy the view, and gardening will be restored similar.

There's a steep roof with an attic guest bedroom/bath so anything towed in won't look much like what's here.

This photo also shows the different roof pitches. The first was the extension for an indoor bathroom and breakfast table, the next, too-flat portion is the sunporch Dad and I built when I was HS age. There's a similar too-flat extension on the far end of the house. We enlarged the tiny bedroom to normal size. The original was too small to turn the bed away from parallel to the wall.

All, amateur work. Jacking this house up for foundation work would likely split it at several places!

Thank you for the idea of a large basement!!! I hadn't thought of that. We use the limited headspace under the house for cool storage after apple harvest. A real cellar would be good for that, and also for a heated shop in the dead of winter to supplement the open stall shop where I do everything now. And storage space! And other uses I hadn't though of. Thank you for a valuable suggestion.

fried1765 · May 17, 2021

MossRoad said:
That's good news. Can you get a manufactured home that still has the "feel" of the original place, or would you change it up?

A friend of mine bought a manufactured house about 20-25 years ago. Her husband in an engineer. He figured out what size steel beam to put under it lengthwise, and built supports for the beam into middle of the basement and foundation ends. On house day, the crane arrived, set the beam in place, and then set the two haloes of the house in place. They have a huge clear-span basement now. No supports. A great space to do anything they want.

"built supports for the beam into the middle of the basement........They have a huge clear-span basement now. No supports."
Huh ????
Something does not pass the "clear-span" definition here!

MossRoad · May 17, 2021

You are welcome. Here in Indiana, a basement is a great place to store items and hide from tornados!

Just plan a basement well so that it stays dry. Our house is built on sand, and the water table is about 40' down, so no groundwater issues. The basement is warm and dry in winter and cool and dry in summer.

MossRoad · May 17, 2021

fried1765 said:
"built supports for the beam into the middle of the basement........They have a huge clear-span basement now. No supports."
Huh ????
Something does not pass the "clear-span" definition here!

To quote myself:
"built supports for the beam into middle of the basement and foundation ends."

They are two separate parts. First you pour the foundation. Then you pour the basement.

The supports are built into the middle of the foundation ends and the middle of the basement ends.

fried1765 · May 17, 2021

MossRoad said:
To quote myself:
"built supports for the beam into middle of the basement and foundation ends."

They are two separate parts. First you pour the foundation. Then you pour the basement.

The supports are built into the middle of the foundation ends and the middle of the basement ends.

It was the "middle of the basement" that was confusing.