Raise existing frame

[passenger]

Hello!

I have a used frame with trusses that I want to use for an extension we are planning. The problem is that the frame is a bit too low, otherwise all the dimensions match.

How do you raise an existing frame?

I was thinking about layering a few turns of block on the slab, or building a low frame to stand on.

Hope someone has a good answer

 

[petersson79]

If all other measurements are correct, leca is probably the most convenient if you get the right dimensions with the stones i.e...

 

[_bystrom_]

Lecablock, if the measurements don't match you can make a higher sill out of wood. How much is missing in height?

 

[Mats]

Or a small low frame braced in the same way as a regular one, depending on how much is missing

 

[Mikael_L]

Leca has quite a poor insulation value.
Use isoleca or add more (interior?) insulation if it's going to be a residential building.

 

[passenger]

It is an extension of the residential house so insulation is important.

Leca blocks seem good (especially if there is a more insulating variant) since the rest of the house is crawl space and it looks better if the walls match.

The frame is 2.5m high but I need to install windows that are 2.5m and need space for a beam above. At least 2 rows of Leca then.

Isn't it possible to cut Leca blocks? It probably doesn't match at all.

 

[Mikael_L]

Isn't it possible to cut Lekablock? That probably isn't true at all.

It is perfectly possible to cut, saw, drill, etc. in LECA, with the right tools.
http://www.weber.se/2156

I have personally chopped blocks with an axe; it doesn't always turn out straight.
I have also sawed through 4 blocks with a reciprocating saw and cheap blades from Biltema (i.e., not carbide teeth). The blade was completely done after 2 cuts.
If you have a reciprocating saw with variable speed control, it might work better. I suspect the blades would last longer at low speeds.

You can also saw with an old handsaw; it likely has barely any teeth left after a few cuts.

 

[passenger]

I've looked around a bit more. "Normal" leca blocks won't work because the U-value is significantly worse than the rest of the building. Isoleca becomes too wide. I'll probably have to make an entirely new wooden frame and reuse the roof trusses. It's only 40 sqm so it's not the end of the world. The old frame will become blocking, various temporary supports, and firewood for the coffee.

Hopefully, this will turn into quite a nice thread when the construction starts.

Thanks!

 

[Ola78]

Why not plaster the new frame with a plastering system so it might look a bit better together with the rest of your house.

 

[passenger]

Why not plaster the new frame with a plaster system so it might look a little better together with the rest of your house.

I've actually considered Steni Terra around the house, but that's in the future. Then you could indeed "fake" around this too. Hmm.