Monarch's Whole-Home Makeover Continues: Safety First

The team from Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre continued work on John and Cindy's 1,000 sq. foot Toronto home--this week dealing with insulation and support issues.

The steel support beam installed in the ceiling replaces all interior support walls and creates an open concept.

“The exterior walls had no insulation in them whatsoever. We framed up new exterior walls and will insulate to bring the home up to current building code," explains Monarch president Neil Samson.

"The steel beam installed on the ceiling along the center of the room is what allowed us to remove all interior support walls and create this very open concept," says Monarch designer Sarah Overholt.

"Most of the second floor joists had to be replaced because of holes from previous renovations and cracks from age. The building inspector was very impressed that she didn’t have to issue an order to do this work," adds Neil.

"When it comes to issues of safety, we believe in being proactive. Our client's safety is our number one priority and we deal with every issue as it comes along and to the best of our abilities."

Many of the basement joists were compromised structurally.

This picture of John & Cindy’s basement shows the main floor joists after the room was stripped out. Many of the joists were compromised structurally due to cracking and dry rot." says Neil. “This is not uncommon in a home that is 100 years old or more. Most of these main floor joists will have to be replaced.”

Next blog post: Reconstruction begins