CABIN 1.7: CRAWL SPACE EXCAVATION - PHASE 2

Once the framing was removed from the floors in North portion of the cabin, and the beam was reinforced with some additional bearing capacity we were ready to complete the excavation.  

The strategy was to complete the excavation in approximately five (5) hours with a four man crew.  I ended up being the fifth individual on the crew.  Three were digging and putting the excavated dirt in buckets.  I was taking the dirt and moving it to the wheelbarrow outside and one person was on wheelbarrow duty.  With five people we were able to move a lot of dirt.

The dirt was really hard requiring an electric jackhammer with both a spike and spade attachment.  The assault on the crawl excavation was also complemented by the traditional shovel and pick arsenal.

Excavated crawl space

The excavated area was sized to address two important criteria:

1.  Maintain the structural bearing slopes of the existing foundations; and,

2.  Provide access to the perimeter of the structure for the installation of new heating ducts, 

      perimeter insulation and utilities

The photo above shows the condition of all the existing framing prior to structural work that was done for the floor framing.

This view shows the excavated area which exposed the cast iron sanitary sewer lines, galvanized water supply lines. amd shows the floor beam that was buried in the ground that was damaged by carpenter ants. 

Next Post:  structural re-construction and re-inforcing.

CABIN 1.6: CRAWL SPACE EXCAVATION - PHASE 2

The phase 2 excavation of the crawl occurred after the floor sheathing was removed from both the bedroom, bathroom and closet.  The important part of this work at the bathroom was to expose the galvanized water piping and old cast-iron sanitary sewer piping that was under the floor joists and not accessible prior to this.  So...if there was a leak in the existing piping it would either be undiscovered for a while (and one of those leaks was discovered) and / or if repair was required the flooring would have to be removed until the piping was discovered.  And there were signs that the floor in these areas had been previously removed to access piping issues.

FLOORING REMOVED AT BATHROOM

TUB REMOVED - PLUMBING EXPOSED

The  floor sheathing was removed throughout the areas at this part of the structure including the closet area.  This gave a clear idea of the condition of the existing framing.  There was generally good news after being able to review and observe the entire state of framing.  Even though the original framing was essentially laid directly on the ground there initially appeared to be minimal issues such as wood rot or other damage.

I found a beam that had been buried in the ground to support the floor joists.  In the closet area - which is at a corner that collects water on the exterior - the framing appeared initially to be dry and in reasonable condition.  The dirt just past the beam appeared damp and after digging around appeared to be damp due to a leak in one of the galvanized water supply lines.  That line was cut and capped and the dirt dried up.  Without removing the floor and going through this exercise, that leak would have continued and ultimately would have been a problem that may not have been discovered for quite a while.

I then removed a series of floor joists to provide access for the final excavation effort.  

After opening this area up I was able to do an additional effort to look at and inspect the foundation and found that the vertical joints on the West wall had not been grouted with mortar. So, after exposing the exterior side of the foundation and mixing a bag of mortar I pointed the vertical joints with new mortar to seal the foundation.

With some additional support installed at the beam supporting the joists we were ready to complete the crawl space excavation.

CABIN 1.5: CRAWL SPACE EXCAVATION PHASE 2

It has been a while since posting on the construction efforts that have been underway on the cabin.  Since the last post there has been a lot of work done and I'm going to attempt to catch up over the next week or so.

When last I wrote I had laid out the rationale for the excavation of the crawl space.  The last post photo shows the floor still in place.  The floor needed to be removed in order to complete the crawl excavation process.

Exposed Original Floor Construction

Unexcavated Crawl Under Bedroom Area

The first phase of the excavation indicated the original construction of the floor at the addition was built directly on the ground.  Clearly done before building codes or building permits in the Town of Eagle.

Upon removing the floor sheathing this hypothesis was confirmed.

In order to complete the crawl access strategy we ascertained that digging down from the top would be the most efficient methodology.  This was - in fact - the case.

As I uncovered the space I found an intrusion of tree roots from the Chinese elms outside the cabin.  Unruly, large, and seemingly owning the area under the floor, the fight was on.  

Crawl Excavation - Initial Phase

Tree Roots Revealed

The first phase of the excavation was done by yours truly.  One Saturday and part of Sunday I removed 125 buckets of dirt from under the joists.  I calculated this to be approximately 3+ yards of dirt.  As sore as I was I figured I would be a candidate for Tommy Johns surgery...that was a lot of dirt to lift and move.  

You might note in the photo above to the left we used some pretty basic techniques - a red radio flyer wagon was employed to haul two buckets at a time to the wheelbarrow outside which then transferred the dirt to the pile.  One wheelbarrow took four buckets, so I moved about 32 wheelbarrows of dirt - initially.

The tree roots are visible above.   They were removed with a hatchet and saws and are drying out by the firepit for this fall's firepit enjoyment.

At the end of this phase, the photo above shows the state of the guest quarters.  The dirt was removed from below the joists to a depth of 16 -20" and the existing condition of the framing was able to be inspected.  This allowed for an inspection of the inside face of the foundation, and began the process of getting control of the area below the cabin.