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paqcrewmama
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:54
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We bought our cabin Jan of 2014. Original cabin was Sears & Roebuck kit cabin. When it was moved to this property, they poured a small slab/traditional foundation. The traditional foundation housed the well pump and piping for the small plumbing system they installed for kitchen and bathroom that they added onto the original cabin.
First off, know that when we bought the cabin, we had 3-4 feet of snow around it. We couldn't see under the cabin AT ALL but it was being used as a year-round home. We KNEW we'd have work to do but the foundation issues weren't discovered until last summer after we bought.
Later on the next owners added onto both ends of the cabin: a sun room and a bedroom/furnace room and loft over furnace room. The problem? This guy tried to DIY everything, thought he knew everything and basically short cutted a lot of stuff along with using whatever he had or could afford. He wired new areas with whatever wire he had. His idea of a wire junction was two twists of the wire and one wrap of electric tape. NO junction boxes, no wires screws. NOTHING. Our friend is master electrician in NH and has used our cabin as a teaching lesson to his son who is apprenticing.
Then there are the piers/footings for the newer sections. Some piers are simply concrete slabs on the ground and then a mish mosh of stone and concrete products stacked to create a "pier". Some piers were made with sonitube but in order to save money he dumped in large rocks 3-5" across and then poured in cement. Oh and he didn't sink any of them. They sit ground level. One of them is tipping and almost crumbling because of how bad the pour was.
Basically we need to replace or create as many piers as possible this summer to stabilize the cabin overall. My parents wintered over in the cabin this winter while they tried to find a new home in NH and saw the foundation issues first hand. Frost heaved the porch allowing water to flow back towards the house. The door won't close all the way. Drywall we installed last summer cracked.
So, I called an installer of those pinning systems. He did NOT recommend the system because we still have stable concrete sonitubes in some parts and they might move differently than his system. He also can't guarantee he can get under the edges of the cabin.
I think we'll end up having to hand dig the holes. I'm leaning towards the footing tubes. Yeah, they'll cost more but we have a high water table (pond just behind cabin) and cabin sits into a slope so water is always running off slope towards cabin. Those tubes seem to be pretty frost resistant. Have any of you used these successfully?
If we dig down and hit bedrock, I know we can widen out and then pour. BUT if we start to get water coming in, what should be do? Add some stone for drainage and then pour?
I doubt we'll be able to get a concrete truck up to the cabin we we'll have to mix and pour ourselves which could be good as we can dig/mix/pour as we go along.
How would you recommend topping the piers off? I was wondering if there was a system that would allow us to adjust the height if there is further settling or we still get some heaving. I will probably attach RV style levels in some parts of the cabin to monitor changes.
We've done a lot of DIY but this is our first experience in foundation work like this. Advice greatly appreciated! OH and thanks for reading all of this! I MIGHT have pics but will have to search for those in the camera.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 09:01
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Direct water around and dry the site, failing that, it doesn't much matter which method you choose.
The slab/traditional foundation... need to understand that better, what do you mean by this? Has it been stable?
The way I do it is to install a full perimeter foundation under it. A footing below frost depth and walls of block, rubblestone masonry or poured. If you hit bedrock, that is an excellent footing that does extend beneath the frost zone. Perimeter drain at the footing sloped to daylight or a sump, damproff the exterior below grade. Lay a geotextile in the backfill zone. laf the slotted drain pipe, backfill with clean #57 gravel, wrap the landscape fabric over the gravel to make a "sausage" of wrapped gravel and drain against the foundation wall. Then continue to backfill with native soil a bit above grade. Maintain a positive drainage angle on the cap of soil as it settles. Basically surface water should be directed away before soaking in. What soaks in drops through the gravel (the landscape fabric keeps the fines out of the clean gravel), exits through the drain and frost should not build up.
A continuous foundation fully supports the walls and roof above. If poor construction can at least not sag in every direction the planes of the building are going to be in better shape, floors and walls aren't moving independently. Pin everything together by extending rebar out several feet in the direction you are goine each time you back up to build a section of wall. Tie those together with new rebar each time you move along.
I looked at another one last Sun, piers failed, somebody half attempted a block crawl, we'll go back with with a real foundation. Generally if the building is going to hold up you'll end up doing it at some point, and it probably isn't going to be cheaper in the future.
I'm glad you discovered and rectified the electrical problems. What worries me on those is that the hidden lines and poor connections will probably burn long before they trip the breaker.
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paqcrewmama
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:25
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Don, I actually came back to add that we realize that keeping the site around the cabin more dry will go a long way to avoiding heaves.
The original cabin is on slab. Few years later, they wanted more comfortable experience so they dug down and pouring a full foundation that is about 6'X 15' and drops down about 7-8' into the earth. These original foundations are holding steady. We DO anticipate digging down on one side this summer to properly seal the original hole they used to bring in water pipes. That well wasn't great. That hole in the foundation allows in lots of water. I read here you really need to dig down and seal from OUTSIDE to do it properly.
I was wondering if full perimeter foundation was the best thing. Sounds like something you do professionally. Is this the case?
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Don_P
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 15:06 - Edited by: Don_P
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I'm a residential contractor... although today I'm a bobcat operator around our place, woohoo  When I am asked to fix something with a sketchy foundation I typically end up digging under it and getting something adequate underneath it. I claim to be a carpenter but foundations often get in the way before I can do the fun stuff.
I'd certainly try hydraulic cement from the inside before digging. Don't let me dissuade you if you have a shovel and a mission but it's cheap and somebody must have gotten lucky with it at at some point.
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paqcrewmama
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 19:09
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A shovel and a mission huh? ROFL My mission this year in the cabin is to NOT suffer a rare cuboid bone dislocation in my foot along with a severe inversion sprain by stepping off a ladder onto my son's size 12 steel toed boot and ending up in a cam boot for 3 months and in severe pain for 7 months. THAT is my only mission. LOL
After that, I would try the hydraulic cement . The hold IS large enough to reach in and dig back the soil on the other side of the foundation. Maybe doing that and THEN the cement might work.
I hear what you're saying on doing this right the first time. Pay now or pay later.
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