also on basements...

[athome in SD]

Can we use a backoe if the house is exsisting? Meaning we have a house
with a very very small basement under it and would like to expand it so that
we have some storage and a root cellar.

Do we have to jack the house up and all that????

Christina

[Darren]

A lot depends on how your joists are supported and if you want the basement to run all the way to the outside dimension of the house. If you want a "full" basement you'll have to support the house temporarily until you build the basements walls. If the joists are supported by piers under the house, a typical solution is to support the joists by beams supported by cribbing.

Whether you can use a backhoe depends on the clearance under the house and the size of the backhoe. The backhoes that attach to two wheeled tactors like a Gravely obviously need a lot less room than a full size contractor's machine. Possibly the best solution is to find a rental place that has the portable electric conveyors and gang several of those to transport the excavated material outside.

[agmantoo]

I saw a man dig a basement under a pre existing house using a skid steer. He just used the machine outside the foundation to dig a ramp down to the level of the basement. Then he started digging and hauling. He did install a steel header to support the house where he entered.

[RedneckPete]

I have dug a lot of basements deeper, and hundreds of additions.

E-mail me if you want some direction.

pvdb@sympatico.ca

[Lt. Wombat]

Originally Posted by athome in SD

Can we use a backoe if the house is exsisting? Meaning we have a house
with a very very small basement under it and would like to expand it so that
we have some storage and a root cellar.

Do we have to jack the house up and all that????

Christina

Hi AtHome, Are you west river or east river? We just went through this.