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Mark
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2011 10:57pm
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I recently purchased a 16X24 cabin in Maine. One of my first projects was to channel the ground water coming off a hill away from the structure. Several days of digging and some white pipe and stone seemed to do the trick. However, I am concerned about how close one portion of the structure is to the earth. The back part of the structure is just about resting on the ground while the front is elevated about 18 " off the ground due to the sloop of the land and the way the cabin was laid out. The cabin is built on and suppoted by two main girders, that are now in contact with the ground on one end. I know that this is not a good situation and am contemplating jacking the camp up to get these girders off the ground. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas about any materials that may work well for footings other than cement block. Please keep in mind that I do not have a lot of space to work in under the camp even if I do decide to jack it up a bit. Has anyone out there had a similar problem or have any ideas suggestions?
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2011 11:08pm
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Is it possible to move the soil away from the girders and still keep the runoff away from the cabin? What is supporting the girders?
It seems like lifting the cabin could be a lot of work. I would try regradingthe area around the cabin to clear the girders from the soil.
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Mark
Member
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2011 05:51pm
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I believe it may be possible to clear away soil from the girders. Not a lot of room under the cabin, however I do have a 12 year old that is still pretty slender. I should be able to clear the soil at least a couple of inches away from the girders, I just hope it is enough! A mix of materials ranging from cement block, patio blocks and scrap would was used for support. No question that I need to replace and beef-up this material. I agree with your suggestion and I have to keep reminding myself that it is a cabin. But I also know the damage moisture can cause if I look the other way.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2011 07:18pm
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I had a similar situation right next door in new brunswick with my cabin, it was built using cinder blocks as the support directly on the ground, over time they had sunk into the ground and wheni bought the place it was basically sitting directly on the ground. So rather than have it rot out from under me, i hired a crew who lifts and moves buildings to lift it 2 ft for me and replace rot as they came across it. It was fairly costly but worth every penny
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fpw
Member
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2011 07:26pm
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Digging footings under a cabin is a pain. However, if you dig down below the frost line, fill in the holes with sack-crete and rebar. And, then jack up the cabin, things will be better. When a cabin is contact with the ground, it will rot. Takes years, but she will get shorter. So, it is the worth the effort to raise her up.
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