Thursday, August 27, 2009

Bolt Hole Report, August 27, 2009

Another couple of days working in the cal mine...I mean basement.

Yesterday, Mark and I wrestled a pair of 6" x 6" pressure treated timbers through the gaping hole in the front of the building and raised them on end putting three feet in the ground. (Clam-shell post hole diggers rock!) These and a 4" x 4" post form the rear support for 1-1/2" boards that will hold back the loose soil and fill that will be under the porch on the south side of the building...when we get back to rebuilding the original project.

Much of the soil came from the north side of the cellar hole which we enlarged slightly. Unlike the fine, loose, sandy fill under the porch, the stuff from the north side is pretty much virgin soil and quite compact. It holds its face well when we carve into it--which is a big plus when you're concerned about it caving in on you!

We also put in some temporary supports constructed from 4" thick solid concrete blocks on which to position our two hydrolic jacks. We're using these to lift the sill so we can get a vertical and a horizontal 6" x 6" under it where it has sagged. The cause of the sag is due to some water undermining, some critter digging and some aged half-lap joint in which the wooden pegs holding the joint together have long since rotted/disappeared. (If you want an idea of how this place was put together, think of a post and beam barn laid on its side with another post and beam barn built on top. Amazingly, there were no column supports under the joints--a definite no-no. The outer corners in this little ell of a former crawl space were propped up on large stones. The one in front is okay, the one on the north side had slid from under the corner and was supporting--well--nothing.

Today, my task, whether I wanted it or not (Mark had to be elsewhere) was to move that half ton boulder out of the way, reposition the temporary piers and the jacks and get ready to dig another post hole or two to support the rear wall.

Mission accomplished thanks to a little sweat, lots of gravity, some luck, and lots of concrete blocks. In fact, I like these 4" x 8" x 16" solid concrete blocks so much, I even took the time to go purchase another twenty. That makes nearly sixty of the things on site. Those we can pull out when we finish will make one heck of a patio!

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Oh yeah, the weather. Beautiful! It got down to around 40 degrees last night and might be in that neighborhood again tonight. Perfect sleeping weather yet not so cold that I feel the need to start a fire. The sun shone all day and the temperature still didn't get above 70 at the Bolt Hole. It was up to 72 degrees when I went down into the valley to get the blocks at Lowe's. Tomorrow is supposed to be about the same but with clouds moving in in the afternoon and showers starting Friday night and continuing though Sunday. If it's raw and wet, I may have to build the first fire of the season. *sigh* It was a short summer. I think it happened last Tuesday through Friday.

As for the rain: What do you expect? The NY State Fair opened tonight in Syracuse.


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