After spending the week under the house moving around utilities, we demolished the cripple wall under the house in order to excavate the new foundation.
the whole house was braced to the sides on the sandy ground.
Eventually, we replaced the large braces so we could dig the rest of the footings and grade beams.
As of now, the whole end of the house is standing on a few of these caps.
With the house secured, we did a lot of digging…
and ran into some issues. That sewer pipe ran right where a column was supposed to go. So we took that opportunity to install new ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) below all the foundation work.
While breaking up the old cast iron pipes, we found a ton of roots growing through. It was pretty amazing that anything could actually drain out at all. No wonder the roto-rooter people break tips and equipment here regularly.
What I learned: How to shovel properly. Proper plumb bob technique. Not to step on the sides of trenches. Why plumbers get paid well. Dimensions for the building department are not necessarily what are needed for construction. Dimension better on the next project. Your foundation IS pretty important.
