I have read most of the posts on crawl space to basement conversions. What I am most curious about is determine if the current foundation will support digging out the rest of the basement. I have a crawl space that has 5ft of space on one end and about 8ft of space on the other. I would like to have it all dug out to be about 9 to 10ft deep to allow me to finish the ceiling out and have a decent floor.
Thanks
Brian
You'll have to dig down to the footing that supports the wall of the current crawlspace to see how far you'll be able to dig down. If you want to pour a concrete floor down there you'll have to excavate to the footing depth and then pour your floor so that it rests at the edges on the footer.
In my opinion, this is not a DIY project if your asking such basic questions. This takes some experience and a good plan. Once you get into the project and have a problem (you wil encounter an unexpected problem), you will need an immediate answer that is not available from a forum. Some of the unknowns are rain during construction, bad soil, unknown pipes, etc.
Exploring by digging near the existing footings is very dangerous if not just foolish. People can easily die with as little as a 3' excavation collapsing.
At a depth of 10 feet you can have 10 times as much laterial load as you have a 5 feet. A dangerous rule of thumb is you should be 1 1/2 feet away from the footing for every foot you go down. When going from 5' deep you should be about 8 feet away from the existing. 8' or 10' below grade is not child's play!!!
You will also have to pour concrete to prevent any soil from eroding. In addition, you wil have to address the likelihood of more water, which reduces the soil strength dramatically.
The only prudent thing to do is call a contractor. He probably only do it if the house was supported. You will get it done right and maybe save your life since collapsing soil kills many construction workers annually.
Dick
Well said Dick. I had my crawl space dug out and underpinned early this spring by a true old school professional and was amazed at the care needed to make this project a success. It took this contractor just over one month start to finish and it was definately not a DIY project. The biggest problem with an underpinning project is finding a concrete/foundation contractor genuinely capable of completing it successfully.
I have done foundation work as a DIY project, but never under an existing structure - only new construction. I would defer to Concrete Masonry and concur that you will need a professional to investigate and perform your job.
I have about a 1,300 sq ft. crawlpsace. It is 7ft from the top of footing to floor joist in about 80% of the space. It is something I am comsidering to convert, yet unsure if the outcome is worth the effort and expense. Should I consult a set building codes as a resource to see if removing some of the posts can be done in a safe manner, maybe adding a steel beam or whatever. All this would be only done if it would not place the structural integrity in jeopordy. I would hire some contractors to do work that I am not capable of doing, such as structural aspects, relocation ductwork, etc..
Thanks for anyone's insight and ideas
Tags: crawls, space, conversion, crawl space, about space, away from, feet away, feet away from, from footing, have about, pour concrete
