Sullishak --
      Working on the foundation  (2008)
Up Early History Expenses Family -- 1978 Fireplace -- 1981 Porch -- 1988 Trees -- 2001 Deck -- 2001 Stove -- 2003 Cribbage -- 2004 Roofing -- 2004 Electrical -- 2008 Foundation -- 2008 Landscaping -- 2008 Ownership - 2009

by Dave Sullivan

One of the first steps in deciding how to expand and improve the cabin was to determine whether the foundation would support an expanded second floor.

September 9-10, 2008





 Top: For years it has been almost impossible to get under the front half of the cabin. The access hole is under the kitchen sink, so you needed to snake your body around the kitchen drain pipes to get under the cabin. Then we built the deck, and that access hole became nearly impossible to use. To improve this situation, I removed 26-inches of foundation from the north side of the cabin. Now it is far easier to get in.

Middle: Most people won't find this photo as exciting as I felt when I took it. I was hoping Dad had put bolts into the foundation to tie the cabin to the concrete -- and here they were. He put them on 6-foot spacing along the front wall, and right at the corners of the side wall.

Bottom: There isn't a lot of room to maneuver under the cabin, but it can be done. I will be able to fish insulation in and pack it between the floor joists. This should make the cabin warmer in the winter. Also, if you look very carefully, you can see another tie-down bolt in a pocket that Dad cut into the rim joist along the front wall.

September 20-21, 2008



 Top: Barb helped me install insulation. She cut the fiberglass batts to length and stuffed them under the cabin. Then I (Dave Sullivan), used a nail gun and wood lath to hold the insulation in place. Although it was dry on Saturday, it rained on Sunday. I stayed dry under the cabin ... Barb was outside helping and got all wet.

 

 

Bottom: I decided we needed more crawl space under the cabin, and that involved digging with the fireplace shovel (because it was small and worked well in tight places) and loading up a wooden sled. Then Barb would pull out the sled and dump it ... and I would load it up again. Since this was hard, dirty work ... it left Barb's feet rather muddy. 


Top: Installing fiberglass insulation. You can see my leg on the left and the nail gun.

 

Bottom: This shows what the finished job looks like. Notice the 6-mill, black plastic ground cover. The insulation is held in place by wood lath and galvanized finish nails. In the background, you can see the kitchen sink drain. It heads downhill for a while, and then it goes up-hill again!!! Obviously it needs some support in the middle, and I have no idea why it still works.
 
The Sullishak.com, Allen-House.Com, and  RoyalHouse1873.com websites are maintained by Dave and Barbara Sullivan who live in the N. H. Allen House at 208 6th Avenue SE, Albany, Oregon. Our home phone is 541-924-5983. We also maintain Spacehounds.Com for Mary Lowd and Abbey Road Auto Repair for Dave Helton.