I've wanted to put a basement underneath my house for years and you've finally provided a video showing that YES, it can be done! Mine is a 2 story farmhouse from 1895 with little to no crawlspace room. I have ideas on how to accomplish, but your video helps confirm my thoughts. Biggest hurdle now is to convince my wife that it's a good idea! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You’re not kidding when it comes to RU-vid experts. They know vaccines, medicine, law, politics, science, law enforcement, etc. They know everything and the kicker is most only have a high school diploma.
I never built anything. Yet I can identify a huge risk using work scaffolds as temporary building supports. People take all sorts of risks during amateur hour. IT does not ALWAYS result in a failure..... the platform rated for say 500lbs, might hold 50 times that once.... maybe twice... maybe not at all. Unless these are special structural jacks that only LOOK like work scaffolds/platforms. It is all real cool, until something deadly happens. Glad it did NOT.
I worked construction in Austin Texas and we had a builder that built a new first floor under the existing house. It actually made for a very nice project when it was complete.
I lived on the East Side of Detroit for well over 30 years.I remember one of the neighbors down the road for me.Ended up doing a similar job but ended up having to remove his driveway and excavate underneath the house to put a new basement in. What was never really a true basement was only a so-called fall out shelter and it had collapsed.So the gentleman decided to do the full on lifting of the house and then pour the footings and do the cinder block wall for the basement , which is cold in the city of detroit. It took about 8 months just for the basement alone.But it was freaky seeing his house on stilts.And stanchions for those eight months , while city inspectors came and went doing their waiting game to get approved to finish the project. That is a job that you are taking on, but I'm loving the content.And thank you for your thorough explanation.And brief run down of what you are doing to get this job done.
You are insane!!!!! That is a compliment with the highest regard implied. I am not talking about the way you supported the house im talking about taking on this project as a whole 🤯. I am super impressed, very clever, and determined you are.
People are always going to think you’re crazy when you think outside box and do things in an unconventional way. There’s other ways to do things successfully if you really plan it out. There’s still people coming up with creative inventions that’s better than past inventions.
Back in the 60s, my father bought a house for a dollar due to it being removed for new development. I remember watching it coming down the street as i left for school. He already had the foundation ready. That house is still there, looking great.
Mate we're watching from Australia and loving the build and appreciate your time. We can't understand why people continually complain and criticise people's work?? Your house - your way. Who gives a crap about what the Karen's and Nancy's of the world think mate. You do you and we'll watch. 🙏👍💪
It is amazing how some people make critical comments when they have no idea what they are talking about. About 40 plus years ago my dad and I ,we were in the construction business, had a house mover lift a house which had settled on one end due to being built on a peat bog. Vanhowling house movers lifted the house about four feet so we could excavate and install the new foundation below the peat bog. It took about a week and when the house was lowered back down all the floors and walls were level and plumb. We also had raised a 500 foot bridge over a river with the same company, we had to construct new abutment walls to re stabilize the structure. It was a very difficult job as we had to work on a barge I constructed in the river.
Heck yes! You are doing it the right way. You're keeping the house in tact and liveable, especially important if there is a wife involved and you're only dealing with gravity , one dimension. I kinda like the log exterior but you might want to consider Hardy board for the fire danger. good work, we're enjoying your videos. thanks
Brilliant - when you were talking about putting in the low footer I was thinking ahhh, that's how Ron Bond would do it, then BAM, you mentioned Bondo Built lol. I couldn't believe it. I love his channel, him & his crew do cracking work 👍 Although I have withdrawal symptoms currently as he hasn't put out a video for over a week 🤣
I remember my uncle doing this to a house in the 80s when I was a kid. Him and my aunt were still living in it. When the washing machine was out of balance the entire house would shake 😂 the house turned out amazing when he was done.
I’m always amused how these self declared Safety Nannies feel it’s their duty to stick their noses in peoples business they have NOTHING to do with! This is your land,your house, your project that you have graciously chosen to let us watch. Press on Dude, wishing you complete success!
It' no one's business until someone is maimed or crippled and has to have a lot of medical care and disability support for the rest of their lives - which we will all have to pay for with taxes and higher insurance premiums for the rest of that guy's life. Doing a crappy unsafe job on your property is fine if you agree not to use any government subsidies if and when things go wrong. Linda, given your concerns, I hope you don't use any public services get any money provided by the nannies.
I’m six years into building my own cabin, yet I find your video very interesting. I would never have thought about doing what you are doing. I want to see how you do the rest of the project. I'm always open to learning something. I'm 79!
Thank you I did wash your first video and it was awesome to me I did not see some like this in a long time my family is Carpenter brick Mason plumbing and electrician and buy me growing up in that type of family I learn each and every one of them trays and I am good at it thank you for sharing your work good job keep it going
Great video! It's impressive to see the detailed process of adding a new concrete footing under an existing house. Your explanation about why you chose to keep the house in place rather than moving it makes a lot of sense, especially considering the complexities of disconnecting utilities and the additional infrastructure required for sliding the house back.
Your first video definitely got the algorithm treatment and it was very interesting, I'm following along now! I have to say that opening shot of a whole damn house resting on some scaffold towers is amazing and something you don't get to see ever.
I think its a great idea for a feller to given he is doing the job on his own without a lot of workers on his payroll. Your kind of thinking is how the first people who jacked up houses did it. I admire your enterprising attitude and belief that it can be done.
Great job and I love the thought processes, nothing is insurmountable. Given an opportunity there is always a way! Gratz from New Zealand. I doubt our local council would give a building permit and our insurance companies would freak
You are doing great. Keep going. I personally would have moved the house out of the way. Big mobile crane and pick it up. Temporary plumbing and power seems easier then moving the house up and down. But that's how I would do it. You do you man , doing great.
You should grab a wire twister. They're cheap and sooooo much faster and better than pliers. I like the kind with the spiral groove that twists as you pump the handle up and down. And you can buy a bundle of a few thousand tie wires with loops on the ends for about $25.
Looks like you’re doing it right. Also I get why your saving the original house looks well built and would cost a lot to replace rather than just remodel
Man I’m so glad I caught the post I saw that first video and went on a binge I’ve been mainly waiting on the update on this one. Time to sit back eat drink a beer and enjoy the content Thank u sir
Nice video, ppl overreact footers are footers they just hold up your walls so u wont even see em. If its a bit out of level its nothing some mortar cant fix. Nice to see someone using formadrain, its a good product, saves labor. ICF also a good product. Cant wait to see more progress and the finished product
Pay no heed to these Internet experts, seriously doubt they have held a shovel letalone built a basement - you have a great channel and content, where you share your experiences!
You have a big job (as you know) and hats off to you for going ahead. Some things won't work and you will figure it out as you go, thoughtfully. I thank your dad for his assistance. I think you'll need a line pump (instead of a boom pump) to access under the house portion. They work and they work the people too. You do what you have to do on some jobs. Good luck!!
You are going to owe Andrew three more wood stoves for the concrete work!!! And I still don't know how many, of what kind, and the names of the canine overseers! Nice job, I knew about those drains but as with any new product I prefer to wait for a long term history before using. When installing any buried drain system I like to put cleanouts to the surface every twenty/thirty feet so a hose can flush the system from sediments every few years. They can bury themselves and become useless in some soil types. Skid steers have a concrete mixer available that mixes the material in the bucket. The neat thing about that is that you can use an "elephants nose" attachment that puts a six inch or eight inch hose at the bottom of the bucket for placing the mix. With your abilities you should be able to make an adaptor for your bucket (future filling the blocks) to ease places like your corners. Nice video!
That long ladder reminds me of the time I was digging (sandy soil) a pit for an in ground water cachment system and before I knew it I dug myself so deep I couldn't get out. Needless to say my wife was wondering where I was and she finally found me fast asleep in it. She thought I was dead...and I've never heard the end of it. Whenever we have a fight (rarely) she always reminds me of that...
When you do the ICF I would recommend getting one of those vibrators that you press against the outside of the forms. Its really helps especially where you have concrete under a sill. They used to make one's that fit a cordless drill called the arkie wall banger and another one from a company called liteforms
Way to go, man ! Concrete work is no fun! I helped pour two pads to set a mobile home on back in the early 80s. Got caught in a rain storm, had no shelter wound up with raw bands of Concrete burns around both legs, right at the top of my boots. Last time I helped pour Concrete.
I think you are doing a great job..that is awesome how you dug all that out. You are always going to get some negative comments, but you are doing great. So much fun to watch.
I'm building my second rammed earth home using used tires and earth bags or sand bags, it takes lots of elbow grease, Looking at all the heavy equipment there's tons of elbow grease too, but my footings aren't this labor intensive... Plus mine is free lol but this is a big project, I enjoy watching 👍🏼
Big project! Clearly you've done your research and due diligence! Ignore the arm chair critics unless you find substance in there comments! Never easy starting a YT with such a big project but it looks like you are managing! Will stand by for your next post! Good job Man!
I have enjoyed now 2 really good videos on this project. I wish I could do that but we live on flat clay mud ground and i would just be making a dirty pool under the house. Great work on the project.
where I live there are old WW2 government houses that are built on old railroad ties. This is the way they fix that, they jack the house up and put a foundation or a basement under it. Works just fine!
Why is that? We never use that stuff in Germany. It's mostly used by DIYers for in ground pools. Usually basements are build with formed concrete to which an XPS insulation is added on the outside. Usually the basements are build with water impermeable concrete which needs a certain thickness and waterproof connections between different pours.
That Form-a-Drain stuff is brilliant! Lots more pins and cross-ties though. I'd probably go the belt-and-suspenders route and put in the washed gravel and perf pipe around the perimeter anyway with a run out to daylight like you're planning. It would depend on where the water table is but seeing that water at the bottom of the frost footing trench, it's damn close. I'd also think about a sump pump pit in the basement. Looking forward to the ICF walls.
Ive done some masonry block laying under homes lifted up to past the flood line when i lived in NJ. The house movers had lots of railroad ties stacked in like a jenga fashion. there were stacks in all four corners and additional stacks between each corner, so moving materials to the block layers was difficult. I can imagine they overbuilt it, but it definately kept the whole house stable from racking. Your way of doing it is very scetchy looking, especially when that chunk of foundation fell and hit one of the columns. But apparently its good enough, stay safe!
Very cool. Great team work there! ( The dogs....Who did you think I was talking about?) .....Oh...those friends....yeah I guess. Great job to them too! Super project & super video!....( and the temps were super hot too..)
form a drain-should have paid you to use there product, that is the best advertising in the world right there. never heard of that stuff but thats a genius idea
1st video was great, can't see anything wrong with what you are doing. You seem a switched on type of guy, you have it planned out and are aware of the issues that might come up! Haters are going to hate, take no notice of them. keep grinding on, going to be sweet once it is finished.
just a thought for you . I had a friend do some thing similar years ago . he put 4 inch foam board around the entire parimiter of the house . needless to say his house is very warm in the winter . 😀
