We have an old cabin which we need to repair. Under existing bylaws we would not be able to replace this cabin in its existing waterfront location so repair is the only option.
Originally the cabin sat 1 foot above ground on cement pads. Over the years the cabin sunk into the ground which has caused the floor structure to rot. We dug a hole on the outside of he cabin with the intention of getting a jack under it to jack it out of the ground and build a new floor support structure however the wood floor joists were rotted at least around the perimeter (not sure about in the middle). There is no finished wall covering on the inside of the cabin so you can see the wall studs and the roof structure and all are in good shape. Needless to say though the walls are on a lean because the foundation has sunk into the ground.
Any suggestions on how we get the building out of the ground to then be able to replace it's floor/foundation getting it back up on cement pads, high & dry again?

Sounds like you may be out of luck here. If the entire perimeter is rotted, chances are the other joist are rotted as well. Also, if the walls are leaning, it is going to be very dangerous at best to attempt repairs.

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Originally Posted by MOWERMAN2468

sounds like you may be out of luck here. if the entire perimeter is rotted, chances are the other joist are rotted as well. also, if the walls are leaning, it is going to be very dangerous at best to attempt repairs.

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Thanks for replying... I am still hoping there is some solution out but I appreciate your thoughts. We realize the safety concerns.
whil9052

I think your only hope may be a professional house mover. They can lift a house just enough to get under and replace the rotten supports but it does sound like the whole house could be in jeopardy of coming down. A pro can build you a foundation with a new floor then just set the old cabin back down on top. This is going to be in the $20k ballpark depending on the soil and size of your cabin.

IF he decides to keep the cabin , He needs to pour a spread footing with rebar running both was tied with tie wire. Get a good contractor, and talk to him. Also check on his state & local building codes. Codes also on the footings, width ,depth and frost line. Yes it can be repaired. Good luck F.B.E

My friends jacked up an entire 2 story house 3' themselves to meet flood plain restrictions. They then laid block on top of the old stone foundation. I saw nothing of the job. Use lots of jacks under the lowest solid members. Go down below the frost line and pour concrete. Finish with pressure treated wood next to the concrete.

Yes, you can lift a cabin with great care and the proper equipment,I have lifted barns up to 70 feet long and 40 feet wide using mechanical jacks and cribbing( cribbing being 4X6 in stacks 2 one way then to the other building a square box to allow for larger lifting surface)

You have to listen to the building while lifting,upon 3 small snaps(wood moving to a new location) give it a rest, then try again,remembering,the building is going where it doesn't really want to go.

A cabin is lighter than a house,smiler to a barn and should not be all that bad to re- maneuver.

after the weight is off the posts/concrete bases, a new footer below frost line(and by the river you'll still have some water table situations to deal with) and building up of the posts,even if its only cinder block, will support a lightweight structure.

I would contact at least a concrete contractor and get their opinion on the footer and excavation, beyond that its just a matter of replacing the wood sub-structure,even a section at a time isn't out of line,just make sure its treated lumber this time around.

Lifting from the outside might prove disastrous because of the rot, you might need a extension on a jack to be able to reach in without putting yourself in danger of collapse.

Hope this helps,

Ken

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

I think your only hope may be a professional house mover. They can lift a house just enough to get under and replace the rotten supports but it does sound like the whole house could be in jeopardy of coming down. A pro can build you a foundation with a new floor then just set the old cabin back down on top. This is going to be in the $20k ballpark depending on the soil and size of your cabin.

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Thanks for your input. We really were hoping to tackle this project ourselves if at all possible. Would spend some money for a good solution but $20K just isn't going to happen! whil9052

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Originally Posted by KBC

Yes, you can lift a cabin with great care and the proper equipment,I have lifted barns up to 70 feet long and 40 feet wide using mechanical jacks and cribbing( cribbing being 4X6 in stacks 2 one way then 2 the other building a square box to allow for larger lifting surface)

You have to listen to the building while lifting,upon 3 small snaps(wood moving to a new location) give it a rest, then try again,remembering,the building is going where it doesn't really want to go.

A cabin is lighter than a house,smiler to a barn and should not be all that bad to re- maneuver.

after the weight is off the posts/concrete bases, a new footer below frost line(and by the river you'll still have some water table situations to deal with) and building up of the posts,even if its only cinder block, will support a lightweight structure.

I would contact at least a concrete contractor and get their opinion on the footer and excavation, beyond that its just a matter of replacing the wood sub-structure,even a section at a time isn't out of line,just make sure its treated lumber this time around.

Lifting from the outside might prove disastrous because of the rot, you might need a extension on a jack to be able to reach in without putting yourself in danger of collapse.

Hope this helps,

Ken

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Ken - do you dig under the punky foundation and put the cribbing under it? whil9052

Cribbing goes between the foundation and the building. Do not dig under the foundation, you don't want to lift that with the cabin. Due to the rot you will need beams long enough to reach the length of the house and about 5' extra feet beyound at both ends. House movers use large steel I beams, don't know what Ken used so he'll be back later to say. Good luck.

Yes, I use I-Beams and mechanical jacks on either end,The whole end or side needs lifted as to give enough access to the rotten wood.

Sight unseen a house mover would be safer,but if your adventurous, you can try( make sure the cabin is insured) I have had a few partial collapses in the past,its very hair raising.

I think I haven't been clear enough. This cabin is built like a wooden shed type of thing.
The floor structure is the foundation! A floor frame was built and there are floor joists every 16 inches. This floor frame built by our grandfather many years ago, just sat on old fashioned thick concrete patio slabs. Over the years the concrete pads sank into the ground which means now that the floor structure is sitting on the ground and has naturally caused the floor structure boards to rot. There is no foundation below this floor, its sitting on dirt. Otherwise the building is mostly in good shape and has many many years of fond memories. Current Bylaws would not allow this building to be rebuilt, renovated yes because it is grandfathered but a tear down and rebuild would not be allowed. So the building needs a new floor and one that will obviously be above ground! That's the question I was seeing if someone had a brilliant idea for... how do we build a new floor to support the building when the existing floor's foundation wood is punky. Hope that helps explain it a bit better.

How big is this thing, and what are the interior walls like? Could you go up where the studs in the wall are solid and nail some boards to them? Put jacks under them and lift. Once you have it up where you want it, build down with pressure treated lumber. Perhaps form up and pour concrete on top of the old.

That sounds like a possible solution. The interior walls of the cabin are not finished. You can see all of the wall studs from the inside so perhaps we can fasten some boards to the inside studs and use these new boards for jacking purposes. Over the years the cabin was built with added on sections. It was originally an ice house storing blocks of ice for refrigeration purposes which eventually became the kitchen about 14 ft. wide X 8 ft. then a livingroom was added on about 14 ft. X 12 ft. then a bedroom was added. It just might work doing it section by section. Thank you very much.
whil9052

I wonder how this one is going?

Thanks for asking KBC. This is going to be a slow project for sure but hopefully bit by bit we can salvage the place. We are going to do it in sections so we have to separate each section at the roof and we are putting a few cross ties in each roof section as well just to give it some stability when it comes time to jack each section up. I'll definitely give you some feed back when able. We are in Ontario, Canada so we are hoping our weather stays above the freezing point and that the snow stays away for awhile so we can keep working on this project.

Great to hear,
Yes the weather does play a big role, Best of luck,

Ken