Foundation Dug!

sorry for the late update!

Shortly after my last post I did get the chance to dig the foundation. It was so, so hard. There were rocks and roots the entire way and it was back breaking work. It took two days and not nearly as long to tamp the gravel. Either way, it is dug and done. I am waiting for a mason who has volunteered to give me a very basic lesson in stone masonry before I attempt to lay stones. I'll update that when I get there.

Soon enough I'll probably post revision drawings because I have changed the design. I'll also update with some structural notes now that I know how to calculate the load this will carry.

Ready to Dig

Well, not really. The picture above shows a limestone line of where I am going to dig the foundation. Once I drew the first line (the outside dimension of 10' diameter) I knew that the 2' foundation I imagined was WAY too big. In fact, it was over a foot too big. These are things I am learning while building. The reason why it is too big is because I was reading literature on structures that need to support a second story, people, roof load, etc etc, and span far greater distances. It wasn't hard to realize that what I drew was not only wasteful but takes away too much space on the inside.

So, those lines are drawn and I don't see a problem with the width. I imagine once I start digging they will get a bit wider by an inch or two. I am not going to dig today just in case I have a sudden moment of 'OH NO' and think that this is a terrible idea. I'm going to sleep on it and think about it tomorrow morning.

I trust my instincts on this, but I don't know how to build. I've read lots and lots about cob and what kind of foundation it needs, but I've also seen how people just 'wing' it. I've seen thin walls and I've seen thick ones. Ultimately, I'd rather make it thinner than I first drew and have to suck up not putting a great green roof and maybe only a thin one than have thick walls that eat up so much space the shed isn't functional. And most importantly if I'm right, I really did learn something from the internet.

:]

Pre-foundation

Now that the old shed is gone and we have the land regraded and ready for building, I thought I'd share some of the drawings and pictures and fill you in on what's next.

The earth was regraded because the water wasn't running away from our house. Our soil normally has great drainage but we couldn't do the work ourselves. They came, saved me some earth which will be turned into cob (it's got a fair amount of sand and aggregate already!), and made the area that I will build the shed on much more stable. They seemed pretty interested in my project (actually, most people are) and I think are waiting to see if I'll really do it. We all know I will, even if out of pride at this point.

Now that I have the tools, tomorrow I am going to go out and begin marking my excavation site. I'll post pictures of that. After I dig the trench, I'll be heading over to Drywall Masonry Supply in raynham to purchase the gravel for the rubble trench foundation. Thankfully I have a hand tamper to borrow from a friend and I got some books to help me through this process.

Building With Cob - Adam Weismann + Katy Bryce (loves rubble trench foundations with stone plinth style, explains whole process)
Measuring, Marking and Layout - John Carroll (good general notes)
The Art of the Stone Mason - Ian Cramb (great drawings!)
Stonebuilder's Primer - Charles Long (written for owner/builders by someone who really loves rocks)

Other than a ton of labor left to do and a lot of "HOW AM I GOING TO GET THIS DONE ON TIME" sort of thinking, looks like tomorrow is a great day to start building.

Businesses that have helped us thus far:

NER - dumpster/recycling service
Del's Landscaping - Regraded the earth, helped do some yardwork (508 558-8961)
Drywall Masonry Supplies - Is helping to find used masonry tools for the stone foundation, provided information etc
Stumpy's - Got rid of a few rotted stumps in our yard! (John and Steve 508 662-2413)

And a few locals who have let me borrow tools, learn a thing or two about what I'm doing, and endless patience from my family, teachers, and friends. :)