Digging out an old basement and jacking the floor.

[TheBoiler]

I have a 100 year old house which under one end has an old basement that has been half filled with the debris of ages. I want to clear it out but it is 30x30 and probably 4ft deep full of ash and who knows what. The floor above has sagged so I will then be jacking it up and putting a couple of RSJ's in.

The only access is a hole in the wood floor about my size, I have found a mini conveyor, but was wondering if there was something around that would be easier. I was thinking of something like a very very large shop vac!

Any ideas appreciated.

[crokett]

In the long run it will probably save you time to make the hole bigger and/or pull the floor out. I've dug out 4 basements/crawl spaces and after the first one we pulled the floor and the joists. Pulling them and then putting them back was much faster than trying to work through a small hole.

[pelligrini]

Is there any access to an exposed exterior wall?

We did a remodel of a pier&beam house several years ago. The contractor made an opening in one of the exterior walls. They removed material by loading it onto a long sled and pulled it out with a bobcat or one of their trucks. The sled was just 2x4s and OSB.

[TheBoiler]

We sit on the foundations of an older building that burned down, there was a couple of windows in the old photo's now below grade that we could possibly un block, I think the foundation walls are 16" thick brick. I will need to investigate.

Many thanks.

[TheBoiler]

I have been told what the tech term is, Vacumn Excavation.

I am getting quotes both ways, probably be cheaper to hand dig and pay daily labuor.

[gjat]

Go to a college and offer to let them to do an archeological dig through the debris. Tell them they can keep and sell/display any artifacts they find! The only requirement is they bring all the stuff out.

[TheBoiler]

Funny you should mention this, we had Comolrado Mountain College involved last year on another building we have. I do need to re contact them, not so sure about them keeping what they find, we were on the way to Leadville in the boom days, still dream of finding a lost hoard of gold.