New garage time!

[EddieWalker]

Ok got a question. I need to remove the topsoil, 6" down BEFORE the footers are dug. I'm not sure the best way to do this.

The backhoe

I would dig it with the hoe bucket and pile the dirt where I could get it with the front bucket, and then haul it to where it needs to one bucket at a time.

Do you really have top soil? Is it loamy and organic? I consistently see people post pictures of what they call topsoil on their places, and to me, it is not top soil, and it was a wast of time to remove it. Where I live in East Texas, we do not have top soil. Where I used to live in CA, the organic loam went down a hundred feet and required significant footings, but once you got into the hills and, there was no top soil and the foundations where designed for earthquakes.

If you actually have 6 inches of topsoil, are you replacing it with gravel that you will have to compact or clean fill that you will have to compact?

If you do not have top soil, then you do not have to pay for fill material that is very difficult to compact.

 

[Jack Murdock]

I really want to follow this as well. My dream after #3 and #4 are out of college is to build a shop / mancave / living area here in upstate NY. Just curious I saw radiant heat but what fuel ? Oil, Nat Gas, LP or wood ? Radiant implies a hot water boiler and you can easily add a separate zone for a water heater off the boiler. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[fatjay]

I consider topsoil the part where the grass/roots are. Under that it's hard, but if you put it on top of where grass is growing, the grass/roots will die, it will break down, and it can sink, thus creating foundation issues.

I don't know what I'm going to do for radiant heat yet. For now I'm concentrating on the building, and my entire budget is going towards the biggest building I can afford. I'm not even doing floors aside from plywood around the perimiter on second and 3rd floors to start, so it'll be all open aside from the floor joists. I'm 35 now so I hope to get 50 years out of this building and if it takes a while to finish, I'm 100% ok with that. For now I just want to get in out of the elements. I have 8 cars and 3 car garage right now, i need more space.

 

[fatjay]

Once top soil is off, it'll be backfilled with 2b stone and i'll compact it with one of those compactors.

 

[fatjay]

Cleaned up the garage site, got the plans finished up. Going to trench to a lower portion of the yard so water drains out of the dig site. It is raining a lot and the yard is a mess.

 

[airbiscuit]

I don't see an $$$ elevator in the plans.

 

[fatjay]

I don't see an $$$ elevator in the plans.

That's coming later. Blowing the budget on the building first, just an empty building, then I'll improve it over the years.

 

[drivesitfar]

FJ: some of the builders around here use HAY to keep the mud at a minimum or because the inspectors make them buy it, but if you can get some cheap it might help your mud issues and maybe keep your machines from getting stuck.

good luck!!

 

[fatjay]

The problem is 6" down is nothing but solid clay and it sucks for absorbsion. Straw prices are insane right now, $9 for square bales so I'd rather avoid it if I can. Since the yard is pitched once i have a trench it should drain pretty well.

 

[drivesitfar]

FJ: just throwing it out there about the hay and sounds like you've researched it and hopefully your trenching will work.

good luck