Basement floor prep

[300UGUY]

I might be working on putting a concrete floor in the basement of a building. Floor is 1500 sq ft. To get it to a full 8 ft, I need to remove about 16 in of matieral, over the whole surface. Access is only a staircase. One problem is the volume of matieral. My calculation is about 74 yards. Does that sound right? How many yards can one of 2 people do in a day?

 

[dodge man]

I got 74 yards also. How much can you move in a day? Probably depends on how good of shape your are in and how hard you are willing to work. Does your foundation go deep enough?

 

[KennyG]

Even assuming easy digging, ramps on the stairs for wheelbarrows, dump into a loader right outside, I'd allow at least 10 days of hard work. I would also consider giving the job a pass if you've got other things to do. Sounds like a tough one. 74 yards is a lot of material.

 

[dave1949]

I would try to rig up an elevator of some sort going out through a window. Maybe an elevator like is used for firewood or grain. It would need an electric motor.

Good point about the foundation depth.

 

[JPRambo]

A 5 gal bucket is close to .5 cubic feet. That will be 54 buckets to a cubic yard. 54 buckets time 74 yards =3996 buckets. If it takes 5 minutes to load 2 bucket and carry outside, it will take 1 person 20.8 8 hour days to remove the dirt. I don't think I would do it this way.

 

[/pine]

if there is no other access than the stairway...I'm curious why 8' is necessary ?

Without knowing more than what is stated in the OP...the logistics of the job make it infeasible but not impossible...

if there is access to one of the walls from the exterior I would consider creating a new opening that would allow access with a machine that could be closed back up...possibly with an overhead door etc..

 

[newbury]

Advertise it as an exercise program and charge people $1 a bucket to allow them to get the exercise!

 

[KennyG]

Without knowing more than what is stated in the OP...the logistics of the job make it infeasible but not impossible...

As long as you accept hard work, I don't see the problem. I have seen a couple of cases where people have hand dug basements under existing houses with crawl spaces. I probably wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it. You start by digging a pit under a localized portion of the old foundation and pouring a new footing and wall under that section, then move on from there. It's a job that may take years, but people have done it.

 

[s219]

That's about 100 tons of dirt, roughly 6 dump truck loads (figure twin axle that hauls ~ 16 tons). Not something I'd want to move by hand. I even dread hand shoveling 2 tons of material out of my trailer, as it kills my wrists.

 

[PILOON]

I.d say it would be easier to jack and lift the house 16" and add a wooden 'add on wall' B4 lowering the house.
Standard insulation and stucco on the outside.
OK, so plumbing and other services would need to be elongated to accommodate the lift but not all that difficult to do.
Same goes for stairs and porch supports.
Just leave an opening for the concrete truck to do the pour which would later be plugged.