Spring house rebuild

Smokeydog · Dec 27, 2020

The spring house was crushed from tornado tree damage this summer. The spring was the water source and refrigerator for the 1000acre land grant over 250 years ago. It was rebuilt ~80 years ago with mostly white oak, rock and concrete. Currently supplies water to three houses and farm. Have done some maintenance and and roof replacement over the years. Treated lumber, plywood or store bought lumber just doesn’t last in this environment. The spring runs thru the building.

Trying galvanized steel framing and oak and walnut 1” rough sawn siding attached with reamer screws.

Still a work in progress. Hopefully will last as long as the last one for generations to come.

TnAndy · Dec 27, 2020

We use a small spring on our place for our water source. I built a shed over it sorta like yours back in the 80's, and it lasted about 30 years. Now at the collection point, I built a block box about 40" square with a sheet metal lid on top. Water collects in the box, runs in a 1" pipe down hill about 50 yds to a point I could build a building to house two 1500 gal poly tanks for storage. The spring fills them constantly, the excess run out a fitting near the tank top. and into a 1" line along with the supply line on down to the house and rest of the place. The overflow line I plumbed into a fish pond to give it near constant water supply, along with a tap on down to the chickens and cows so they have a constant supply of water....they get it first, then the fish pond. Second fish pond receives the overflow of the first one.

Whole thing is gravity feed so no pump required, but I do have a booster pump at the house to take the incoming 25psi and boost it to 40-60. Also have a UV sterilizer light set up along with filters to make sure we don't get a dose of something out of the spring.

Tank storage building 10'x20':

EddieWalker · Dec 27, 2020

I like the idea of using galvanized posts, but I question how long oak and walnut will last? In my experience, if you want it to last, you have to use materials that cannot decay. PVC, plastic, Cement, rock, brick and metal.

Smokeydog · Dec 27, 2020

The cabin in the background was the original homestead. Even paper thin loss of wood per year over centuries adds up. Thinking wood siding would be aesthetically pleasing in the setting. If a tornado thrown tree hadn’t crushed the last one it would be have maybe lasted another 80 years.

On the spring house no wood will now be in contact with the ground or stone. 2” thick by 5’ white oak planks set in stone to walk over the spring I replaced over 45 years ago still can hold my ample weight. They too will be replaced by aluminum bar safety grating as part of the rebuild.

The couple I bought the farm from, she did all the building and farming. Restored the cabin, spring house, built a 4500sqft castle out of rock and repurposed materials. Building solar back in the 1940s. Both Manhattan Project pioneers. Remarkable folks.

We daily pump water on a timer up to a cistern 1/2 mile up to the said rock house. Back pressure supplies water to the farm and cabins at ~100psi. 14 stage deep well pump lays in the spring.