This year's big project

Before taking on a big project like the new cabin, Annamarie insists something big gets done on our house. This year was the guest room. There were a couple things that had to be dealt with---the livingroom floor was bouncy because the joists span too far. The concrete perimeter foundation had a 3' section that water ran underneath in heavy rains, and it was free hanging...The basement would get damp. The worst thing was our trampoline---since we live on a mountainside, one side was 2' lower than the other. The kids could jump but would end up in the neighbor's yard.

So I cut a hole in the cinderblock foundation where the window would go, and spent the summer digging out 22 yards of dirt on bucket at a time. A drystack rock wall holds back the dirt where the trampoline is now level.....Then, mixed concrete and poured the walls (12" thick) carrying the same buckets, now full of concrete, one at a time. Poured concrete against the new wall up under the bad spot on the foundation. Installed a french drain that runs 200' to the street, all gravity run. Supported the livingroom floor over the new walls, so now the floor is nice and stiff.

Now it's just finish work. You'll enter the new guestroom from the basement.