Digging in a crawl space?

[Brian Ski]

I used an 1 1/2 spade bit with a long extension to break up a clay rocky ground. You need a good drill. I just needed a couple post holes. Sounds like you are not digging a lot. Heads up, some foundations may only be 48" deep in a crawl space.

 

[Hawkeye]

I was thinking Tannerite...

 

[drop45]

This guy needed ideas on digging in his crawl space too, be careful.

 

[gregkl]

Good timing for me. I am buying a house that I will be putting 4 piers under the support beam to level it out and make sure it doesn't sag again for a very long time. I will need to dig 4 pads 24" X 24" X ?? deep for a concrete pad to set the blocks on for the supports. I was wondering how I would shovel it out with the crawlspace being less than 4' high.

I'll be trying the drill idea.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Good timing for me. I am buying a house that I will be putting 4 piers under the support beam to level it out and make sure it doesn't sag again for a very long time. I will need to dig 4 pads 24" X 24" X ?? deep for a concrete pad to set the blocks on for the supports. I was wondering how I would shovel it out with the crawlspace being less than 4' high.

I'll be trying the drill idea.

Not that I don't sympathize with your and the OP's plight, but from the perspective of someone who has spent many, many hours of his life in much tighter places digging, 4' and even 30" of clearance sounds like heaven. I've been chuckling a bit reading this thread (not dissing anyone here!). Most of the places I'm digging in caves are chest to back against the floor/ceiling or walls and you are passing handfuls of dirt or rock along your body to the person behind you.

 

[Brian Ski]

Good timing for me. I am buying a house that I will be putting 4 piers under the support beam to level it out and make sure it doesn't sag again for a very long time. I will need to dig 4 pads 24" X 24" X ?? deep for a concrete pad to set the blocks on for the supports. I was wondering how I would shovel it out with the crawlspace being less than 4' high.

I'll be trying the drill idea.

Just be careful with the digging and drilling. You need to have the pads rest on undisturbed ground. You do not want to fluff up the ground under the pads.

 

[gregkl]

Not that I don't sympathize with your and the OP's plight, but from the perspective of someone who has spent many, many hours of his life in much tighter places digging, 4' and even 30" of clearance sounds like heaven. I've been chuckling a bit reading this thread (not dissing anyone here!). Most of the places I'm digging in caves are chest to back against the floor/ceiling or walls and you are passing handfuls of dirt or rock along your body to the person behind you.

Yeah, I don't think it will be too bad. I'm looking for way to loosen the dirt so I can scoop it out since I can't stand and put a foot on the shovel. And I think I'll be able to spread most of the excavated dirt around low spots in the crawl. It will be hard work, but I don't want to pay $1400 to have it done.

I bought a real fixer upper!

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

A tool called a bulb auger is available at most hardware stores. It is about 18" in length and bores a 2" hole for planting bulbs and will work in any type of drill. This should help with your project.

 

[ModernGunner]

Digging in a crawl space?

Not sure I sure respond to this. Sounds a little too "John Wayne Gacy" for me...

Have your buddy buy a drill auger. You can certainly use a long drill bit, but after that much grinding on the ground, it'll be pretty much ruined.

If either you or your buddy have a heavy duty (a REAL heavy-duty drill, not one that just says "Heavy Duty" on the stupid label) drill, that and a drill auger will work well. Won't be fast for a hole that size, but faster than chipping away with a small trench shovel.

 

[Butch627]

Not that I don't sympathize with your and the OP's plight, but from the perspective of someone who has spent many, many hours of his life in much tighter places digging, 4' and even 30" of clearance sounds like heaven. I've been chuckling a bit reading this thread (not dissing anyone here!). Most of the places I'm digging in caves are chest to back against the floor/ceiling or walls and you are passing handfuls of dirt or rock along your body to the person behind you.

Im just idly curious as to what you are digging and why in such a confined space?

 

[shibumiseeker]

Im just idly curious as to what you are digging and why in such a confined space?

I've been a caver for over 30 years now and dig open new caves and new places in existing caves. If it is big enough to fit through then it doesn't need to be dug larger so pretty much any time I'm digging it's in very small space.

 

[gregkl]

It's interesting that I got an e-mail notification that someone posted here and said something to the affect that I be careful that I don't disturb the ground drilling and digging. Now I can't find the post.

Whoever you are, thanks, I appreciate that. My plan is to dig down a minimum of 4 inches. If I am still able to go deeper I will continue until I hit bedrock(limestone where I live actually) or just stop at about 8" or so. I get conflicting responses on how deep I should go. Some say 4", some say 18". Some say throw a couple blocks on top of the dirt.

Unless they back filled the crawlspace after they finished the excavation on this property 53 years ago, the ground has not been touched in a very, very long time. I am putting solid block piers every 6' along the main beam.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Post number 26.

 

[gregkl]

Post number 26.

Thanks.

 

[Ranger Rick]

Frame in a access door in the floor, ideally in a closet, then you can use post hole digger; works great!

 

[BGDave]

Watch the movie " The Great Escape" You should be able to pick up some pointers.

Glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.

To bad John Wayne Gacy can't be questioned. (Not really. He had it coming.) That clown was a crawl space digging fool.