# Forum More Stuff Go to Whoa!  Man Cave construction - Sub-Floor excavation

## Ourbuild

Hi Guys 
As previously mentioned in the new announcements section http://www.renovateforum.com/f186/se...ng-way-112866/ i am performing some renovation works to my property and thought i would share STAGE 1 of my Man Cave project that i recently completed. 
Below are some before during and after photo's to give you a snap shot of what i have done so far. When i get a bit more time on my hands in the coming weeks i will go into detail and try to share allot more of the photos and steps i took along the way. I posted a blog on my site when we were halfway through the construction which you can see here - The making of the man cave – Progress update | Ourbuild I also filmed the whole thing so i hope to have a video up on YouTube in the coming months (i have over 500GB of files so its taking a while to edit). 
Anyway it has been a pretty rewarding process, I have dug this whole excavation literally by hand through sandstone and clay with picks, shovels, jackhammers and rock saws, i hope you enjoy.  *Before Pic's* 
Access to the rear sub-floor area is through the laundry.    
Laundry area   
Sub floor opening behind the laundry.   
Sub- floor storage.  
Looked like previous owners had attempted to great a small room in this area.   
Looking from the sub-floor storage back out into the laundry.   
Under the house behind the storage are (the real sub-floor)    
They were some of the before pic's now i will move onto some of the during early stages.  *During Pic's* 
Some temp props.   
Back wall of store starting to be pulled down.   
Part removal of laundry/store wall and propping for access.   
First stages of hand excavation in clay and sandstone rock.   
Backyard before - Spoil from the sub-floor will be spread to raise the yard.   
Rubble being separated from good fill soil and awaits removal.   
I made a sive that we placed over the wheel barrow (left of barrow in pic) to separate the rubble from good soil.   
Back yard being topped up with fill that has been excavated from the sub-floor area.   
I am out of time, but here is a sneak peek of what is to come -     
Thanks guys, 
Regards James Mason.

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## Uncle Bob

Looks like it will be a good space. Can you get windows into it?

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## Ourbuild

> Looks like it will be a good space. Can you get windows into it?

  Hi Uncle Bob, in stage 2 I will be putting a large ser of glass sliding doors in the back wall that opens onto the rear yard. The other walls won't have any as we are below ground level.

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## paddyjoy

That's some serious excavation, looking great! 
In the second last photo where you have "300" on the wall, are those the original footings? 
Is it all clay/soil or did you have to dig down through sandstone?

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## Ourbuild

> That's some serious excavation, looking great! 
> In the second last photo where you have "300" on the wall, are those the original footings? 
> Is it all clay/soil or did you have to dig down through sandstone?

  Thanks Paddyjoy, that was the depth (or width behind the wall) of the excavation that we had to go back under the original house footings so that our new underpinning could get to the center of the original footing with a new solid 230mm brick wall under it. 
80% of the excavation was sandstone with small layers of clay between the each layer of rock. The top levels of rock came away quite easily, but as we got deeper the stone got quite hard and we actually had to cut most of it out with a demolition saw and pull it up in slabs with the jackhammer. Let me tell you that was fun, Jackhammers from 7am - 4pm for about a month solid, lucky we get along with our neighbours  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  
In the next lot of during pic's i will post you can see the excavation and under pinning in more detail. 
All the best.

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## bloomers

> Let me tell you that was fun, Jackhammers from 7am - 4pm for about a month solid, lucky we get along with our neighbours.

  Yes. I know all about jackhammers and I also know that it is not that much fun. 
Keep up the good work. 
Glenn

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## paddyjoy

> Thanks Paddyjoy, that was the depth (or width behind the wall) of the excavation that we had to go back under the original house footings so that our new underpinning could get to the center of the original footing with a new solid 230mm brick wall under it. 
> 80% of the excavation was sandstone with small layers of clay between the each layer of rock. The top levels of rock came away quite easily, but as we got deeper the stone got quite hard and we actually had to cut most of it out with a demolition saw and pull it up in slabs with the jackhammer. Let me tell you that was fun, Jackhammers from 7am - 4pm for about a month solid, lucky we get along with our neighbours  
> In the next lot of during pic's i will post you can see the excavation and under pinning in more detail. 
> All the best.

  Look forward to the rest of the pics. 
I would love to do something like this at our place but we have a semi so would never get away with it!

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## phild01

> Look forward to the rest of the pics. 
> I would love to do something like this at our place but we have a semi so would never get away with it!

  Semis can be extended up,but not down!?

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## paddyjoy

> Semis can be extended up,but not down!?

  Ha ha Phil, maybe if the neighbours go on holiday for a month!

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## phild01

> Ha ha Phil, maybe if the neighbours go on holiday for a month!

  My friend's neighbour (adjoining semi) extended up...were friends; not friends now!

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## paddyjoy

> My friend's neighbour (adjoining semi) extended up...were friends; not friends now!

  Ouch, it's hard but in the city space is so limited you can never please everyone.

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## Ourbuild

> Ha ha Phil, maybe if the neighbours go on holiday for a month!

  Hi Paddyjoy 
You can still do something like this in a semi, so long as your within your boundary line and you get council approval of course. The main issue would be the underpinning of the shared party wall, you would have to get signed consent from your neighbour and a structural engineer would be required to do the design and inspections including dilapidation reports before, during and after the works take place. 
Our place is really not that different to a semi, although its classed as free standing our neighbours walls basically abut ours, so i have had to go through with all of the above items myself.

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## Ourbuild

> My friend's neighbour (adjoining semi) extended up...were friends; not friends now!

  Small inner city blocks and semi's are tricky to work on thats for sure, its a shame it didn't work out for your friends... We are pretty lucky with our neighbours, although in saying that we go out of our way to make sure we look after them. I find that by knocking on the door and asking if they want to throw any rubbish in our skip bins before they get picked up and helping out with small handyman jobs here and there goes along way as well.

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## paddyjoy

> Hi Paddyjoy 
> You can still do something like this in a semi, so long as your within your boundary line and you get council approval of course. The main issue would be the underpinning of the shared party wall, you would have to get signed consent from your neighbour and a structural engineer would be required to do the design and inspections including dilapidation reports before, during and after the works take place. 
> Our place is really not that different to a semi, although its classed as free standing our neighbours walls basically abut ours, so i have had to go through with all of the above items myself.

  Thanks for the inspiration, I'm busy extending up at the moment so I'll see how much energy I have left at the end! There is probably a lot I can do without underpinning as I have a reasonable amount of space under there. The neighbours dug out their side without underpinning and it worked out nicely.

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## Ourbuild

> Thanks for the inspiration, I'm busy extending up at the moment so I'll see how much energy I have left at the end! There is probably a lot I can do without underpinning as I have a reasonable amount of space under there. The neighbours dug out their side without underpinning and it worked out nicely.

  Great to here your going up, are you living there while doing so? We are also in the process of going up as well, i actually put our first video up on my blog last week of the site establishment taking place (you can view through this link) Introducing the Small Space, Big Build Project – Site Establishment | Ourbuild  and i should have the demo video up late next week as well. The videos are about 5-6 weeks behind whats actually happening on site as im just finishing the roof framing as we speak.  
What stage is yours at?

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## paddyjoy

> Great to here your going up, are you living there while doing so? We are also in the process of going up as well, i actually put our first video up on my blog last week of the site establishment taking place (you can view through this link) Introducing the Small Space, Big Build Project  Site Establishment | Ourbuild  and i should have the demo video up late next week as well. The videos are about 5-6 weeks behind whats actually happening on site as im just finishing the roof framing as we speak.  
> What stage is yours at?

  Love the name, small space, big build, I can relate to that! 
Yes we are living in the house, doing the project as owner builders. Other than plumbing and electrical my wife and I will be doing pretty much everything so as you can imagine it is a very slow moving project. I have a full time job and we have two young kids so 4 months in we are only now getting ready to start the framing! Just waiting for some skylights to come from the UK then I'm going to take 3 weeks off work to get the walls and roof up and watertight. 
Here is our thread progress so far http://www.renovateforum.com/f176/sy...dition-110337/

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## Ourbuild

> Love the name, small space, big build, I can relate to that! 
> Yes we are living in the house, doing the project as owner builders. Other than plumbing and electrical my wife and I will be doing pretty much everything so as you can imagine it is a very slow moving project. I have a full time job and we have two young kids so 4 months in we are only now getting ready to start the framing! Just waiting for some skylights to come from the UK then I'm going to take 3 weeks off work to get the walls and roof up and watertight. 
> Here is our thread progress so far http://www.renovateforum.com/f176/sy...dition-110337/

  Wow! Thats a great looking project, you must have some pretty good building skills to take on a project like that as an owner builder, or are you learning along the way  :Smilie:  ?

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## paddyjoy

> Wow! Thats a great looking project, you must have some pretty good building skills to take on a project like that as an owner builder, or are you learning along the way  ?

  Thanks yes it's a learning along the way project, I really should have started with something simpler like a cubby house but I like to go in the deep end!

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## Ourbuild

Thought i would get a few more of the progress pic's up of the Man Cave project for you guys.   
All the best, James Mason.

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## Random Username

Well, the 'cave' description certainly fits it well...

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## Ourbuild

> Well, the 'cave' description certainly fits it well...

  Certainly does!!

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## Brian7886

i remember my uncle doing this to his house in Gymea Bay. Hand dug all that sock and dirt out to build a movie theatre under his house.

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## Ourbuild

> i remember my uncle doing this to his house in Gymea Bay. Hand dug all that sock and dirt out to build a movie theatre under his house.

  Wow, there is some pretty serious rock in Gymea Bay, I used to live there about 15 years ago. Did it turn out well for him?

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## hrt22

Attachment 104420Great project, I'm well in to my own dig ( time wise anyway ) seeing your's has given me some more ideas ,please post more photos .regards Tom

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## Ourbuild

Thanks hrt22, will do. Likewise do u have some to share?

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## SirMe

> Attachment 104420Great project, I'm well in to my own dig ( time wise anyway ) seeing your's has given me some more ideas ,please post more photos .regards Tom

  Your attachment link does not work.

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## hrt22

Hi Guys here are some of my photos from when I started my dig ,been slow     
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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## Ourbuild

Looking good mate, picking and shovel work??

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## hrt22

Yeah mainly ,but this is a help just picked it up last month ,should've did it sooner...  
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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