Hello!
Bought a house that comes with a small barn. The problem is that there are no gutters, so water has splashed up on the facade and sill, which have now rotted.
The wooden sill is in the ground, and my idea was to install gutters and raise the barn, and build a leca foundation about 30cm high to prevent both the sill and facade boards from being in contact with the ground.
However, several questions arise as I like to be prepared for a project like this.
First of all, how to raise the barn properly?
The idea is to only need to raise it by 1-2cm, cut away what's necessary, build a new foundation, a new sill, and then lower it back by 1-2cm.
But the part of the barn that needs to be replaced is about 18m long, so I might have to do this in sections.
Would it work to take about 4m, screw 115x115 inside all standing studs, and then use 15-ton jacks to raise it? Risk of everything collapsing?
How long does it take for leca to dry before the barn can be placed on it again?
Should I dig down to frost-free depth or just place stone where the existing sill was? (+ Some drained macadam or similar)
I live in central Sweden.
Bought a house that comes with a small barn. The problem is that there are no gutters, so water has splashed up on the facade and sill, which have now rotted.
The wooden sill is in the ground, and my idea was to install gutters and raise the barn, and build a leca foundation about 30cm high to prevent both the sill and facade boards from being in contact with the ground.
However, several questions arise as I like to be prepared for a project like this.
First of all, how to raise the barn properly?
The idea is to only need to raise it by 1-2cm, cut away what's necessary, build a new foundation, a new sill, and then lower it back by 1-2cm.
But the part of the barn that needs to be replaced is about 18m long, so I might have to do this in sections.
Would it work to take about 4m, screw 115x115 inside all standing studs, and then use 15-ton jacks to raise it? Risk of everything collapsing?
How long does it take for leca to dry before the barn can be placed on it again?
Should I dig down to frost-free depth or just place stone where the existing sill was? (+ Some drained macadam or similar)
I live in central Sweden.
The choice of foundation depends on what the barn will be used for.
If it is meant to function as a rain-protected, unheated, well-ventilated space, there is no reason to complicate things with a brick and frost-secured foundation. In that case, it works well to do as before and place larger stones under the sill, buried about halfway. This makes the function the same as before but with a moisture-secured sill.
If it is going to be a more or less heated space, it is the right approach to go with a Leca foundation wall. However, such a wall requires frost-free and drainage. The frost-free depth can be reduced using ground insulation. It will be a very comprehensive and expensive project.
In principle, sections of about 4 m should work. It depends a bit on side-reinforcing walls/braces. The stiffness of the long wall along the length should be sufficiently large regardless. Otherwise, it's easy to temporarily brace with diagonal braces.
Just raising the sill and facade a few dm from the ground + gutters that significantly reduce the ground splash makes a big difference.
Despite this, high-quality moisture-resistant wood must be used. Preferably heart pine or heart oak. The facade can advantageously be equipped with a sacrificial board and/or divided facade at knee height, so you avoid having to tear down the entire wall just because the boards at the lower dm have started to deteriorate. (Which they always do over time.)
If it is meant to function as a rain-protected, unheated, well-ventilated space, there is no reason to complicate things with a brick and frost-secured foundation. In that case, it works well to do as before and place larger stones under the sill, buried about halfway. This makes the function the same as before but with a moisture-secured sill.
If it is going to be a more or less heated space, it is the right approach to go with a Leca foundation wall. However, such a wall requires frost-free and drainage. The frost-free depth can be reduced using ground insulation. It will be a very comprehensive and expensive project.
In principle, sections of about 4 m should work. It depends a bit on side-reinforcing walls/braces. The stiffness of the long wall along the length should be sufficiently large regardless. Otherwise, it's easy to temporarily brace with diagonal braces.
Just raising the sill and facade a few dm from the ground + gutters that significantly reduce the ground splash makes a big difference.
Despite this, high-quality moisture-resistant wood must be used. Preferably heart pine or heart oak. The facade can advantageously be equipped with a sacrificial board and/or divided facade at knee height, so you avoid having to tear down the entire wall just because the boards at the lower dm have started to deteriorate. (Which they always do over time.)
As you say, the barn is essentially unheated (except for a garage section with a cast slab of about 15m²).Oldboy said:
I was thinking of making a divided facade since I wasn't keen (stingy) on changing the facade all the way up.
Instead of regular stones, one should be able to just place a Leca row, right? I thought it would be a little easier to get it reasonably straight.
I think it might not be very difficult to get it even enough with natural stone. However, it is likely a bit heavier.
My experience with old methods, which is admittedly not extensive, is that they are quite simple and straightforward once you start working with them. I believe the biggest obstacle is our lack of knowledge and experience.
Leca is specifically dimensioned and straight, but requires proper groundwork + plastering to look decent, be frost-resistant over time, and continue to look even and good year after year. Solid foundation work is required to prevent frost heaving. A straight and nicely plastered foundation cannot withstand frost heaving without cracking and becoming visibly skewed and shabby. With straight Leca blocks, you can immediately see if they are crooked.
Natural materials, on the other hand, are robust, long-lasting, and have "graceful degradation."
I imagine that if you dig out and lay a foundation with gravel, a little more than the (natural) stone needs to fit, and then twist and adjust it until it settles into the gravel at the correct/adequately good height. I continue to think/guess based on my experience, and view this as a prime example of "Learning by doing" with a steep learning curve. If you are interested in a natural stone foundation and want to empirically test my speculations, a good start would be to choose a suitable foundation stone (small), dig a small hole, lay some gravel at the bottom, prop up a "sill beam," and then see if and how you can work with the stone to place it at the correct height.
My experience with old methods, which is admittedly not extensive, is that they are quite simple and straightforward once you start working with them. I believe the biggest obstacle is our lack of knowledge and experience.
Leca is specifically dimensioned and straight, but requires proper groundwork + plastering to look decent, be frost-resistant over time, and continue to look even and good year after year. Solid foundation work is required to prevent frost heaving. A straight and nicely plastered foundation cannot withstand frost heaving without cracking and becoming visibly skewed and shabby. With straight Leca blocks, you can immediately see if they are crooked.
Natural materials, on the other hand, are robust, long-lasting, and have "graceful degradation."
I imagine that if you dig out and lay a foundation with gravel, a little more than the (natural) stone needs to fit, and then twist and adjust it until it settles into the gravel at the correct/adequately good height. I continue to think/guess based on my experience, and view this as a prime example of "Learning by doing" with a steep learning curve. If you are interested in a natural stone foundation and want to empirically test my speculations, a good start would be to choose a suitable foundation stone (small), dig a small hole, lay some gravel at the bottom, prop up a "sill beam," and then see if and how you can work with the stone to place it at the correct height.