gravel foundation

[martyv(Guest)]

I did a search and couldn't come up with much on this.  But I know this method was used for years

I am looking to build a small log cabin as cheap as possible.  I can get good clean gravel and am thinking of just using that for the foundation.  I would build up the gravel until it gets a little above grade and then just bed the bottom log into that.

I think with good eaves and good drainage that I won't get rot for quite a few years.  Does anyone see problems with that?

[Jimmy C.]

That's a tough one. If it can't be googled it must not be out there! I tried 7 or 8 different ways to look it up and the only thing I could come up with was a gravel foundation under a slab...

[jonsey/downunder]

Try your search with "Rubble trench footings". They are commonly used under strawbale. Here are a couple of sites to get you going.
http://www.earthgarden.com.au/strawbale/footings.html
http://www.buildnaturally.com/NB/NBrubbletrench.html

[Dustin]

You might be safer and happier with a popular method for small cabins, concrete pier foundation.  It's not very difficult for the owner builder. You just dig the holes and pour councrete in the cardboard forms. This is a pretty cheap foundation and it gets you up off the ground a little to make plumbing, repairs and so on easier. The ranch I'm a member of has 10 smallish cabins and all of them are on pier foundations.

[John Raabe]

In the Little House plans I detail the post and pier foundation as the suggested way to do the foundation for a small building. But I also have a modern variation of the gravel trench system which can work well for a shed or storage building that does not need access to the underfloor area. For a small structure you could build this up a bit higher on a PT skid and actually move the building if needed. These kinds of buildings are bears to insulate, wire and plumb however.

[martyv(Guest)]

Thanks for the feedback.

This is going to be a simple cabin.  I will likely use a gravel pad for the whole thing and then put down sand and then pavers for the floor.  Wood heat, lantern for light, no plumbing.

I hadn't thought about the trenches.  I think I have read about rubble trench foundation.  Sounds like it will work.  I'm going to go for it...come summer.

[Amanda_931]

need to be able to drain to daylight from the foundation.  All sloping downhill to daylight from a foot or so below ground level.  

The tractor with a biggish (12 inch) auger worked pretty well for us, evened it up with a digging stick.  This kind of pattern, although the holes were a lot closer.

@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
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But I have immensely well-packed silt with plenty of rock mixed in.  I groan when I hear people saying how easy something was to dig by hand.  They might need less in the way of soil amendments as well.

But if your building is in a hole you may be out of luck for that method.

Durn, the @ signs are nicely not-in-line in live preview, line up the way I don't want them to in the real thing.  I'll try it this way.

[FrankInWI]

John, you mentioned PT skid.... I AM thinking of a movable building (like the 200 sq ft variety). Oh... you mean Pressure Treated.... oh, ok.   What dimension of lumber to you think I'd need?  Would it be two of them...or three? .... and then the floor joists running across them?
Thanks