Removing Foundation Question

[RyanEricW]

Oh man I know this is probably a taboo subject on here. But wanted to get the thoughts of everyone on this.

My only access to my crawl space is outside of the home. Putting one inside is not an option.

When I first moved in, the hole was only open by 2 blocks high. I had a contractor remove another block so I could get down there and he framed in this nice cinder block area.

Now I'd like to personally take it a step further and remove more blocks all the way to the ground and make a small staircase so it's easier to get in/out.

Is this something that generally shouldn't be done? Or since there's a hole there already, it should be ok?

 

[GMCGarage]

No issue. Just figure a way to keep water out of it.

 

[ford33]

It can be done. How far down is the crawl space from that last step? That will determine how many steps you need to build and the distance out from the house the stair will extend.

You will need to build a block wall along the sides and back of the staircase and you will want to be sure you adequately support the house above the staircase. I would also recommend a means to cover and enclose the opening so critters do not have access.

This is a lot of digging and placing heavy blocks. If DIY, hope you are healthy and up to the challenge.

 

[RyanEricW]

Thanks guys. There's about another 3 blocks below the opening. I just had drain tile installed around the perimeter, so I figure I could probably tie into that for a pitched floor drain.

Appreciate the feedback. I planned on blocking the walls as like a "shoring" because obviously we don't want the ground caving in!

I'll probably just build a wood enclosure around it with doors to alleviate any concerns about rodents

Then I plan on enclosing the whole crawl with plastic...which will be my next post lol

I'm just glad there's so many knowledgeable people on here

 

[NUTTSGT]

Looks like a good spot for a set of Bilco doors.

 

[Bretny]

What your doing is making a bilco style entrance. Its perfectly fine if done right. I built one on my house years ago. Footer below frost line then connected the new walls to the old by every other block and added a metal door on top. I built a wood vertical insulated door to seal any drafts out. This is now my only way to get in/out my basement. Its 6ft tall.

 

[kbs2244]

Once you have a header over a space in the wall, it doesn't matter how deep the space is.

 

[larry4406]

Google precast basement entrance for even more ideas.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pre...UICygC&biw=1024&bih=631#imgrc=11m-8xwfgJD0JM:

My parents house had an addition put on and the only into the crawl space was via a trap door under the dryer. Dryer was light and easy to move if needed. Never went down there.