Enclose area under house

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jmg1213

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We have recently purchased a small cabin that sits on a rather steep hill. I have included a photo, but the only one I have available at the moment so not the best angle. The house sits on wood posts that go into the ground and I assume sit on concrete footers. I want to enclose the bottom of the house, primarily to help insulate under the house, provide additional stability, to provide some storage area, and maybe even install central hvac, but it would not be a living space. I am trying to determine the best way to do this, but the steep grade is a big concern. I am thinking of building walls between the posts and looking for ideas on doing this. I am thinking that the posts would remain as the points holding up the house, so I do not know how that would affect putting in foundations for the walls. Any suggestion?

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What a view. I’m not an expert but if you feel the posts are doing their job and I don’t see any reason to think they are not. (Did you have any kind of inspection done prior to buying?) if everything is good structurally I would just add some non-structural framing (pressure treated)and cover it with some sort of skirting material Maybe T 1-11 or similar or even fiberglass panels for an unheated space. blocking the wind alone I think will keep the floors a lot warmer.

Will you use it year round? What will be the lowest temps you will be seeing?
 
There is a slight sway to the house, and we did not have an inspection done. The posts are in good condition, but I figured it would not hurt to add the additional stability as well as keeping the cold breeze out during the winter and gaining some storage space. This is currently a second home in the eastern part of WV, so it can get somewhat cold with avg highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s. We plan to eventually live here full-time.
 
Closing it like Bud said would not be a problem, but leveling the floor might. You wouldn't want to undemine the the posts at the front of the house. If it is just for storage maybe a raised floor.

You don't want to do a concrete foundation as that would require retaining walls above and below the house.
 
If it has a little sway this is the time to fix that also with some diagonal bracing of some sort in both directions. I would put these on the inside of the poles and your strapping for the skin on the outside maybe just like they build pole barns. You could even cover it in pole barn siding it comes in lots of colors now and would work good for this.

Neal is right I wouldn’t mine all that slope out if you want a floor in there leave the grade alone and build the floor with steps to it for storage.
 
As part of this project, I was thinking of having a couple of levels for the floor, but I also was thinking of doing some leveling in combination with building the floors. Bud16415, instead of cross bracing, I was thinking that the use of sheathing that attaches to the posts would help, much like retrofits done in earthquake prone areas.
 
...The house sits on wood posts that go into the ground and I assume sit on concrete footers....
Click to expand...

You know what happens when we assume....?

My concern would be if the new walls put any additional stress/strain/load on the posts. Especially if that hill catches a strong winter wind. And disturbing the ground on such a slope as you have, might have it's problems also. If you are going to do anything but the absolute minimum, you might want to consult an expert. In the meantime, make sure that the floor is well insulated.
 
I appreciate those that have chimed in. I was looking for some initial input on my ideas, and as Slownsleady suggests, I will need to have a professional look at the situation and give me some definitive answers as to what I can and cannot do.
 
All your footings are rotten because it is wood set in concrete like a fence. Foundations like this only last 10-20 years. Your house sounds dangerous if " There is a slight sway to the house,"
I would suggest you contact a professional, my guess is you need major foundation work. That's when people generally sell houses btw...
 
This may be driven pilings with no concrete, any rot either way will be at or close to surface and is fixable.
The real questiopn is how deep the front posts are and how much is required to be below grade. You would have to locate the original engineers report from the permit dept.
That is why I said you wouldn't want to stay away from to much leveling.
 
You are correct panels will also provide diagonal bracing. The problem is most sheets come 4x8 so you have the seams that are weak points in the system. Long pieces of wood or even cables going corner to corner will stay in tension. I don't think your posts are rotten and if they were you would see it most at ground level or slightly below IMO


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There is no evidence of any rotting of the posts, they are in good shape. Here is a better angle of the house (though a little far away).

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In the enclosed space you should probably have a vapor barrier covering the earth and thermal insulation if the 30F to 50F ground temperature is objectionable.
 
Remove the existing insulation and have the underside of the floor sprayed with polyurethane insulation. It provides excellent r-values and blocks out all air intrusion. I wouldn't recommend a water-blown product as these are more prone to moisture retention.

Mike
 
Get up close and get some photos of the posts and beams and floor joist and get some measurements of beam size and length. What is the head height at the center of the house.
 
Good suggestions, guys. I will be going by the house this week, so I will get some pictures and measurements and post.
 
There are 12 posts (6x6) that support the house (24' x 30'), plus the posts (also 6x6) that support the deck on two sides of the house. There is only one beam that runs down the center, the length of the house that rests on the four center posts. This beam is constructed of two 2 x 10s that sits in a notch in the posts. The underside of the house is covered with an insulating fiberboard with insulation blown in between them and the subfloor. This limits my ability to fully see the floor construction. The four outside posts on either side of the house attach to the floor joists which are 2 x 6s. Here are a few pics. The ones with the 2x4 and level are to help give more perspective on the slope.

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The little shed under the house is a furnace closet, yes,no?
What kind of floor doesw it have concrete, wood?
Will you be happy with six feet to the floor almost seven feet other than under beam?
Have you poked around thew posts to see if there is concrete around them?

Everything else is fairly simple.
 
The closet houses the water line which is insulated and has a dirt floor. I realized that I may have less than 8' of height in the finished area, so that is okay since it will be primarily a storage area. The area under the house remains dry when it rains.
 
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