[Cob] How to extend an urbanite foundation and drainage trench?

[William Pittman]

Ziggy,

  I would over extend your drainage system in that area you are trying to
build by digging the new system deeper than your original foundation and
extended it out slightly further than the area of your house. This creates a
tier system that will improve the overall drainage by making the original
system a 'just in case' system, but it also creates more work.

-WTP

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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:00:34 -0500
From: Brian Liloia <evacindustry at gmail.com>
Subject: [Cob] How to extend an urbanite foundation and drainage
    trench?
To: coblist at deatech.com
Message-ID:
    <b5fa84221003231900g45cd9c4dpf4e308586d604df at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi all:

I am hoping to add a very small addition to my cob home this year: an
extension to the doorway to create something of a mini mud room (or
airlock). It will mostly consist of extending the foundation (and drainage
as well, I presume) by about four or five feet.

However, I'm not sure how to best go about this. How would you extend a
drainage trench without disrupting what is already there? (My trench is 18"
deep, filled with gravel and 4" perf pipe at the bottom).

Any suggestions? What would be the best way to dig the extended trench
without mucking stuff up?

(Here's a photo of the entrance - the wall will be extended to kiss up
against the exterior post:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smallape/3531827579/in/set-72157604714762643/)

- ziggy

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