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Getting concrete and dirt out of basement.

6K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  kwikfishron 
#1 · (Edited)
I am finishing my basement. In so doing in am installing interior weeping tile. (would do exterior but because of landscaping, neighbours, etc. can't)

Need to get the concrete I jack-hammered and dirt out. about a cubic yard of concrete (only doing half so another later) and a cubic yard of dirt (same more later).
Can't rent conveyor here.

Looking at a couple of ideas.
1. build rails with 2x6's then have a wheeled cart and pullies, with a winch. Kinda like in the mines. This would dump rightinto the trailer.

2. build a trough (need one to get gravel in basement anyway.). elevate it inside basement so it is level or slightly up. Then use tubs (I have 8) and rope to slide them out. Would have to go up short stepladder to get tubs into through.

Any other ideas or thoughts?
Thanks for any help.
 
#2 ·
I would think you could get 2 yards out and 1 yard inside with 12 hours of work. I would use 3 labors, $50 each, a few bottles of water, and someone to keep them motivated.
Are you able to cut the concert? It will be easier to remove if it is 25 pound chunks than odd sizes that is hard to shovel and do not fit in a bucket.

When I replaced the cast iron pipes under my house I cut the concrete and set it about 3' over. I put the dirt between the concrete chunks and the cut out. Put the old cast iron pipes in 4' chunks on the dirt piles. When we brought in the bagged concrete we lined it up about 3' on the other side of the cut out. The gravel was dumped between the bagged concrete and the cut out.
I took 4 people 3.5 hours to get everything moved. 2 day labors, my brother, and my self. We worked for 25 minutes then took a 5 minute rest and switch jobs. 2 people carry stuff up and down steps and 2 people to load buckets.
 
#3 ·
"mae-ling"

Done what you're going to do, a few times.
Easiest way?
Cut the floor - rent the largest electric saw, with a diamond blade -
rent an electric jack-hammer -
(think twice about using a gas powered saw!! -carbon monoxide!!)
bust out the concrete -
lots of 5-gal. buckets to take out the concrete/dirt -

As far as adding gravel -
we build a small chute and run it through a window -
dump the gravel down the chute into a wheel-barrow -
I don't think you should use any dirt for back-fill!

As far as concrete? -
we use bag-mix.

It's "fun" job!! :)
(Ha, ha, ha!) :)

I don't know what "code" is -where you're at -
we can use PVC, here.

Good luck!

rossfingal
 
#4 ·
Concrete already busted up. Had to use jack-hammer on it all, no electric saw just gas one and I have used them before and did not want it in my basement.
Cutting into nice squares would have been great, but could not.

Will use chute to get gravel down.
Getting the concrete and dirt out is the thing. Hard to find helpers for day. And if I do they would be $120-150 each for the day.
Figured I may have to do it myself. So if I need a chute anyway why not put it in with the end in the basement on high workhorses, and an intermediate one, then fill about 6 tubs, line them up in the chute, go outside and pull them out and dump into trailer. Figured may be easier then lugging 5 gal pails up the stairs.
 
#8 ·
I had a guy with a saw ti cut/score the slab to minimize the amount of concrete and soil to remove. It went into 5 gallon buckets(half full) that my 12 year old son and friends kugged out when they were available. When the returned the buckets, they were half full with a rock/coarse sand mix and dumped on the floor.

It took 4 week ends for me to dig out the chunks, wet soil, mix the bags of concrete as I worked around the basement starting from the sump.

If you are in a hurry, renting equipment and using some great new tools is fun and faster.

Dick
 
#10 ·
Now would be a good time to install that egress window you know you always wanted down there...........:whistling2:

Even enlarging one of the existing basement windows one course lower would help immensely. You may also want to look into renting a small conveyor, if they're available in your area. Anyway you look at this though, it's going to be far more efficient & easier if you had a second person to help........
 
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