If the subfloor is dusty, this is where vacuum cleaners [subject of a recent
on-list discussion] come into their own.  Sieve well away from the house.
Possibly even invest in a small air pump to keep the air sweet.

Definitely enlist an engineer and possibly a builder to just make sure you
are not undermining foundations or compromising your own safety.

Some parts of the underfloor are so narrow, eg hallways with sleeper
footings and with such poor light it sometimes did not repay the effort,
simply because you could not get a good sense of stratigraphy.  If you have
had multiple floor liftings, trench cuttings or easy access the evidence may
be so jumbled that it is worthless.  Some areas should be possibly
considered as witness areas that should only be dug if absolutely necessary
or when a definite opportunity, such as when an entire floor can be lifted.
Unless it definitely all has to go as a salvage, why not get the best
conditions possible, even if it means staging with a building conservation
program.

Denis

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Denis Gojak
Banksia Heritage + Archaeology
PO Box 457
Newtown NSW 2042
Australia

W    02 9558 0220
F     02 9558 4120
M    0413 030 293
E    [log in to unmask]




----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 10:57 PM
Subject: Re: Underhouse Archaeology


> While I have never excavated under a house, I did termite work to pay for
my MA. I have been under a few thousand houses. I have seen ceramics, slate,
spoons and forks under some of the historic houses in downtown Savannah. So
I offer this.
>
> Depending on how much space you have you will need a variety of tools.
>
> A dust mask is the most important. Some houses are very dry underneath and
a slight movement will kick up a lot of dust.  Some houses are damp
underneath and then you have mold. Jump suits for working in really help.
Crawling around on your belly tends to put dirt in strange places.
>
> If the house is really low you may have to tunnel around. air conditioning
ducts and pipes have to be tunneled under.  You can not crawl over them as
they will break.  Be careful tunneling you my get stuck from time to time (I
have).
>
> Small army shovels work well in confined spaces.
>
> If you remove a lot of dirt you may also need to add extra support to the
house.
>
> You will also need lots of light. Large flash lights work well but you can
also string work lights.
>
> People working under a house also need more breaks. Having spent a full
8hrs under a house I can say that after a while things do close in.
>
>
>
> Finally as always consult OSHA begs.  You will be in a  confined work
space.
>
> Dan Hughes
>
> -- Carl Steen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> In a message dated 4/30/2004 7:25:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask]
> writes:
> Dan and Fellow HistArchers:
> In excavating a 9 ft deep cellar beneath the kitchen ell of a country
house
> built between 1729 and 1740, we encountered an oval pit, about 4 ft and 3
ft
> along its major and minor axes, in the floor of the cellar. It yielded the
> remains, largely reconstructable, of nearly two dozen early 19th century
wine
> bottles. I did not expect to find a pit of uncertain function in the floor
of a
> cellar. Our work had focused on identifying and sampling deposits formed
during
> the use of the cellar prior to its having been abandoned and filled with
> demolition debris.
>
> As for hazards, moldering plaster and highly unstable brick walls posed
> hazards.
>
> Jim Gibb
> Annapolis, MD  USA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Daniel H. Weiskotten
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 10:18 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Underhouse Archaeology
>
> A few days ago I had the pleasure to visit Charles Pinckney National
> Historic Site at Snee Farm northeast of Charleston, SC.  I was impressed
at
> the use of archaeology to tell the story of the plantation during
> Pinckney's time, a necessity because none of Pinckney's buildings remain.
>
> http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/chpi/index.htm
>
> I was quite interested in the "underhouse" excavations as I have one site
> that lies under an existing building and I have another building that has
> been tested all around, but not under (although a mass of late 18th
century
> wine bottle fragments were found in the 1980s while enlarging the stairs
to
> the 20th century furnace room).
>
> What guidelines, techniques, clothing, dust masks, health issues, words of
> wisdom, etc., do listers have to share?
>
> I am well aware of black widows!
>
>         Dan W.
> Gee Dan - while you were in Charleston you should have visited Martha
Zierden
> who, as we speak, is excavating in the basement of the Charleston Town
Hall.
> I agree with Amy Koval that lighting is very important. Dust and
contaminants
> can be a problem, but compared to access and suitable room to work, a
minor
> one. A water sprayer can be employed to keep the dust under control, and
> screening can be taken outside... Hey Amy and Bennie - when are we going
to see a
> report on Snee Farm? Excavations were done what, 1992? CS
>
>
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