Stilt Foundation

While we were awaiting move-in I had a very interesting conversation by telephone with Thurman Whisner the engineer who designed the stilt foundation of our vacation home.  He expressed conviction that the home would never flood despite its location in the floodplain, and offered the names of several local contractors who might help us, should a need arise.  (He also accurately predicted that Roy, the self-proclaimed groundskeeper, would stop by at every opportunity, which has been the case.)

It is believed that the cabin was raised to its current location in the winter of 2006-07.  Below is a transcript of Whisner's letter (dated Decemberr 2004) attached to the FEMA Flood Certificate of December 2006.

As per the request of the owner, Dee Cole, of existing 20 FT x 24 FT Cabin on Lot #25 in Cacapon River Meadows Subdivision, I, Thurman Whisner, PE/PS, completed an elevation survey to determine the actual 100-Year Base Flood Elevation with respect to the existing ground elevations near the existing Cabin location on her property and to set a Benchmark Elevation (EL 441) at top of railroad spike in an upstream forked tree.  Both the bottom main first floor and the second floor (loft area) of the existing Cabin are well below the 100 Year Base Flood Elevation (BFE) at EL454 within Flood Zone AE.

The existing Cabin on Lot #25 has had a history of damage during past major floods with deck damage and was actually washed off the foundation during the 1985 Flood.  The Cabin was reset onto a new 8”X8” treated posts (railroad ties) foundation and new decks were built after several major storms.  Thus, the existing Cabin on Lot #25 at the present elevation and on the existing foundation is likely to be inundated by any major flood along the Cacapon River, possibly causing some (future) flood damage to the Cabin.

This fact was brought more apparent to existing owner, Dee Cole, whom witnessed first hand a near miss & devastation of a major ice flow along Cacapon River this past spring.  That is the reason why the owner, Dee Cole, requested that I design a new Foundation that would withstand any major flood, especially during a spring flood with major ice flow and debris flow. 

This proposed new Foundation will be constructed along upstream side of existing Cabin and will consist of the following:

·         Steel support beam framing system at 2 FT depth bearing and

·         Anchored to six 20”diameter reinforced concrete columns at 10 FT height above

·         3 FT concrete pedestals of various heights and

·         All bearing on a reinforced concrete spread footing on 2 FT diameter X 5 FT depth concrete caissons.

·         The top W8x31# steel support beams (4 total) @ 40 FT each shall be installed under the existing 20 FT x 24 FT cabin on top of two W18X50# Lift Beans each @ 30 FT length and 2x10 treated sill plates shall be bolted to top flange of W8x31# Beams.

The cabin shall then be lifted by a 120 Ton Crane and set on top of the above proposed new Foundation with the top of steel set at the 100 Year Base Flood EL454.

Thurman W. Whisner, PE/PS

WV PE #7816 & PS #1589

Hurricane Irene

The last segment of our vacation was cut short by Irene, a Category 1 hurricane that skirted the coast from Norfolk, Virginia to New York City and beyond.  We left for home on Saturday evening to ride out the weather with the chickens.  The drive back was rainy, although we were spared the brunt of the storm, the worst of which passed in the night.

Before leaving there was time for a lunch of baked beans, cornbread, and grilled steak, followed by an afternoon snack of two bacon-fried fresh fish from the river, our first catch.  John the Plumber stopped during the rain to attempt to fix the leaky shared well, and both commodes.

Pictured above was our night of dancing to Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion and Madonna's Vogue.  We'll be back soon, Clarion.

Low-Water Bridge to Clarion Lane

This week saw our first days and nights together as a family in the cottage.  We did all the typical vacation stuff, like playing in the river, grilling hamburgers, sitting by the campfire, and watching the stars.  Our two aging dogs accompanied us, although the collie preferred to stay downstairs.  A good time was had by all.

After a quick visit to Bob's Tire we embarked on our first tubing adventure.  The journey from Low-Water Bridge to Clarion Lane lasted just over two and half hours.  Coincidentally, earlier this summer on our very first house-hunting trip, we had been rerouted when Power House Road was closed at the Low-Water Bridge.  Our joint memory was that the bridge was completely gone, however, we found the bridge in tact this week.

A local fellow, a burly home-builder, and his teenage daughter kept us company for the first quarter mile.   They must have been walking home when the earthquake struck.  We were oblivious to the 5.8 magnitude quake from our vantage point on the water.  Being that the river is lowest in late summer, the only thing we felt were the "butt rocks" as my sons like to call the shallow rapids.

On the following day the cousins joined us for a one night stay.  Back to Bob's for more tubes and seven of us floated from the common area to somewhere near the farmhouse.  We would have gone longer but I misinterpreted the take-out so we had to walk home from our neighbor Chuck's place at 873 Clarion.

Neighbors Nick and Rachel were especially kind to us.  They surprised our youngest son with a gift in the form of a river frog.  Nick showed me how to fix the shared well with a stepladder.  They even lent us a "cup of Internet" so somebody could check her e-mail.

Yes, this is the stuff that memories are made of.  Mommy used her novel to test the property's many lovely sitting spots.  Daddy got a bait trap ($6) and his first West Virginia fishing license ($53).  The kids spent hours playing with Beyblades, building electronic circuits, and watching fish.  The wildlife is abundant.  Sitings included deer, groundhogs, squirrels, a blue crane, crayfish, butterflies, hornets, and a bazillion spiders.  No sign of the bear yet, but we did hear the wild turkey at nightfall.

Tonight we are back home for the second of two quick visits to care for our chickens.

Day Two

Drove there and back in one evening, this the day after settlement.  It is a good sign: Willingness to spend almost four hours on the road for but one hour there.

Delivered a load of non-essentials in our tiny 5x8 trailer.  The picnic table, kayak, several sleeping bags, tent, cooler, folding chairs, some emergency supplies.  Clearly it was an excuse to experience a very brief solace at the end of a workday.

Arrived home in time to put the chickens away and finish Monster Blood.

Settlement Day

We moved the closing up as early as possible to make the most of the remaining days of summer.  All went well except that we had to hurry home after dropping off some groceries and staples.  Fantasies of staying here indefinitely.

During the final walk-through, the seller was cordial and answered all of our questions.  She even went out of her way to gift us a bag of purple Iris in time for autumn planting.  How do we control the radiant heat?  How do we winterize the plumbing?  How do we operate the carport lighting?  What precautions should we take when it floods?  And what about bears?

We learned several interesting trivia.  The spiral staircase was custom-built in Hagerstown.  The original fireplace was centered on the wall to the left of its current location.  The accent lights in the entryway were designed to illuminate artwork on the wall before an extra closet was added at the last minute.  The cabin was gutted and completely remodeled several years ago.  She decided against installing the elevator.  "An interesting project," she called it.

And the property is infested with moles.

The attorney's office can be accurately described as stately and distinguished, their namesake etched proudly in a large black marble tombstone rising up from the front lawn.  Did we bring the check?  Would we like a pen?  Do we have insurance?  Has the electricity service been transferred?  Does the deed convey the common area?  We were out in less than an hour with plenty of time for handshakes and chitchat.

Quick trip back to the property to unload and take two photos.  Mommy was the first to use the microwave and the facilities.  We'll be back soon.

Homemade Emergency Water Filter

Prior to moving in I am spending my weekends gathering camping equipment and sundries for the new place.  Being somewhat of a remote location, it is essential to have the basics on hand.  The current economic turmoil has heightened my sense of preparedness.  Becoming prepared is a way to cope with the uncertainty of a collapsing dollar.  A vacation home can serve as a supply cache and base camp.  In the worst-case scenario, our family may take refuge there indefinitely.

High on most survival lists is a safe and adequate source of water.  Many emergency situations can render a public water supply inaccessible.  Electric well pumps become inoperable in the most temporary of blackouts. Fortunately, the river near our property offers an abundant supply if its water can be made potable.  Sunshine and boiling are methods for making water safe, but they take time and, in the latter case, energy.

I saw recently a post on SurvivalBlog.com about making an emergency filter for pond water.  Here I document my adaptation of their design and explain how it differs.  This project costs only about $15 using two 5-gallon buckets, a short section of 3" dia. PVC drainpipe, 2-3 lb. active charcoal, and about 400 cotton balls.  I'm going to assume you can find sand and rocks.  An optional lid for one of the buckets can be used to store the device neatly until it gets used. A large paper filter, like one used in a coffee machine, is not required but further increases the effectiveness of this device.

Active charcoal is sometimes called activated, or active, carbon.  It is said to be active because its tiny particles have an amazingly large surface area that cause it to trap impurities.  One site says that a mere 10 grams has the surface area of a football field.  Active charcoal can be purchased in the aquarium section of big box stores, or on-line from aquarium suppliers.

The only tools required to construct this filter are a jigsaw or hacksaw, a 1/8" drill, tape measure, and marker.  Cut a piece of scrap PVC drainpipe to a length of about five inches.  Set the pipe in one of the buckets vertically so that one opening of the pipe rests against the bucket and the other is up.  Set the second bucket inside the first on top of the pipe.  Draw a line around the second bucket using the top edge of the first bucket as a guide.  In other words, you need to cut down the inner bucket to fit completely inside the outer one.

If you have a lid, you will need to cut the inner bucket a half-inch shorter so the lid does not conflict.  Cut down the inner bucket and test the fit.  Discard the top section of the inner bucket.

Use the drill to make holes in the pipe and both buckets.  In the outer (taller) bucket, drill about 20 drain holes in the bottom, near the center.  In the pipe, drill about 20 holes along the edge of either opening.  (The opening in the pipe with these holes goes down when the filter is assembled.)

Finally, drill holes in the bottom of the inner (shorter) bucket, but not in the center.  Instead, place the pipe against the center of the shorter bucket as a guide, and drill the holes halfway between the pipe and the outside edge of the bucket.  The holes should make a big circular pattern about one-third of the radius of the bucket.

To assemble the filter, lay the pipe in the center of the taller bucket with the hole side down.  Stuff cotton around the pipe to hold it in place.  The cotton should come up roughly half the height of the pipe.  Pour active charcoal on top of the cotton, filling it no higher than the top of the drain pipe.  Insert the shorter bucket into the taller bucket so that it rests on top of the pipe and charcoal.  Fill the inner bucket one third with sand, followed by one third with pebbles, and finally topped with gravel.  If you have a coffee filter, leave a small depression in the layer of gravel.  Place the coffee filter on top to form a shallow dish shape in the center.

To operate, position the filter on top of a catch-basin or large pot.  Pour pond water into the top, about a gallon at a time until you get used to the flow rate.  If I get really bored some weekend I may build a stand for the filter so the pot fits beneath.

When not in use, dry out the parts; put duct tape over the drain holes to keep dirt and bugs out; store a fresh supply of cotton and charcoal inside; and cover with the lid.

The original design called for multiple layers of rocks, charcoal, and cotton, each about one inch thick, whereas my design has only one layer of each.  The problem I have with the repeating layers design is that it becomes difficult to visually check the charcoal, and to replace the charcoal and cotton.  It would be hard to separate the charcoal and cotton from the rocks if they were in multiple layers.  In my design you just remove the inner bucket.  If there is a benefit to having repeating layers I would argue that the same effect can be had by running the water through my design several times.  Of course, if you have any concerns about the quality of water that comes out, boil the water before consuming.

Have fun building the filter and using it.  Hopefully we will never be forced to use it.