Comments (3)

• chris Jan 31, 2013 14:37 Reply
  what type of brackets were these?
• Rick Jan 31, 2013 17:12 Reply
  They are Simpson CBSQ Column Bases. They're the 6x6 bases so the exact model # is CBSQ66-SDS2.
• Newlady0811 Jun 29, 2018 16:53 Reply
  Hi, I’m so happy to have found your site. I’ve already read your posts about your mini cabin. I love it. I don’t know much about construction. Im curious about why you were unhappy with the piers. We’re they not structurally sound? I’m asking because my husband & I are planning on building something similar. He’s disabled;so, I’ll be doing 75% of the labor myself. Your posts are such a help in decision making already. I can’t wait to read the rest. Thanks so much for sharing your build.
  • mcewens_mcblog Jun 29, 2018 20:22 Reply
    Thanks for the kind words about the site. I guess I was unhappy with the first attempt at making piers just because they didn't seem as "beefy" as I had hoped and they were also kind of ugly. As you can see in the pictures above, several of the edges of the bases didn't fill completely.
    
    I think when you form a plan to build something and the results don't turn out as well as you mentally pictured they would, it's discouraging. Also, I built the plywood forms with a sort of "leveling screw" in the corners which I thought would allow me to level the forms and just pour the concrete but that plan didn't really work as I recall, so keeping everything level was very difficult on the uneven ground.
    
    They probably would have been fine, really, but I'm much happier with the results after I did a second pour around the first attempt, which you can see here: http://blog.flgator.com/2010-07-07-cabin-foundati...
    
    In any case, they have held up very well in the eight years since I poured them and haven't seemed to degrade or settle at all.