[09.19.03]
Well, go figure. What happens when you start poking around in all the right places? You get yourself into trouble don't you! And so was the case in this situation. On closer inspection, the limestone/rock foundation hidden under the mud porch was a mess. All the mortar, a stickier version of the cement we just poured for the slab, was dry rotted and falling out. You could literally pick it out of the cracks with your fingers, like Kristy is doing here. It was like powder and amazingly, the foundation is still standing. Probably because it's several foot thick toward ground level. The foundation was built similar to a pyramid started underground and ending up with just the tip showing above ground to support the wall sitting upon it. And trust me, back in the day when it was built, it was built well.

[09.19.03]
This is a fine example of how the stones look after some of the mortar has been painstakingly removed. I say "some" and "painstakingly" because it was tough to decide where and when to stop removing mortar and none of it was fun. Consider it about as fun as sawing down a 100 year old oak tree with a butter knife. I may exaggerate the work but, it seemed to take forever.

[09.19.03]
As I said, when and where should you stop removing the mortar? It's pretty obvious that in some cases there was not a question and before we knew it, we were looking at direct passages into the basement. The wall is so thick here Kristy has her arm extended into the foundation and it still isn't visible inside the basement, although you can see light and carry on a conversation through the wall.

[09.19.03]
It took an entire day to get this part of the project out of the way. Six bags of mortar, all done by hand, scraping and stuffing every last joint on the wall. It was an experience every "body" felt good and bad about, once quitting time finally arrived. Even though it was not planned it was a good thing to discover and repair. No need to worry about the this wall caving in. Unless you start looking at the basement side, that is. It's never ending, the work of a homeowner is never dull.

Next, it's time to start construction