Pole foundation

[simonmeridew]

getting back to the original question, I have a afriend who built his house on cedar posts like you described. NOrthern Vermont similar climate to you I'd say. Got a private contractor who augers holes for the phone company when they need to set a pole, and put poles in as deep as he could, probably 4 feet, 4 feet on center from each other. On a kind of side hill. Built a platform and so on with as many diagonal braces as possible, then the house up from that. All was great for a couple of years. Then we noticed a bit of a list to some of the posts. Next year quite a bit more list. Kind of a lean you might say.  Bottom line: quite a  job cleaning up this mess, as hillside creep took its toll. It's been 20 years now, and all is good now, but I've got to say there's something to be said for concrete.
But now, "page two": the beach houses I've seen in the outer banks of North Carolina are all built on tall pressure treated posts, that are "hosed" in the ground, with high pressure water.  Lots of diagonal bracing for stability.  Little or no concrete. Not sure how long they last but they seem good. I've got to say when ever anyone runs up the stairs, you can feel it two rooms away. But hurricane proof  as the water will wash right under the building and not carry it away. \
Just a couple of things to think about.
simonmeridew

[Rockn H]

I can't help with the frost heave much, but I do have some experience with building with utility poles.  Here the main thing to watch for is termites.  Most poles aren't treated through and through so if you bury them or not they need to be treated on the bottom end.  The best thing I've seen is tar.  The camps here along the Saline river were all built in the 50's and I've talked to several of the builders whose camps are still solid, nothing fancy just coated the ends with tar and stuck in the ground.  If the tops were exposed, that is if they were sticking out a little, they got a coat of tar too. ;)  If the camp wasn't high, say 2', the blocks were just set on the ground.  My camp is a good example.  When we tore off the front porch, the poles were just sitting on the ground and had no sign of tar.  They were creosote, but they were ate out in the middle.  The row of poles next to the camp were sitting on 4"x16"x24" creosote pads cut from bridge timbers.  The ends of the timbers and poles were all coated with tar, and they were all solid as a rock.  I've seen a couple camps like this.  Some buried and some not.  Where the main camp is on poles that show tar and are solid ,while the porch (which seems to always be added on later ;)) has to be redone because the support poles which show no tar are rotten.

DanG, I like that idea.  While I really like admiring timber framed buildings and log cabin techniques, I know I will never have the time or where with all to build some of these great looking buildings.  These other building techniques are already discussed they're just scattered out.  Stick frames for sure, but you also have your pole barns and other various "redneck" engineer'd structures.

[Part_Timer]

Jeff

Katie and I were thinking the same thing for a cabin on the farm except I was given a dozen 4" metal pipe's 3/16 wall 16' long.  We are thinking of using the crushed rock idea with a concrete pad in the bottom of the hole.  We're a couple of years away  so I'm afraid I'm not much help.  I do think the idea is sound.