Steve,
Thanks for the pics of the tavern. The wife and I love those old ones, but they can be a PITA to maintain because of their age. Our first one had no foundation. It was built atop logs supported by piles of rocks. One of the logs was rotted resulting in a 3" gap in the corner of one room. We sold it to a contractor who dug it out and put a full basement under it.
Our 2nd one was one the side of a hill and over time the soil slumped so it was above the plate, which had rotted as a result. I rented a Bobcat and terraced it to make the repairs. Luckily there was a fireplace on that wall and only about 6' needed to be fixed. It had a basement with fieldstone walls which always seeped during heavy rains.
We now live in a small ranch with no stairs to contend with, in anticipation of old age.
