Phil, I think I would plan on using solid concrete/haydite patio
blocks with no mortar. These blocks come in 8x16 units in nominal
1, 1 1/2, 2, and 4" units depending on manufacturer. An
assortment of cedar shingles and treated lumber can make up
anything finer. I would plan on a copper flash between the house
and the piers to prevent termites. If the original footings are
OK, this should allow you to load the piers immediately. The
other advantage is that if the building re-settles, it will be
much easier to monitor and adjust.

I would be concerned about lowering the house subject to plumbing
and other utilities. I would think it would be best to average
the 4 corners. Use a laser level that can shoot under all the
obstacles (a rotating laser or "follow me" type would be ideal).
If the center is down as much as you indicate, you may want to
jack until you hear the structure really groan and quit. Over a
period of weeks, slowly raise the worst areas giving them a bit of
time to adjust. The center girder caries a lot more of the load
than the outside walls, so you may need additional piers, larger
bearing pads, or both.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
...
I just bought a house (well, not JUST) in Southern Louisiana with
the
foundation piers requiring some maintenance and repair. Almost
all of
them (8" x 24", all brick, approx 18" tall) will require some
tuck-
pointing of the mortar, and the remaining ones are in bad enough
shape
or are leaning far enough that they will need to be demo'd and
rebuilt. I also need to sister a couple of floor joists and
replace
one 6x6 sill beam. The house is still fairly level, with about
a
3-1/2" height differential in the floors (which is considered
borderline for needing leveling for these parts). While I'm at
it,
I'd like to level the house again, but I'm unsure of the
following
things:

1. What should my order of operations be? It seems that I
should
start from the ground up--piers, sill, joists, leveling
everything as
I go.

2. My plan to re-lay a pier is as follows: Jack and block the
sill
on either side of the pier, twice (the first time will likely
settle a
bit), until the sill is at whatever arbitrary elevation I decide
it
should be, knock down the existing brick, use some Type M mortar
(adding a little extra cement), re-lay the brick right up to
about
1/8" below the jacked-up sill (after double-checking the
elevation)
and let it sit that way for 5 days or so, then remove the blocks
and
let the jacks down slowly onto the new pier. Does this sound
like the
right way to go?

3. To tuck-point, dig out the mortar until I get to good, hard
stuff
in the center 12" of the pier (enough that I have some bearing
on of
both of the sill beams), squeeze new mortar in with a grout bag,
let
it sit for 5 days, then do the outsides the same way. If the
elevation at that point needs to be raised, jack and block, then
use
some non-shrink grout to fill in the last little bit, unless
there's
enough room for another brick.

4. For leveling purposes, is it ever a good idea to go DOWN?
I'm
thinking I can minimize plaster damage and whatnot by choosing
the
elevation in the center, thereby moving a maximum of 1-3/4",
rather
than 3-1/2". The house is 80 years old, so I'm thinking that
any
further movement will be cyclical in nature, and just about all
of the
settlement has already occurred. Famous last words, right?

I know that's quite a mouthful. Thanks in advance, guys and
gals.

Phil