jacking a house
 

Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.

jacking a house
 

First you need a solid concrete footing. Dont use hydraulic jacks if
your jacking will effect diferent floors, use screw jacks , Is it just a
sagging floor or an unlevel area , how big.

jacking a house
 

First you need a solid concrete footing.

Got a good floor under there - concrete

Dont use hydraulic jacks if
your jacking will effect diferent floors

What do you mean? If I don't have a concrete one?
And why are screw jacks better?

Is it just a
sagging floor or an unlevel area , how big.

Tomato, TomAHto. Aren't they the same thing?
Most of my main 2 rooms (small house - each room
is 15' x 15' roughly) sags towards a point near the
center of the two rooms

jacking a house
 

--
"Alan McKay" wrote in message

Dont use hydraulic jacks if
your jacking will effect diferent floors

What do you mean? If I don't have a concrete one?
And why are screw jacks better?

Screw jacks are better as you can take up each jack an equal amount. It
took 130 years for the floor to sag. Don't lift it all in a day. I'm not
sure what the recommendations are, but I do know to go very slow and take a
tiny amount each day to avoid cracking stuff.

Is it just a
sagging floor or an unlevel area , how big.

Tomato, TomAHto. Aren't they the same thing?
Most of my main 2 rooms (small house - each room
is 15' x 15' roughly) sags towards a point near the
center of the two rooms

No, it can be unlevel (but straight) from shifting of the foundation or an
error in putting in the foundation years ago. With something unlevel, you'd
want to lift one side as opposed to taking out the sag you have.
Ed

jacking a house
 

"Alan McKay" wrote in message
.. .
Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.

That is the traditional way. If the floor is real solid, a long pipe may
work also, in lieu of some of the timbers. Just wanna make sure it can't
shift and shoot sideways and KILL you. Check local rental center, and see
what they have in stock- you need more than a typical truck jack, and you
don't wanna buy these for just one job. Best to use several jacks, and lots
of spreader beams across several joists. (You DO know you don't use the
I-beam to jack with, right? You raise the house up, install the beam with
proper supports at correct height, and set the house back down on it.
Fractions of an inch clearance and all that.) Just for laughs, compare
rental costs to what a house moving/ foundation restore company would
charge. If you have all the beam and post materials on site, and can make a
road to get the beam in (typically a small hole in top of foundation), they
may not charge too much. This is how they completely raise a house to move
it, so setting one piddly little beam would be trivial for them. Be aware
that a concrete floor isn't enough- you will probably have to punch holes in
the slab, and put in footers under where the posts will go. A PITA, but not
hard technically. You also need a solid link from the beam to the foundation
walls, typically a notch the beam rests in.

aem sends....

jacking a house
 

I was at a home show in Knoxville last month and there was a guy there who
had a company that did both slab-jacking AND foundation raising. They dig
around the existing foundation, attach large pieces of angle plate to it,
drive anchors deep into the ground, that attach a jacking mechanism. When
they get the whole thing where they want it, they bore a few holes and pump
concrete into the void left under the slab to support it. I assume they
then remove the mechanisms, but maybe they are left in place. I didn't get
their brochure, but you could probably call around in Knoxville TN and look
for slab-jacker and find out which one had this service available.

Alan McKay wrote:

Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.

--
If you can read this .. thank a teacher ..
If you are reading it in English .. thank a soldier too !!

__ Bob __

jacking a house
 

Alan McKay wrote:
First you need a solid concrete footing.

Got a good floor under there - concrete

Floors are not designed to handle the stress, you should put in good
footers. Exactly what is needed depends on the local soil conditions.


Dont use hydraulic jacks if
your jacking will effect diferent floors

What do you mean? If I don't have a concrete one?
And why are screw jacks better?

Use the screw jacks. They are cheaper and not likely to blow a seal in
5 years.


Is it just a
sagging floor or an unlevel area , how big.

Tomato, TomAHto. Aren't they the same thing?
Most of my main 2 rooms (small house - each room
is 15' x 15' roughly) sags towards a point near the
center of the two rooms

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

jacking a house
 

Screw jacks if used right will cause allot less damage and yes always
remain stable, unlike hydraulic. In jacking a house or floor you will
affect the walls above. A screw jack can be raised in minute increments
that can be monitored better . raising a structure slowly , 4 weeks or
more per inch is important unless you don't mind large cracks in All
adjoining walls and walls above. Real slow allows your house to adjust
and not crack as much.
What are you raising, because in a 12 ft span 2 jacks will work if you
are jacking in a basement and want to be able to walk around easier. A
second floor ? 3rd floor ? 4th ? 5th?
I wonder how good the engineer was if he couldnt tell you how to do
it, because thats what it is really all about.
Depending on load there are different grades of screw jacks.

jacking a house
 

"Alan McKay" wrote in message ...
Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.


I used screw jacks bought from a truck supply store. Used lengths of
pipe slipped over the handles to give enough leverage. Raised the
joists a couple of clicks a week until there was positive camber. Let
the joists relax on a brick wall added to transfer load to ground.

If your steel beam is intended as the final support, jacking against
it will prevent crushing the wood. Did the engineer tell you what
area of floor the new columns will need to support the weight of the
beam and house? I used a brick wall because it worked architecturally
and spread the load out over a wide area.

Tom Baker

jacking a house
 

What is wrong with you? Get a girlfriend....you have far too much time on
your hands. Jack up a 130 year old house because it sags a bit! Jeez.......


"Alan McKay" wrote in message
.. .
Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.

jacking a house
 

took 130 years for the floor to sag. Don't lift it all in a day. I'm not
sure what the recommendations are, but I do know to go very slow and take a
tiny amount each day to avoid cracking stuff.

Yes, I realise I have to do this.

But again my original question : how to manage the jacks?
Do I build up a pile of wood 'cross-hatched' til the jack just fits
on top the wood and under the i-beam? Or if not, what?

jacking a house
 

shift and shoot sideways and KILL you.

Yup, I'm aware of this danger (which is why I asked!!!)

of spreader beams across several joists. (You DO know you don't use the
I-beam to jack with, right? You raise the house up, install the beam with
proper supports at correct height, and set the house back down on it.
Fractions of an inch clearance and all that.)

No, I didn't know you don't jack the i-beam. Thanks. What is a
'spreader beam'?

that a concrete floor isn't enough- you will probably have to punch holes in
the slab, and put in footers under where the posts will go.

Yeah, re-reading the engineer's report he says that in there. Guess I need
to rent a jackhammer.

I have a foundation guy coming to do other work, so I will get him to
quote me on this as well "just for laughts" ;-)

jacking a house
 

I was at a home show in Knoxville last month and there was a guy there who
had a company that did both slab-jacking AND foundation raising. They dig
around the existing foundation, attach large pieces of angle plate to it,
drive anchors deep into the ground, that attach a jacking mechanism. When
they get the whole thing where they want it, they bore a few holes and pump
concrete into the void left under the slab to support it. I assume they
then remove the mechanisms, but maybe they are left in place. I didn't get

I don't think they'll be jacking my stone basement like that ... especially since
part of the floor is bedrock ;-)

jacking a house
 

Floors are not designed to handle the stress, you should put in good
footers. Exactly what is needed depends on the local soil conditions.

Part of my basement floor is bedrock. The part that is concrete is not likely
very thick til you get bedrock below there. This whole neighbourhood
has granite bedrock really shallow

jacking a house
 

I wonder how good the engineer was if he couldnt tell you how to do
it, because thats what it is really all about.

My fault for not asking really. He wrote a full report that I can give to
a contractor. But after-the-fact I decided maybe I'd like to do this
part of the work myself.

jacking a house
 

What is wrong with you? Get a girlfriend....you have far too much time on
your hands. Jack up a 130 year old house because it sags a bit! Jeez.......

:-)

jacking a house
 

I see no reason not to jack the beam and leave the jacks as the support.
That is a common, perfectly acceptable, code approved way of jacking
houses, unless you are in an earthquake zone.
You also dont need piles of wood just a good poured footing and the
beam.

jacking a house
 

Alan McKay wrote:
I was at a home show in Knoxville last month and there was a guy there who
had a company that did both slab-jacking AND foundation raising. They dig
around the existing foundation, attach large pieces of angle plate to it,
drive anchors deep into the ground, that attach a jacking mechanism. When
they get the whole thing where they want it, they bore a few holes and pump
concrete into the void left under the slab to support it. I assume they
then remove the mechanisms, but maybe they are left in place. I didn't get

I don't think they'll be jacking my stone basement like that ... especially since
part of the floor is bedrock ;-)

Just need bigger jacks.

jacking a house
 

"Alan McKay" wrote in message
.. .
Folks,

I've got a bit of a saggy floor in my 130 year old home, and want to
jack it a bit. I've already had a structural engineer look at it and he
told me what has to be done, but not how to do it.

I've got to put 12 feet of 6" I-beam in, with 3 posts. OK, easy.
I need a good hydralic jack. Ok, easy.

1) You only use a hydralic jack if you want to lift a heavy load relatively
quickly and then put something under the load and remove the jack. If the
circumstances are as I describe them (e.g.: wood wedges or packing can be
emplaced to hold the load after the jack is removed) then hydralic jacks are
fine. They are easy to use and with a little calculaton you can determine
how much lifting force you are employing.

2) Most folks use the steel poles purchased at a "home store" like Home
Depot. At one time "they" made them so that one pole could roughly adjust
from about 4' to 8' with in 4" steps and the screw adjustment at the top
would give you another 6". Now they just sell the solid poles with a 6"
screw but they are stocked in various lengths. That means that if you have
a total lift more than a few inches, you may have to buy a shorter pole and
when it runs out of capacity, bring in a longer pole. But they are
relatively inexpensive and can be sold at yard sales for a good priice when
you no longer need the shorter ones (the longer ones will likely stay in
place.) Obviously, you determine the length range needed before you buy.

You may want to secure both the top and bottom of the jack to the beam you
are lifting and and floor respectively. A poured concrete floor may "punch
through" At the minimum, you should drill a hold through any concrete to
see how sound it is. When in doubt, make a hole in the floor and pour a
fresh footing. If you are using bedrock for a "support" then it's even
more important to ensure that the bottom of the jack doesn't move under the
load. Also, just because you have some rock in your basement doesn't mean
that its "bedrock." It could be that the guy whol built the house didn't
feel up to moving a 500# or so stone. Under load your "bedrock" might
move. If the jack it strongly fastened, it will not be the end of the
world. If the jack is just resting on it, a shift can cause a BIG problem.


But how to I rig up the jack? Do I have to build up a bunch of
wood (2 pieces this way, 2 pieces at 90 degree, and so on)
until I am high enough where the jack fits in under the ibeam?
Then jack it, adjust the posts?
That seems the obvious way to me.

jacking a house
 

John , my Ace, menards, sell adjustable 2 section jacks, The adjustable
are the cheaper type , the solid have higher load rating

jacking a house
 

The screw jacks people are referring to are attached to a pipe. One end of
the pipe will bear on your foundation, the other end has a threaded rod or
screw. You will turn the nut on the screw pushing on the pipe/foundation
one direction and to the steel beam in the other direction. Some places
require you to tack weld the thread to prevent it from backing off, though I
think this is unnecessary. When you have reached the desired elevation, the
screw jacks are left in place and become your columns.


"Alan McKay" wrote in message
.. .
took 130 years for the floor to sag. Don't lift it all in a day. I'm
not
sure what the recommendations are, but I do know to go very slow and
take a
tiny amount each day to avoid cracking stuff.

Yes, I realise I have to do this.

But again my original question : how to manage the jacks?
Do I build up a pile of wood 'cross-hatched' til the jack just fits
on top the wood and under the i-beam? Or if not, what?

jacking a house
 

I agree, there is no reason not to jack against the steel beam. Place the
jack right under the beam and go to work.

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
I see no reason not to jack the beam and leave the jacks as the support.
That is a common, perfectly acceptable, code approved way of jacking
houses, unless you are in an earthquake zone.
You also dont need piles of wood just a good poured footing and the
beam.

jacking a house
 

You also dont need piles of wood just a good poured footing and the
beam.

.... and a 4 foot high jack if I don't have the wood