Messages and Online Forum Q&A

Re: house jacking

From: info@builderswebsource.com
Category: Foundations and Basements
Remote Name: 63.198.181.43
Date: 31 Dec 2000
Time: 10:03 AM

Comments

House jacking is an art that involves specialty tools and contractors who have experience in a range of foundation correction problems. If you're not a contractor yourself, we strongly advise that you discuss your situation with local contractors who specialize in this field. Even if you are a general contractor, foundation correction requires special knowledge and experience.

Before correcting any foundation situation, it's important to know something about the soil conditions on the property. Based on a soil analysis, a geotechnical engineer can help make recommendations about the type of foundation that would work best, such as a traditional "T" footing or a pier and grade beam system. There are also jacking systems that drive steel rods down to a bedrock support layer, helping to prevent the structure from settling. Another system uses "helical piers."

Once the soil composition is understood (this often requires drilling a few test cylinders), a structural engineer would design the actual foundation based on the soils coniditions. The engineer would specify items such as the foundation thickness and depth, concrete strength, rebar size and spacing, stirrups, anchor bolts and hold-downs and any other seismic or hurricane considerations depending on your area and expected loading conditions.

The design of the foundation, then, will drive the way in which it is installed. It is possible to jack up the entire house to provide enough clearance to install a new foundation. This process requires meticulous attention to detail...and generally results in some amount of replumbing, rewiring and cosmetic repairs (such as cracks in walls, etc.)

The foundation is the most important part of your home...and having one that's designed to stay in place is the first step in ensuring the structural integrity of your residence. This is the job for an experienced company that has the expertise and tools to do it right.

Additional websites of interest include:

For information about helical jacking: http://www.ontheisland.net/richco/jacking.html

For information about moving structures: http://www.buildingmovers.com/

For information about contractors that specialize in drilling and boring: http://www.thebluebook.com/cl/all360.htm

Let us know if you would like additional information and we'd be happy to research it for you.

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