Re: House Leveling
I have done it on several old houses. Because I was hired to do it I couldnt wait months. Try to identify what caused the sagging. Have the piles sunk, or rotted away just below ground level (old timber piles).<br /><br />I start at the lowest point. If the house has a chimney, chances are that that will be the highest point, and the level you are trying to achieve.<br /><br />The more jacks you have the better, I have found Hydraulic jacks easier to use, including a couple of small trolley jacks.<br /><br />I also have baulks of timber about 5"x5" by about two feet long and several other sizes to accommodate uneven ground.<br /><br />I set up several jacks(with 10"x2"pads under them to spread the load out) along a bearer and go along and jack each one until seriously loaded and then move to the next jack and so on . I use a piece of quarter inch plate between the jack and the bearer so the jack doesnt compress into the wood.<br /><br />Once each jack has been raised a bit you can often get a bit more from each jack in the line. I set up the baulks of timber in a two by two criss cross pattern as high as I can get it so that if a jack fails it will stop things from falling more than 1/2" or so. These baulks are more stable than the jacks and can hold things when the jack is taken out and moved to another place.<br /><br />If the piles have sunk, the remedy is to increase the footprint size of the concrete around the pile.(fewer pounds per square inch on the ground.)<br /><br />If they have rotted off, dig out the remains and clear back to solid ground. Once you have started achieving some sort of level you have to consider the position of the new piles, which can be awkward because of your jacking points.<br /><br />I like to put 4" of concrete under the pile, which I let go off for several days before placing the pile and embedding with more concrete around it. I use tanalised foundation piles, the advantage of having the concrete in the base of the foundation is that you can get an accurate measurement from it. I cut 1/4" over length as there is usually some settlement when the load is reapplied to the pile. Small adjustments can be made by using opposed wedges if neccesary.<br /><br />On houses very close to the ground it is actually easier to remove the floor to get at the job.<br /><br />Sistering joists shouldnt be neccessary as the bearers that the joists sit on are what takes the load. Sagging joists are a different issue from pile problems.<br /><br />It is hard to get a perfect level on old houses as they were often added onto after the original level had moved. Try for the best acceptable compromise.<br /><br />Good luck.
