Excessive rainfall or flooding in areas such as Houston can cause ground movement underneath the house, making the structure of the home unstable. A home sitting in mud will shift and move. When the house is not level, you may notice that the doors do not close properly or the windows will not shut, or there may be cracks in the walls. House leveling is labor intensive, but it can be done with a hydraulic jack, wood blocks and teleposts. Doing this project yourself may save you a substantial amount of money on labor costs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Go underneath the house. Nail a wood block to the bottom of each of two joists on opposite ends of the foundation. Attach them as near the foundation as possible. Hammer a nail into each block to attach the twine.
2. Tie one end of the twine to the nail in one of the blocks. Run the twine in a straight line to the other end of the house and pull taut. Tie the twine to the nail in the second block.
3. Measure the distance from the bottom of the floor joist to the twine. Measure in several different places underneath the house.
4. Mark the location of the lowest spot under the house.
5. Lay wood blocks on firm ground beneath the joist at the lowest level of the house. Set the hydraulic jack on the wood blocks. Lay the steel plate between the hydraulic jack and the wood frame of the house to protect the wood from damage.
6. Build a temporary post on solid ground next to the hydraulic jack with the large wood blocks. Begin jacking the house up. Add wood blocks to the post as the house moves up. When the lowest point has been raised up enough to equal the next lowest point, carefully remove the hydraulic jack to allow the house to rest on the temporary post.
7. Repeat procedures until the floor is level in all areas.
8. Dig 8 inches down adjacent to a temporary post. Pour gravel into the hole. Pack the gravel tight. Lay a pre-cast concrete paver on top of the gravel. Lay the level on the concrete paver. Make any adjustments needed in order to ensure that the paver is level. Set a concrete block on top of the paver. Set an adjustable steel telepost on top of the concrete block. A telepost is a steel post that adjusts up or down to support a load bearing weight from above. Adjust the post to the required height. Secure the post to the underside of the beam by drilling 2-inch wood screws through the four pre-determined holes into the beam.
9. Repeat step 8 until a permanent steel post has been installed adjacent to every temporary post.
Tags: hydraulic jack, wood blocks, temporary post, hydraulic jack wood, jack wood
