Peak Basement Systems
723 S. Sierra Madre St Colorado Springs, CO, 80903
How Sagging Floors Get Repaired in Pueblo, CO
2011-08-04 12:11:47
Most new homes along the Front Range are built with full basements. This wasn't always the case--in the 1950s, it was common to construct homes in southern Colorado with crawlspaces instead. Why? With a higher water table and warmer weather in the southern areas, it made sense. There have been several options developed over time to deal with sagging crawlspace floors. Naturally, some are old technology-style solutions and some more permenant, adjustable ones.
Concrete Columns
Concrete footings are poured throughout your crawlspace. After the concrete footings cure, concrete blocks are stacked on top of the footings, sometimes with mortar placed between the blocks. After the mortar cures, shims are placed between the uppermost concrete block and the girder for the subfloor.
Why was this used?
It was a common construction practice in the late 1940s to early 1950s and some people choose to have the failing column replaced with a replica. Other times, it's to make sure that everything matches visually. Unfortunately, this solution is really time consuming due to all the waiting for the concrete and mortar to cure. It can be quite expensive for time and labor as well. It's also not adjustable, which means that as the new column begins to settle like the old one did, additional shims must be added. These shims add weight and cause the column to shift more. In time, the column must be replaced again and the cycle starts over.
Additional Shimming of Existing Supports
A temporary jack is used to lift the girder for the subfloor to make room for pieces of timber, iron, or concrete to be added between the existing column and the girder. The temporary jacks are then removed.
Why was this used?
Frankly, it's cheap and easy! The additional shims are low cost and generally of poor quality. The time and labor can be offset by using a car jack and doing it yourself. Needless to say, this particular fix isn't going to pass a home inspection. It rarely works out to stop the squeaking and rubbery feeling of the floor because the shims are made of wood and basically expand and contract with the humidity in the crawlspace. Another concern is that the more shims that are added to the column, the more unstable the column becomes. It increases safety concerns and raises red flags to potential buyers.
Light-duty Jack Post
A concrete block is laid on top of the crawlspace soil and an adjustable telepost is tightened into the girder.
Why is this used?
A light-duty jack post can be purchased at a local hardware store and installed by pretty much everyone. It's a do-it-yourselfer's ultimate weekend project and generally turns out well when properly installed. There can be problems utilizing this solution when the teleposts are hard to adjust because then they don't fit snuggly and stablize the floor. These teleposts also don't adjust infinitely, so if the soils underneath settle, you can run out of adjustment thread to stablize the floor.
Heavy-duty Jack Post
Heavy-duty Jack posts are installed systems where a proper pad and support are installed and an adjustable telepost is plumbed and tightened into place. Generally, these systems can handle between 50,000 and 60,000 pounds, so it can bear the loads of a modern home construction.
Why is this used?
It's generally considered to be the best solution to lift walls and floors back to their original position. The pad and support system allows for load to be transferred properly and prevent future settling as much as possible. The jacks are adjustable and can easily compensate for seasonal fluctuations in older girder elasticity.
