# Level a house



## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Hey guys! As y'all know from my cabin thread, I have a very old house that isnt in the best of shape. I'm seriously debating whether or not to try and fix it or build a small cabin and just live in it. 

A lil back ground: House was built over 50 years ago. 1000 square feet (includes porch), half slab half pier and beam. The pier and beam park (back half) slants from south to north (about 1-3 inches depending on which room). I was wodnering if there is anyway I can level it with a jack? I know I can go under the hosue and jack it up some but would that solve the problem or do i need to somehow jack up the foundation? If so, what do I need? 20 ton bottle jack?


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I don't know why you couldn't re-level it. An important point to remember is to do it slowly like 1/2 turn or 1 jack per day.


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

How would I do it? This is my first rodeo.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

You first need to figure out why it's not level.. Is the soil compacted? Are any of the beams or posts rotted?

I've recently leveled our well over 100 year old farm house.. 

All the beams were setting on huge stones... The beams were directly on the stones, and some of the beams had rotted because of the water wicking from the stones into the beams.. 

If you have a similar case to this, then you need to get the beams repaired, and put a barrier between the stones and beams.. Such as a sheet of copper or similar. I used galvanized tin.

If the soil has compacted, then all you need to do is place some spacers between the posts or stones or what ever they used, and the beams.


I know a lot of people say raise it slowly, but I didn't have much choice in doing my house, and I got it all racked back real close to square within a day once I spent a month getting one side lifted enough to get a new beam under it.

The rest I did in a day, and in one corner I had to go up almost 3 inches.. 

I was really worried about it causing problems with my chimney that went through the center of the house, and it binding all my windows and doors.. 

Not a single problem, ,and now matter a fact, my doors all work perfectly, which they didn't before I started.. 

You'll want to find jacks that will fit under the beams. I used 20 ton bottle jacks.. In places you may need to dig a hole to get the jack to fit under a beam, then you need a large footer like plywood or such to keep the jacks from sinking.. You will also need to place a plate of steel between the beam and the jack.


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Thanks simi. As near as I can tell, there isnt a lot of wood rot. Some of the boards are rotted, but most are in good shape.


Ive also noticed that the ceiling itsent is slanted along with the floor. Will jacking up the beams fix this or do i need to jack up the concrete foundation?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Oh.. you have a concrete foundation too? As in a concrete wall? Or are you talking just concrete pads that posts are sitting on?

You could have other issues then.. You need to find out if that foundation has sunk or not. Can you see any cracks in it? Is it level?

Any boards that are rotten, you want to replace.. It will keep going and will work into other boards eventually.

You need to figure out what is going on with that concrete foundation first.. If it has sunk and is a wall, then you'll have a whole new expensive game to deal with.. While it could be possible to leave it as is, and it may not move again, you still need to figure out if that does need to be addressed or not.. If it does need to be fixed, you would probably need to mud jack it.. They inject mud under the foundation to raise it.

If it is fine, and the settlement is strictly because of rotted wood, then replace the wood, and level the beams between the concrete foundation and the beams using shims.. or spacer boards.

If you could post some pictures of what you have, it could help us figure out what's going on.. .


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I just re-read your original post.. 

Is it the part that is sitting on the slab that has sunk? Or the part on the post and beam that has sunk?


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Pier and beam. You know how pier and beam houses have like that concrete barrier around that the walls and beams are nailed to?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Yes, that's basically what my house is... Here's a picture of what I had to replace.. I put large concrete pads under these posts.. It was originally on large stones.. as in 2 feet square or more.. 










You could also get jacks like these and leave them under your house instead of using posts..


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Ok I'm a little confused. Are you saying I can do so without having to mess with the cement barier?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

It just depends.. You need to get a level on the wall and see if it's level or not.. . If it's WAY out, you'll have to decide if it will keep sinking or not.. If you have a sill plate bolted down to it, then the only way you'll get the house leveled is by mud jacking or similar under the concrete wall since you can't pull the sill plate up to shim under it.. 

You really need to figure out how it's put together first... and figure out if the footer wall has sunk or not.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

From what I hear you saying, you have something like this picture correct? The outside wall foundation is a concrte wall built down below the freeze line, and piers under the center of the house?


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

thats correct.


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

at least i THINK there is a sill plate


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

If that is the case, then you will have to hire a company to level the wall if it is sunk... 

Right now the best you can do is get under the house and figure out what is really going on...


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Ok. I can do that. 

Like I said, the house is 1/2 pier and beam 1/2 slab. The kitchen, bath and back bedroom are pier and beam and the living area and front bed are slab. Also, the pier and beam section is divied in two areas. There is a wall between the kitchen and back bedroom. Apparently this was either dont for additional support or one room was added later. For all I know, they house may have been built this way. Houses built before the invent of laser levels, etc are notorious for not being square.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I don't know.. the pyramids were built before they even had bubble levels and they were pretty square 

It's usually carpenters 50 years ago didn't use a square or level.. they often winged it..

Sounds like you've got your work set out to figure out what's going on..


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## John_Canada (Aug 17, 2013)

Our current house, we are using a jackpost and throw a half a twist on it every few days then when its up to level, throw more shims under on the concrete blocks. I am using scrap laminate floor so it wont crush down. The pads are slowly sinking but its a hundred year old foundation so bound to happen. We have done three piers so far and only cause doors upstairs were not shutting right otherwise we would have just left it. I have even found some old log piers that were straight into the ground but later replaced. Scary thought.


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## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

Darn, I came in here thinking it might be a discussion on "level" as in demolition. I was going to suggest tannerite


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

after doing a lil work under the house, I have determined that its really only one corner that is sunk (dont get me wrong, the house isnt perfectly level, but its pretty close). Heres what I was thinking: get a couple 20 ton (or better) bottle jacks at harbor freight. Go to home depot and get some blocks and concrete. Go to a day labor place and grab a couple amigos. Have said amigos dig under the wall in the corner (its an inside corner) Jack and block up the corner till level. Fill in with cement. Pay amigos.... 

Sound good?


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Or I could probably use soem old railroad tiles as piers (those things will last 200 years)


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

That sounds like it could work, but I prefer to do all my own work on my own house...


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

Well I prefer to have the work done right so I hire out for all the big stuff. HAHA


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## TexanCowboy (Oct 14, 2013)

how big a jack i need? 12 ton? 20? 30? 50?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Not sure.. no idea how much you need to lift.. I used several 20 ton jacks to get my one wall fixed.. It was more the length of the wall than the actual weight I had to deal with.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

simi-steading said:


> Not sure.. no idea how much you need to lift.. I used several 20 ton jacks to get my one wall fixed.. It was more the length of the wall than the actual weight I had to deal with.


..............You can buy a 20 ton , air powered bottle jack for ~$100 from Northern Tool ! It will come with a 4 foot hose with a squeeze valve to connect to an air compressor . My 2 Hp small , pancake compressor good for 140 psi airs it up just fine . The air powered jack is a tremendous helper when you have very limited room to maneauver a jack handle in a crawl space . , fordy


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