How to raise a wooden house on jacks if there are problems with the foundation that requires serious repairs or complete reconstruction? There are several methods for lifting a house, most often a jack is used for this, but it all depends on the size, area of the building, technology and materials of construction (logs, timber or frame). There are a number of features that are important to consider when moving a house to another place or when raising it to a certain height during repairs.
How to choose a lifting method?
Choosing a lifting method is not easy and is influenced by numerous factors including:
- the total weight of the structure and the shape of the house;
- area, length of walls, number of storeys;
- type of house (timber, frame, log house);
- the age of the building, its general condition, the presence of damage to the walls or their absence;
- the structure of the soil on which the house stands, its type, moisture content;
- time of year of planned work;
- peculiarities engineering communications, which are supplied from the basement to the first floor;
- type of foundation, its general condition, method of connection between the first crown and the base;
- presence of a usable basement, ground floor or lack thereof;
- the purpose of lifting the structure;
- features of the porch structure, its connections with the facade wall.
Not all of the factors are listed; each building may have certain features, without which it is impossible to begin lifting the building. That is why experts advise turning to specialists to organize this process. It will not be possible to independently take into account all the details for lifting a structure without having the appropriate experience.
To raise a wooden house, you can use the following methods:
- A jack is a common lifting tool; it can be called universal (experts advise using it when raising a house using the slatted method).
- Slings/ropes - a method where slings are placed under a structure, after which it is raised to the required height. This method is acceptable only for houses, outbuildings, and garages that are small in size and weight.
- The crane is used when it is necessary to move a building to another location. If transportation is required, special low-floor trolleys are used. The structure must be carefully secured, and the transportation itself must be coordinated with the relevant services, including road traffic.
Features of raising a house: difficulties of the process
The process of raising a house is somewhat complex. It is almost impossible to lift a structure without damaging it, so the work requires inviting experienced specialists and carpenters. It is important to remember that with the slightest mistake, the structure can “crumble”. It is necessary to strictly follow the technology so as not to damage the walls and structure, especially for internal partitions, windows and doors.
When planning, it is important to take into account the load that will fall on each corner of the house. To do this, the approximate weight of the building should be divided by 4 (or by another number of corners of the house). Based on the data, the cross-section of the beam is selected, with which the house will first be supported. When using a jack or slings, you must immediately select the points where they will be located, be sure to take into account the type of walls and the general condition of the lower crown. When using a jack, you need to make holes in the bottom log for its installation. For slinging, grooves are cut, the width of which will be slightly larger than the width of the tape.
Additionally, a niche is cut through which the first jack will be installed. It is needed for any type of foundation, except columnar. It is necessary to place metal plates that are thick enough under the head of the jack so that it does not pierce the wood. If the condition of the walls is not the best, there are traces of rot or dried out areas, you need to contact specialists to accurately determine the lifting method.
It is important to control the height when lifting a wooden structure
For this purpose, a wooden stand with marks marked on it is used. The first mark is applied to the wall of the house near the rack, the second - on the block, so that you can precisely control the height of the rise at each corner of the house. It is impossible to use the jack's marks for such control, since under such huge loads it begins to sag, and the marks will be incorrect. When lifting a house, you must observe one more very important nuance: all corners must rise simultaneously to the same height, that is, the lifting must be strictly vertical. If the slightest distortion occurs, it is necessary to stop the process immediately, then eliminate the error and only then continue working.
Rules for lifting a building
To raise a house quickly and without loss, you must follow certain rules:
- To lift a house, you cannot use less than 2 jacks at the same time. They should be placed at opposite corners of the building; during operation, it is imperative to control the lifting height.
- Initially, only one jack should be used at the corner of the house that has sank significantly relative to the others. This will allow you to initially level the structure, and then begin further lifting work.
- At a time, the corner of the building can be raised to a maximum height of 4-6 cm, then this corner is fixed with the help of supports. The second corner is raised to the same height, secured, and only then work continues.
- The house is fixed at a height using ordinary boards or special timber benches. The bench is a durable structure, the beam, which is tilted at an angle in a perpendicular position, is fixed by supports located on opposite sides of the bench.
Raising a wooden structure is a complex process that can only be carried out strictly in accordance with established stages. It is recommended to trust planning to specialists who will give recommendations with detailed diagrams doing the work.
Raising a wooden house using a jack
Initially, you should determine the maximum and minimum heights for raising the house. It all depends on the condition and type of foundation, but usually the height does not exceed 2 meters. The following tools are used for measurements:
Scheme of raising a house using two jacks: 1 – a rail with a mark of the lifting height; 2 – foundation (jacks are not indicated).
- level for determining height differences;
- building level;
- metal tape measure (can be replaced with a laser one);
- wooden posts with marked markings.
Afterwards, the dimensions of the house, its approximate weight, the density of the wall material are determined, and based on the data obtained, the type of jacks, slings or the power of the construction crane is selected. Most often, medium-sized buildings, e.g. country houses, small country houses for year-round use, outbuildings are jacked up.
How to lift a house with a jack? It is necessary to remove furniture, equipment, things from the building, remove interior and exterior doors, and protect window openings. Inside the house itself, communications are disconnected, gas and water are cut off, and electricity is turned off. It is necessary to disconnect the porch structure, stove pipes and other elements that may be damaged from the facade.
The following tools may be required for dismantling: crowbar, chainsaws, wedges, sledgehammers, etc. The jacks used are powerful, their load capacity must be at least 10 tons; plates are taken as supports from sheet metal dimensions 500*500 mm. The lower rims are fastened with metal brackets, the angle of the jack is determined, after which grooves or holes for the tool heads are prepared. After this, the first vertical offset of 1.5 cm is performed for one corner, the opposite one, and the height control is performed. The height is achieved gradually, you cannot rush, every step is controlled.
Raising a wooden structure is a complex and responsible process that requires the involvement of only experienced specialists. During planning, the weight, size of the house, and its general condition are taken into account. Work on design calculations based on construction technology is mandatory.
Currently, residential buildings are built from a wide variety of materials. Each of them has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Most often, small country houses are built on stilts. Moreover, in some cases, to repair a house, as well as replace some of it components the structure has to be raised. For these purposes, you can use the most ordinary jack.
A pertinent question is: how to lift a house with a jack? Often wooden houses are a log house, which is made from a wide variety of wood species. Raising a log house with a jack is not that difficult.
The most important thing is to follow the instructions below, which will tell you in detail about this process.
The process of raising a house
Scheme of raising a house using two jacks: 1 – a rail with a mark of the lifting height; 2 – foundation (jacks are not indicated).
Let's say a person has a log house, or a wooden house, which needs to be raised to a certain height. It is ideal to use a jack in this situation. By the way, using this method you can raise not only a wooden house, but also one made of any other material. The technology will be practically no different for other types of buildings.
It is worth remembering that in order to raise the log house to the required height, it is necessary to use only cargo jacks that can withstand a sufficiently large weight. They are easy to use. In addition, such equipment is quite capable of supporting a house of almost any weight.
Don’t forget that the house needs to be raised at the corners of one side.
The use of four jacks is unacceptable, since in this case the house may shift along any axis. The process itself has some nuances that must be taken into account when raising a log house.
Raise only two jacks at a time, which are located on opposite sides of the house.
These include:
- You will first have to hammer in two slats in each corner of the building. Then it is necessary to note the exact height to which the log house will rise. Next, you definitely need to prepare a place for the jacks; it is best to use a rigid support that is installed on the ground;
- Only after this can you slowly begin to raise the house. In this case, this must be done simultaneously and evenly on both sides. Only after the log house has been lifted on one side can we proceed to work related to lifting on the other side. This is how the house is raised to the required height.
Often the process of raising a house is necessary if we are talking about a pile or columnar foundation. Piles have one very unpleasant property: they break very often. They just need to be replaced from time to time.
In this regard, it is necessary to raise the house to a certain height. The easiest way in this case is to use jacks. Raising the foundation is often necessary when repairing it using screw piles. It's worth talking about this process in more detail.
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Foundation repair using screw piles
The piles are connected to each other by channels and form a kind of lattice. Afterwards, the house can be lowered onto the resulting lattice.
It is this method of maintaining the foundation in good condition that has gained the highest popularity. This is not strange, because it is quite simple and not expensive. At the same time, its efficiency is at its best.
During construction, some people forget that it is the foundation that is the most important part Houses. As a result, during operation, various cracks, chips, and so on appear on it. This is a sure sign that the foundation needs repairs.
It is in this case that you will need to raise the foundation using jacks. IN last years Some residents of our country began to prefer a foundation on screw piles to an ordinary one. This is due to its many advantages over ordinary concrete.
Foundation replacement technology screw piles quite simple. Moreover, it will seem simple to those people who are reading this article, because it has already described how it is necessary to raise a house with the help of jacks. In this case, this process is the main one. So, the installation technology is as follows:
- Based on the characteristics of the soil on which the piles will be installed, their exact number is calculated. This is a very important matter, because the integrity of the future structure will directly depend on it;
- it's worth raising the house. This is done according to the principle described above. Then you need to mark the perimeter on the territory of which all the piles will be located. It is very important to calculate the location of each of them. Piles should be installed at the corners of the building, as well as along the perimeter of the load-bearing walls;
- Next you need to start screwing in all the piles in turn. This can be done manually, but you can use special equipment;
- All piles are connected to each other by channels. They should form some kind of lattice. This will increase the rigidity of the structure;
- only after this the house can be lowered onto the resulting grid.
Now we can state the fact that the renovation of the foundation has been completed and it will delight its owners for many years.
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- If the house is raised using jacks, insurance must be provided.
- If the clearance increases by 15 cm when lifting, then a special duralumin gasket is placed under it.
- In the place where you plan to install jacks, it is imperative to check the quality of the wood. It must be at its best. Otherwise, there is a very high probability that the building will not hold up. This can lead to harmful consequences.
- Sometimes you have to use narrow jacks. In this case, an additional bracket must be installed at the installation site. It will increase the installation area. This will ensure that the house does not move under its own weight, and the jack will remain in place during all the work.
- If the house has a brick stove, then when lifting it, you must pay attention to the junction of the pipe and the roof.
Sometimes a situation arises when a house needs to be lifted without fail, but the necessary jacks are simply not at hand. This is where you should think about purchasing them. Although it is currently difficult to obtain sufficiently powerful options, you can always find a way out of the situation.
For example, many turn to the nearest depot. There are probably jacks in stock there. Many employees of such enterprises will gladly accommodate the homeowner.
Old houses or new ones, built on weak soils or on poorly made foundations, are often susceptible to subsidence into the ground, especially in clay, granular and in the vicinity groundwater. For such situations, it is necessary to raise the house and replace the foundation. We lift the building using jacks with a lifting capacity of 30 tons.
We carry out the work carefully, especially for houses, bathhouses and other buildings whose walls are made of logs (logs). This type of log building (corners, log connection points) has mobility, which we compensate for by securing it with brackets.
When carrying out repair work, often old foundation removed and a new one is poured or lifting is carried out on screw piles with I-beams. The second option is less popular, since the places where screw piles are screwed in are located next to the old foundation, and not under it, and the cost of I-beams increases its cost. The second option is to lift country house and fill strip foundation, where it can be built up with bricks and blocks. This option is aesthetic and there is almost no difference in price.
How much does it cost to raise a wooden house
The cost of lifting work depends on the type of house and its height. The prices are shown in the table.
Cost estimates for foundation replacement work
In addition to additional services, we carry out replacement of the lower crown, disassembly and assembly of floors, joists, ceilings, and dismantling of furnaces.
The average repair time is:
- Lifting onto screw piles with I-beams – 5-7 days;
- Lifting and erection of a strip foundation – 7-10 days.
Specialist visit
Before concluding a contract, a specialist will visit your home, where he will inspect the condition of the foundation and advise you on the complex necessary work. Afterwards he will announce the cost of raising the house and reconstructing the foundation. The price for departure is equal to the cost of gasoline on the way to you.
But, when the entire perimeter of the house was raised and the frame “stood” on brick pillars, it became clear that there were no special problems for further lifting. The lifting itself is quite a nerve-wracking task at first: the whole house is crackling and it is noticeable that the jack is working at full capacity.
For lifting, one 10-ton hydraulic jack purchased on the market for 300 thousand squirrels (about 1100 rubles) is enough. We first had one with a simple single cylinder 20cm high and had no problems with it. Alas, by the second stage of the ascent it disappeared from us (it looked like it was stolen) and we had to buy a second one. It was chosen based on its minimum height when lowered and we bought a six-ton one with a double telescopic piston 16 cm high (approximately 1,490 rubles). In principle, it also served its purpose, but oil flowed from it during lifting, and by the end of the work the piston began to extend only half its height. Perhaps we overloaded it, or maybe the nuances of Chinese technology: in general, it turned out to be rather weak.
At this stage, it is important not to overdo it - you should not raise the frame on one side to a great height. We usually limited ourselves to three to four centimeters. At the same time, when lowering the house onto its supports, everything sank by one and a half to two centimeters. So, in reality, during one lift, the log house rose only one and a half to two centimeters.
The following is a diagram showing the jack installation locations and the lifting sequence. The lifting was carried out in several cycles of 1-2 centimeters at a time. In reality, the lifting was carried out by eye, mainly based on the degree of curvature of the roof on the roof. After pouring the foundation, the second stage of lifting was carried out at the level of the poured concrete, and the height from it to the ceiling was measured.
The lifting technology itself is quite simple; it was difficult at the stage of knocking out the lower crown, after which we ended up with a house on pillars of bricks (on chicken legs). A jack with a steel plate at the top was installed in a convenient place. One of the corners of the log house rises. All support posts that are found to be free are covered with boards and bricks until they fit snugly against the log house log. Then the jack valve is unscrewed: the house “squats” on the supports. The process is repeated at another point. Below is an animated picture of this process.
When the jack valve was opened, the bricks in the stands often broke, and when in some walls the height between the frame and the foundation reached 30 centimeters, it became scary to watch. The bricks always broke on the unevenness of the old foundation, and in order to level it, the lower bricks of the columns had to be placed on masonry mortar.
There are three such columns in the photo. The three lower bricks are mortared, the upper ones alternate with scraps of boards. We used old brick left over from the stoves as supports, alternating it with pieces of boards. Such a “sandwich” is not accidental. The brick breaks under the weight of the house and there is a danger of its complete disintegration. If you use only boards, they are strongly pressed and the lifting height is lost. And so elastic and hard.
The lifting was carried out in two stages: before pouring the foundation and after. We were going to raise the house by forty centimeters, and when the stacks of bricks in the columns began to frighten us with their height, the lifting was stopped.
When the house was torn off from the foundation, people were quickly found to fill the foundation. By the way, it turned out that they would not have taken on the task of lifting the log house either; apparently such work is too troublesome and intellectually complex.
It took us (I’m 40, and my two sons are 17 and 15 years old) two weeks with weekends to work on dismantling the floor, knocking out the bottom crown and first raising the house. Although, some time was spent on removing nails from the floorboards and sorting them into shelving. Probably, a well-organized team of professionals can do this kind of work in a week
After pouring the foundation, the house was raised another 20 centimeters in the same way. Photos of the last stage of the rise are below. The gray spots on the upper surface of the foundation are traces of the support columns of the first stage of lifting - the holes and bricks were covered with masonry mortar. At the same stage, the entire house was leveled in height. First, we measured whether the foundation was poured evenly, then we measured the height of the surface of the foundation - the ceiling - with a rod. Where anything was missing, they placed boards in the support posts.
Later I saw an article in some magazine about the rise of old wooden houses. Everything is much more complicated there: all the logs are pre-fastened with timber and bolts. We succeeded without this, but I would like to warn you that perhaps the frame of our building was strong and well-preserved and not so successful experiments are likely.
It is very difficult to raise extensions and verandas that do not contain logs in the walls. In the process of lifting, we demolished a small hallway-veranda (in the first photo on the left). Somehow it was possible to raise it, but we had a new idea to reconstruct the entire building and we abandoned this extension
Chapter from the book by Shepelev A.M. "How to build a rural house":
→ Repair of walls of log and cobblestone houses
→ Methods for repairing log walls without lifting
→ Hanging log walls and raising the house
Violation of the integrity of the foundation is a phenomenon often found in wooden buildings of considerable age. It happens that the house itself is kept in excellent condition, but the base has rotted in view external factors and the inability to get close to the structure due to its burial in the ground. In such cases, there are 2 options:
- Disassemble an old house and build a new one.
- If the building is in good condition, it is not advisable to dismantle it and raise the foundation wooden house and reconstructing it would be a rational decision.
There are even technologies for lifting and carrying stones and multi-storey buildings, but on your own, without the help of specialists, you can only lift a small wooden house using conventional tools.
The general principle of lifting or which houses can be lifted
The essence of the technology is to place a jack under the wall above the foundation and directly lift the building. You will need 4 lifting devices, their capacity must be at least 10 tons, or according to calculation: take the approximate weight of the house and divide it by 4, you will get the load per jack. The device should be selected with a power reserve.
As they increase, supporting objects are inserted into the opening gaps: beams, bricks, blocks around the entire perimeter. In this way, wooden houses made of timber, logs, or wooden panels can be torn off the ground. These materials and the method of fastening them together are able to compensate for minor distortions that occur during the work, and the house does not fall apart.
Things are more complicated with block, monolithic, stone buildings. The rigid connection of structural components is not able to withstand distortions and destruction of individual parts of the load-bearing and self-supporting frame occurs. In such cases, a technological approach is required:
- Metal plates or beams are installed under the wall, which take on a uniform load from the entire perimeter of the house;
- Powerful jacks are installed under the plates at many support points and lifting is carried out.
This process is impossible without special equipment and qualified specialists.
Restore the foundation or build a new house
Before deciding to replace the foundation, you should evaluate the entire situation:
- Is the house itself suitable for further living?
- If the building is suitable, decide whether the foundation needs to be restored or completely changed.
In cases where the restoration of a house is more affordable option than building a new one, you need to start, of course, with the main load-bearing structure. Why does the foundation break?
- Long service life, as a result of which the constituent elements have time to rot;
- For the same reason, the house may sag on one side or corner, causing a general misalignment;
- Improper construction of structures. This phenomenon happened everywhere 50-60 years ago: they built with what they could and as best they could, the technology was rarely followed;
- Soil erosion, high level groundwater give their results.
Problems may also arise in newly built houses:
- Incorrect calculation of the foundation structure, insufficient depth, resulting in cracking of the structure as a result of soil heaving;
- Errors in construction technology;
- The low base does not allow sufficient insulation of the floor of the first floor, which is why the rooms are cold and constantly damp.
In the case of old houses, there is only one recommendation - no restoration, complete replacement of the foundation! The tree will continue to deteriorate in unfavorable conditions and the effect of the work will not last long. You should select a monolithic device concrete base. For new houses, the situation is assessed individually: if there has been a significant violation of the integrity of the structure, it is advisable to completely replace it with a more powerful foundation. If there is noticeable discomfort from dampness on the ground floor and it is impossible to insulate the floor, you can resort to raising the base.
Foundation calculation
To determine the correct depth for laying a new foundation, assess the condition of the soil:
- Availability of groundwater on the site;
- Soil type: sand, clay or rocky base.
Sands and rocky soils without groundwater are ideal for construction. Shallow foundations can be placed on these, without taking into account the level of soil freezing in the region. For reinforced concrete tape, it is enough to take 50-60 cm in depth.
Clays and fluid soils require a different approach. If the house is one-story or two-story with a lightweight structure without weighted concrete floors, it will be sufficient to install shallow strip or column foundations. The latter will cost much less. The depth is taken based on the depth of soil freezing; the depth can be placed at the level of ½ or 1/3 of the table value.
When installing a shallow foundation, it is necessary to create a compensation cushion of sand and crushed stone under the structure. It will take on the pressure of the soil during heaving and the structure of the house will not move.
If the house has a basement, it is advisable to build a buried foundation. To do this, you need to use SNiP “Building Climatology” and take from its appendix the depth of winter soil freezing in the region. Add 20-30 cm to the result. This is true for both tape and columnar foundation. If there is a basement for a columnar foundation, it will be necessary to create enclosing walls and carefully insulate them.
Preparing the bottom frame of the wall
In order for the house to withstand the rise without destruction, it is important to check the condition of the lower frame in order to identify its weakness. If the log is rotten or dry, it must be replaced or dismantled before installing the jacks. You can make a cut under the lifting mechanism to a whole log through the defective one.
In general, before starting work, you should check the entire lower tier: tap it, identify weak logs. To this end, you may need to hire a professional to accurately diagnose the condition of the walls.
What you need to prepare for work
To raise the foundation of an old wooden house, you will need a small set of tools and equipment:
- Shovel;
- 4 jacks;
- Laser or bubble level;
- A set of wooden blocks and planks of different thicknesses.
To dismantle it, you will need a hammer drill, a crowbar, an ax - any tools for disassembly old design, based on its material.
Preparatory work
If you need to raise a wooden house and pour the foundation, you need to dig a trench around the perimeter of the building. Its depth should correspond to the design depth of the new foundation, and its width should be sufficient for convenient work and installation of equipment, optimally 60...70 cm.
As mentioned earlier, it is necessary to prepare a place for the jack. To do this, a compaction is created in the ground near the corners of the house for installation, and a thick board is laid. It is advisable that the device be located directly under the wall. If there is an old foundation under the wall, a separate part of it should be cut down. Next, the fragile wall belt is dismantled until it is intact and strong. Now you can install the jack. It is advisable to place a thick metal plate on its lifting plane with a width greater than the thickness of the beam. This is necessary so that if the wood is not strong enough, the mechanism will not pierce it, and the load on the plate will fall evenly.
Some sources claim that you can take 1-2 jacks. If you imagine the situation in practice, what will happen: you need to lift the structure evenly, but with 1 or 2 devices you will have to constantly move around the perimeter. In addition, the structure of an old house may not withstand such distortion. Feel free to take 4 jacks at the corners (or more, depending on the type of perimeter) and get to work.
How to lift an old wooden house with a jack
The first thing to remember is no rush! At every step, you need to monitor the process and urgently take action if unforeseen situations arise.
The jacks are installed. We begin to slowly raise the devices by 2-3 centimeters one after another. Greater distortion is undesirable. They raised it and placed a support board. Then they raised it and put another board down. When the free distance is significant, the boards can be replaced with stronger beams. Supports are installed as often as necessary to support the walls. Under 6 meters you can place 2-3 supports.
When the lifting height is sufficient for subsequent work, you can begin to dismantle the weakened part or the entire foundation. A hammer drill, axe, crowbar and other auxiliary tools will help here. It is important to thoroughly clean the area for the new base.
Now let's start changing the design itself.
When choosing a strip foundation, we build formwork, make a 20-30 cm sand and gravel cushion, and install a frame. Concrete is poured using wheelbarrows or a hose from a concrete truck. It is imperative to compact the solution with a submersible vibrator. The period during which concrete will gain 70% of its strength is 5...7 days. After this, the house can be lowered onto the foundation.
To install shallow-depth posts, you can use monolithic concrete or ceramic brick. We lay out or pour into the formwork the supports placed on a bed of sand and crushed stone.
In all cases, the walls of the foundation structure should be waterproofed to preserve its integrity for a longer period.
We make a monolithic concrete grillage along the columns or use a ready-made reinforced concrete beam.
Before lowering the building onto a new foundation, it is very important to create a layer of roofing felt or other polymer insulator between dissimilar materials (wood and concrete). We lay 2-3 layers along the grillage or top of the tape.
Restoration of the lower crown
If the lower crown of the wall was removed due to dilapidation, do not forget to restore this belt. To do this you will need a prepared log or timber. We lay them on a new base. We cut out the places where the jacks are installed; after removing them, the missing parts will be inserted into place. But if the lifts are only in the corners, then there will be no problems. We carefully insulate the gaps between the beams with caulk, flax-jute or padding polyester.
Now we lower the jacks at the same speed as we raised them - 2 cm from each corner. After removing the mechanisms, if necessary, insert the sawn parts of the first tier, insulate and close all the holes.
If the house has a stove or an outbuilding
Separately, it is worth mentioning the old houses with a stove. It has its own foundation, so it will not rise with the house. Before raising a wooden house, it is necessary to clear the floor surrounding the stove, the hole for the chimney in the ceiling and the roof so that the pipe can move freely. After the work is completed, when the house is put into place, if the work is done correctly, the floor and ceiling will remain undamaged.
If the house has an extension, there are 2 options:
- 1) Raise it along with the house;
- 2) During the work, unhook the connections of the attachment, if this does not affect its stability.
The second option is more understandable and simple, but the choice must be made solely by assessing the situation.