Solutions for Sagging Floors

There are a lot of options out there for solving this type of problem following a lot of confusion on which option to choose for your home, below are a few pros and cons of each option.

Concrete Columns

Concrete footings are poured throughout the crawl space floor. After the concrete has cured/dried, concrete, brick, or cinder blocks are stacked on top of the footings, sometimes mortar can be placed in between each block.

This is a common solution in homes and concrete seems durable throughout the years.

This solution is time-consuming due to the wait time for the concrete and mortar to cure, while the solution height cannot be raised is permanent, it is also not adjustable. As the concrete column settles into the soil over time, additional shims may be needed between the uppermost concrete block and girder. This is a fix that will need to be repeated throughout the years. If the existing columns in your crawl space failing, why would new ones work any better?

This option may not be the best one for homeowner’s looking to fix the solution once and eliminating the settling concern.

Additional Shimming

A temporary jack is used to lift the girder to make room for the shims. Wooden shims are then pushed between the existing column and the girder. The temporary jacks are then removed.

This is a cheap and easy way to fix the concerns.

Your home is a big investment and you get what you pay for (your home and investment becomes the one suffering). Shimming is only a temporary fix and damages will be continuing causing you to repair this problem over and over.

This option may be the best for the frugal customer that wants to cut corners on cost but will end up costing you more in the long run.

Light-Duty Jack Post

A small concrete block is laid on top of the soil, and a light-duty jack post is set into place. The light-duty jack post is then tightened to fit against the girder.

A light-duty jack post can be purchased at the local home improvement store and can be installed by the homeowner. A DIY project with no warranty sounds like a great idea.

When it comes to your home, having anything “light” stabilizing your settled floor system sounds a bit scary. The light-duty jack posts can hold small amounts of weight so they will only be a temporary fix, difficult to adjust, and don’t address the most important problem–weak foundation problems below.

This option is best for the DIY savvy homeowner that is ready to fix the problem however, this option will need to be addressed later on because of the inability of holding up the heavy structure (your home).

What do all of the options above have in common?

IntelliJack™ System

This system will permanently stabilize floor joists and even help lift them and the floor back to level.

Galvanized steel columns that are secured to the beams or joists. A heavy-duty, threaded rod allows for a custom fit and adjustment for each IntelliJack™ system. A permanent stabilized fix for your home’s floor system.