HomeSpec Waterproofing and Foundation Repair Case Studies: Decker, Mi Floor Support Jacks Installed Through Difficult Access
Challenge
A series of past home inspections before purchasing their current home in Decker, Mi revealed evidence that the home may require crawl space floor supports and foundation repair. They originally figured every first home has its share of problems, so it would probably be fine to leave things the way they were; after all, the last family lived here for quite a while. As time would go on, it would be proven that they should have addressed these issues sooner, since the problems only worsened over time. Sagging floors with an unnervingly hollow yet bouncy sensation as they walked across the house at times, continued to make themselves known. The situation only became more uncomfortable when a relative staying with them vocalized their concerns at how serious the problem may be. Finally, agreeing to address the problems, the family would look for a Foundation and Crawl Space Repair Contractor near Decker, Mi, which would lead to their introduction to HomeSpec Basementfix.
We would have one of our project managers meet with the family and hear their concerns. Our project manager also compared the results and recommendations from the previous inspections as a point of reference before beginning their own inspection to fully understand the cause. The process became complicated once we found the dirt crawl space only had roughly a foot of space in height to access. Our crew would find a way to accommodate this and continue their inspection regardless of the difficulty. What we ended up finding as the cause was that the main beam had rotted and was no longer reliable, and the current support system consisted of makeshift stacks of bricks and cinderblocks that had weathered away over time. These types of poor supports can regularly be found in untended dirt crawl spaces, and almost always lead to larger issues later on.
Solution
Realizing that we couldn't reliably work within a 1 ft height, we discussed options with the homeowner. Our best course of action in this case would be to tackle the problem from above rather than below. With the client's permission, we would temporarily remove flooring in order to have reliable access to the worksite in question. From there, our crew would install the adjustable SmartJack Crawl Space Support Jacks and replace the damaged beams. Using engineered fill to address problematic soils, the adjustable nature of the SmartJacks helped fit them into the difficult access points and all areas of major concern. Beyond just their versatility, these crawl space support jacks are powerful enough to carry loads exceeding 60,000 lbs with their galvanized steel design. Other contractors may have given up at the thought of a problematic access height, but we understand that each situation is unique, and everyone deserves a specialized custom approach to best address all their possible needs.
Once installation was completed, our crew would seal the site back up with the previous flooring and ensured that everything was secured in place when cleaning the site for a seamless, smooth finish. The homeowner was appreciative for all the direct, honest communication, and grateful that we worked with them to ensure everything was handled how they both wanted and needed it.
