Foundation Support in Jefferson
Challenge
A woman in Jefferson, MA reached out to us by email with a picture of a crack in her foundation. The subject line said. "Help!". The crack had been there since before she moved in, 20 years ago, but she noticed that it was looking formidable. She was afraid that her house was sinking into the ground and breaking in half. Unfortunately, she was correct.
When our Inspector went to take a look, he could see where the crack had been filled, and also some patching had been done to the chimney, that was separating from the side of the house. An inspection in the basement, using a laser level, showed that the chimney was definitely pulling away, and that the house had dropped several inches on the right side.
Solution
Craig designed a plan to support the right side of the home using seven piers made of galvanized steel. We had the engineering firm look at the plans, and based on soil conditions in the area, they made recommendations for our project. Once we had obtained permitting and had Digsafe come out to mark the lines, we were ready to begin.
The project took us four days. Once we excavated down past the sill plate, we put pier brackets below the foundation footing, using them to guide the steel piers until they hit bedrock, at which point the house was stabilized. The pier brackets were then used in conjunction with an electric pump to lift the home hydraulically. This is a very slow, methodical process, as you don't want to lift the house once it becomes resistant. As the house was being lifted, the crack started to close and the chimney was more aligned with the house. The floors were no longer uneven - even a bump that had been in the kitchen floor started to level out until it was non-existent. Not only was the house stabilized on piers, but it was also restored to its former position. Most importantly, because it was now standing on galvanized steel piers on bedrock, it wasn't going anywhere - ever! The customer was thrilled, and she is sleeping better, knowing that her home is back on safe ground!
