Long story short… The Contractor (now fired) got the house up and roof sheeted with temporary support for a 3 level house. He did not install the perminant support posts that are to be logs and also didnt pour all the spread footing piers for the support of the ridge. The temporary support (and the weight of the house to the ridge) is resting some small lumber that is resting on a joisted basement floor that is sagging pretty bad now
How can i safely install the perminent support to the grade. I have to pour three piers under the basement floor and post up from there. Im just not sure how to get the posts attached to the piers and relevel the floor girders as I work my way up to the ridge beams.
Replies
It's hard to give you an answer without actually seeing the temporary set-up that is now in place. Best thing you can do is to contact either a local and/or county Building Inspector and/or structural engineer for advice.
It sounds like your temporary supports are failing and it would be better to seek out professional advice rather than risking a structural collapse.
If the temporary supports "block" the designated pier placements, then the supports must be moved so that the pier work can be accomplished. In doing so, additional temporary structural supports will have to be put in place before moving any of the original supports....hence the need for a qualified inspection and referral by a professional in your area.
Davo
Thanks for the responses.... I have had the county inspector up to have a look as well as a structural engineer. The solution isnt the problem, I just need a bit of know how in how to set the posts and get everything level. Seems it would have been a lot easier to level and support before adding all the weight of the house. Some of the support is in the way of the perminent posting solution and it will be easy enough to erect a new temporary support structure with the piers and posts placed after proping everything up but how can I get the new posts (Logs) in under the girders and get them the right length for level floors?
Thanks again
Jay
hire a contractor that knows what he's doing?
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Thought I had one, seems a rare commodity... but Im looking.
Jay
seriously ...
this doesn't read to me to be an "internet assist" job.
at the very least ... instead of a GC to wrap up the whole thing ... find a good framing sub to handle the support issues first.
there'll be knowing what to do ... and knowing how to do it so no one gets hurt and nothing falls down ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
You may want to put some cribbing in the basement to help the joists support the load (or jacks and posts or something) so you don't collapse the house of overstress the joists. Seems like I saw an article in The Journal of Light Construction about leveling piers. Maybe if you go to their web site you can find something. It involved using screw jacks on the footings and once everything was level, the guy poured another layer of concrete, if I remember right. As others said, this may be a situation where you need a professional because if you don't do it right, you are risking the house, not to mention the people living in it! I'll look a little bit and see if I can find the article I was thinking of.
Edit: I can't find the article--maybe someone else here remembers it. Anyway, the guy poured footings, then put in some sort of little screw jack and got the posts up where he wanted them, then poured new concrete up to the bottom of the posts--seems like he buried the screw in the concrete--I don't know how else you could do it.
Edited 8/20/2007 9:11 am ET by Danno