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Sagging Floor Repair

Nolensville, TN

Challenge

William called The Foundation Specialists regarding signs of foundation failure he noticed in his home. Over time, William and his wife had watched a small crack on the second floor of their home spread until it was so severe that it spanned almost the entire wall. He informed us that he was considering fixing the crack himself before calling us. This would have provided a short-term cosmetic fix, but it would not have addressed the true cause of the problem as further settlement of the home would continue. The crack was located on the ceiling and directly in the center of the home. Upon inspection, our specialist noticed that the floors were sagging towards the center of the home. This was likely caused by the severe drywall cracks located upstairs. After examining the crawl space, our specialist noticed that there was no support for the floors located near the center wall of the home, just on the sides.

Solution

After a thorough inspection of the home, TFS specialist, Kolby Penton, recommended the use of our patented SmartJack System from Supportworks for the sagging floor repair. The fully adjustable SmartJacks were installed under the home where supports were not previously located. Once installed, the jacks were adjusted to the right height to instantly bring the sagging floors back to their original position, as well as provide added support for the home.

We proposed a plan to use 3 SmartJacks attached to a steel I-beam. The I-beam would be positioned across 11 pieces of steel tubing. The pieces of tubing were positioned along floor joists under the home. This was done to distribute the pressure from the jacks more evenly and prevent it from causing a break in the floor joists.

The First step in the process was to dig holes where the jacks would be placed. The 2’x2’x1’ holes were dug and are then filled with gravel to provide a stronger foundation for the SmartJacks, making them less susceptible to things like erosion and shifts in the soil. It took roughly 5 buckets of gravel to fill each hole, ensuring that the SmartJack placed on top would stay in place.

Once the holes were dug and filled, the team placed the base plates for the jacks to make it easier to correctly line up the beam above. Next, our team installed the steel tubing and I-beam.

The 10’ I-beams were cut down to about 8’6” and were suspended with wire, flush against the floor joists. After I-beams were installed, the supplemental beam that contacts the jacks was suspended horizontally across them. The distance from the beam to the ground was measured in each jack location and the SmartJacks were cut to the appropriate size. After all jacks were cut to size, they were installed between the base plates and the supplemental beam above.

After allowing 3-6 months for the wood to settle, William was able to repair the cracks in his drywall with no problem. All said and done, William and his wife were thrilled with the job stating “We’re glad we know it was done right!”

Project Summary

Specialist

Kolby Penton

Team Leader

Brandon Robbins

Materials Used

I-Beams (12), SmartJacks (3)

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