Leveling a house floor involves raising the sagging areas of the structure from underneath and providing permanent support.
Based on structural methods, leveling a floor requires carefully lifting the low areas and installing permanent supports to bring the beams and joists back into a level position.
Here is a method for leveling a house floor, particularly applicable when dealing with structural sagging accessible from below:
- Identify Low Points: Determine the specific areas of the floor that are sagging the most.
- Prepare Support Base: Stack cinderblocks or wood planks below the lowest point of the floor to create a stable base for lifting.
- Position Jack: Place a sturdy steel plate on top of the stacked blocks or planks. Then, position a heavy-duty lifting tool, such as a 20-ton bottle jack, onto the steel plate.
- Lift Gradually: Carefully and gradually raise the house at that specific point using the jack. Do not attempt to raise it all at once.
- Install Permanent Support: Once the floor is lifted to the desired level (or close to it), place blocks under a nearby floor beam to support it permanently at the raised position. These blocks or other structural supports will now bear the load.
- Remove Jack: Safely remove the jack. The permanent support should now be holding the load.
- Repeat: Repeat the processes at other low points until the floor is level across the entire area.
Key Considerations
- Stability: Ensure the ground or surface where you place the initial support blocks/planks for the jack is stable and can handle the load.
- Permanent Solution: The lifting process is temporary; the goal is to install stable, long-term structural supports under the beams or joists.
- Gradual Adjustment: Leveling should be done incrementally across multiple points to avoid causing damage or undue stress on the house structure.
This method is typically used for houses with crawl spaces or basements where the supporting beams and joists are accessible.
