Serving Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and beyond
Serving Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and beyond
Sagging Crawl Space
Have you noticed unlevel or bouncy floors in your home?
If so, there is a good chance your crawl space is experiencing structural problems causing it to sink or sag in the middle.
Crawl spaces experience structural sagging for three primary reasons:
Inadequate crawl space support leads to sinking floors, uneven floors, and damage to your structure. If you experience any of the following, it's time to call a professional:
The sooner you call, the better. We will send out our team to evaluate your sagging crawl space and determine if you need repair.
At LRE Foundation Repair, we specialize in stabilizing sinking crawl spaces. We can install crawl space supports to ensure that your structure is properly stabilized. We also offer several additional crawl space services:
If you need help with your crawl space, call LRE Foundation Repair at 1-352-796-0229.
For our clients with sagging crawl spaces who need structural support, we recommend the SmartJack® System.
This system is state-of-the-art and offers clients many advantages over other crawl space repair options.
Made with galvanized steel for corrosion resistance, SmartJack® can support vertical loads exceeding 60,000 lbs. The adjustable design of our crawl space jack system means that sagging crawl space floors can not only be stabilized, they can also be restored to their original position in many cases.
The heavy-duty steel crawl space jack is adjustable. The steel posts install quickly and provide the best solution for restoring stability to a house.
The SmartJack® system can be installed in tight conditions, usually in less than a day. It will not disrupt your home or landscaping.
Each crawl space jack distributes the weight of the home through a precast concrete footing and a base of engineered fill material. The SmartJack® is the only solution that addresses problem soils during crawl space restabilization!
Installing the SmartJack® is a fast, five-step process:
Our system design specialists will determine the best plan for your home's needs, mapping out the location for each crawl space support jack. The installers will excavate a 2' square, 2' deep hole at each SmartJack® location that will be prepared with engineered fill consisting of tightly compacted crushed stone.
A pre-cast concrete base (or footing) is placed on top of the engineered fill and carefully leveled to serve as a stable base for the steel jack post. The engineered fill base underneath the footing provides solid support that won't shift, settle or be affected by soil moisture.
Once new bases have been installed, measurements are made for the steel crawl space jack posts, and the posts are cut to length. The steel tube used in each SmartJack® is manufactured with a triple-layer, in-line galvanized coating.
Each crawl space jack post is assembled in your crawl space. The top of the crawl space jack is mounted against the girder, and the installation is carefully plumbed. Each SmartJack® is then tightened in an attempt to lift the floor back to its original position, straightening and leveling floors, closing cracks in walls, and halting future downward movement. The jacks will continue to be adjustable for future tightening, should you need it.
If your wood crawl space joists, girders, and/or supports were damaged by mold, rot, and moisture, then you will want to address these issues to prevent future damage. The crawl space encapsulation process involves sealing all crawl space vents, installing an airtight crawl space door, and lining crawl space walls and floors with a durable plastic liner.
This treatment can also include additional drainage measures like installing interior drains and a sump pump. Encapsulation stops moisture-related damage and associated structural problems that occur when framing members rot and deteriorate.
Here are fixes that LRE Foundation Repair does NOT recommend for sagging crawl spaces:
Crawl space girders or beams are sometimes supported by columns made from concrete blocks. Once the column has been built and the mortar has cured, the extra space between the uppermost block and the floor girder above is filled with wooden spacers or shims. This is a very slow, time-consuming process that results in a completed column that isn't adjustable, meaning additional shimming will be needed as the concrete column settles or the wood girder shrinks.
This is a cheap fix solution for repairing a girder and floor that have sagged because of settled concrete columns. Temporary jacks are used to lift the girder, and wooden shims are pushed between the existing column and the floor girder. The jacks are then removed. This is a short-term fix only - the concrete columns will continue to settle, requiring additional shimming and maintenance in the future.
Skinny, light-duty jack posts for fixing crawl space floors are available at many hardware stores and home centers. This type of adjustable steel post is often installed on top of a concrete block that rests on the ground in the crawl space. Unfortunately, these posts hold very little weight, have poor stability and are difficult to adjust. Also, they won't compensate for poor supporting soils in the crawl space.
If you'd like a permanent solution to fix your sagging crawl space, or any other foundation problem, we're ready to help you. We offer free crawl space structural repair inspections to homeowners in the Florida area. To schedule your free, on-site inspection and written estimate, call or email us today!
We proudly offer all our foundation repair services in Saint Petersburg, Tampa, Orlando, Bradenton, Lakeland, Sarasota, Ocala, Kissimmee, Daytona Beach, Clearwater and throughout the surrounding areas.
