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The*Big*Lebowski

The*Big*Lebowski

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Maybe someone in here (a professional preferably) can offer me some advice.

My house is sinking in the center. It is not drastic mind you, but it is something I need to address yesterday. Basically, the idiot that lived here before me wanted a nice bar in the basement. It's a beautiful bar too. But what baffles me is his placement. He has it dead center in the basement. Basically he built a wall slightly off center and put the bar right in front of it.

To do it though, he removed the only supporting column that existed.
The result: a creeky upstairs hallway and a house that is slowly sinking in the center.

Soooo. I have to move the bar and jack the house up slightly and then install one of those column thingies. My question is, do I just jack the house up all at once or should it be a gradual thing?

For background, I don't know how far it has sunk. I don't think it's sunk too much, but the wallpaper in the hallway has begun to tear in the corners. The house was built in 1925, so we're talking good, strong wood. Not the cheap shit they use these days.

Any advice? Or do I just cough up the money to have someone come in and take care of it?
 
<<
To do it though, he removed the only supporting column that existed.
The result: a creeky upstairs hallway and a house that is slowly sinking in the center.
>>

Wow that was pretty stupid. Yeah, lets take out a support column and pretend it was never needed.

It could end up being big bucks. When you say sinking in the center, do you mean just the floors etc or the foundation to ?

The one time I ran into that situation was someone looking for a mortgage to buy a house where the owners had decided to try and dig their own basement, got partway through and realized how stupid they'd been. Of course they tried to conceal that from the buyers too the morons. Guy ended up getting a different house because it would have cost many thousands to repair that one.
 
I am not in construction and by no means an expert but I would advise against adding a lolly column in the basement. Get a long steel girder and put it on either side of the existing columns (or even better - get a longer piece and get rid of your existing columns. Just run it from sill to sill.)

That was my plan with my last house but we moved out and left that project to the a**holes that bought it (do I sound bitter?)
 
not a pro but when I do it I do it very gradually or risk ruining the walls above.

how do I know this?

20 years ago with my brothers house, we jacked about 2 inches in the middle and the walls exploded (the old horsehair plaster) above. talk about a mess

if you are handy try it but slowly raise it a 1/4 turn at a time and allow the house to slowly adjust
 
Our last house was kind of the same thing except they didn't pull out any support walls. There were a few places where the floors were sagging so we put some adjustable beams in there and they seemed to work pretty good as far as I know. Good enough for it to pass a home inspection when we sold it anyway. I believe the house we had was built about the same time and the beams didn't cost all that much. We went back and forth between the 2 that we put in but jacked it all up in one shot.
 
Never done such a thing for a house, just a cabin, but I would definitely do it gradually.

Get an adjustable post (or 2 or 3), make sure to put timbers between the posttop and your floor, and just turn them a little bit every couple of weeks or so. Once the posts are in place, you will have stabilized it anyway, so no rush. If you do it all at once, you are putting stress somewhere as you push the floor up. You don't know exactly where that stress is being directed or what part of the house is most susceptible to giving out from the stress. Why take the chance?
 
Thanks for the comments, keep em coming.

HH, it's just the floor. It's a single-level house. The basement is solid, no problems that I can see.

FWIW, I (not the sellers) had the home inspected when i bought it and the inspector said it was something that I should address, but it wasn't urgent. Otherwise I would think he wouldn't have passed it. I am just now starting to worry about it as I hadn't noticed the torn wallpaper in the corners of my hallway until recently.

Hopefully we're not talking about a huge financial issue, because well, I got no monies!

There were no real estate agents involved in our transaction.
 
Before starting this project, carefully empty the contents of the bar into your digestive system. If the floors still look crooked, then you've got a problem.
 
Make sure the new column has good floor support.
Go slow as has been suggested.
 
Burn it down, collect insurance money.


We never had this conversation, capice?
 
The Big Lebowski on 07-11-2007 at 01:39 PM said:
My question is, do I just jack the house up all at once or should it be a gradual thing?
Click to expand...

My father was a home builder and faced a similar situation with a friend who removed all his lally columns. From what I recall I think you have to raise it up very gradually over time.

Honestly though, I highly recommend hiring a professional.
 
The Big Lebowski on 07-11-2007 at 03:03 PM said:
Believe me, so long as my wife, kids, and dogs all made it out safely, I would be busting out the marshmallows if we had a fire.
Click to expand...
Oh friggin' GREAT.....

now you will bring all the Enviro-Animal-Rights-Bedwetting Wackos out the woodwork being all up in arms over you incinerating those poor chipmunks you have seeking shelter in the bosom of your homestead
 
The Big Lebowski on 07-11-2007 at 03:03 PM said:
Believe me, so long as my wife, kids, and dogs all made it out safely, I would be busting out the marshmallows if we had a fire.
Click to expand...
I LOVE SMORES

it is an easy fix but a slow process to get it down with out creating damage in other sections

the good thing is the post can be his and made part of bar later if you bronze it and add oil
 
The Big Lebowski on 07-11-2007 at 01:39 PM said:
Maybe someone in here (a professional preferably) can offer me some advice.

My house is sinking in the center. It is not drastic mind you, but it is something I need to address yesterday. Basically, the idiot that lived here before me wanted a nice bar in the basement. It's a beautiful bar too. But what baffles me is his placement. He has it dead center in the basement. Basically he built a wall slightly off center and put the bar right in front of it.

To do it though, he removed the only supporting column that existed.
The result: a creeky upstairs hallway and a house that is slowly sinking in the center.

Soooo. I have to move the bar and jack the house up slightly and then install one of those column thingies. My question is, do I just jack the house up all at once or should it be a gradual thing?

For background, I don't know how far it has sunk. I don't think it's sunk too much, but the wallpaper in the hallway has begun to tear in the corners. The house was built in 1925, so we're talking good, strong wood. Not the cheap shit they use these days.

Any advice? Or do I just cough up the money to have someone come in and take care of it?
Click to expand...
Try sending a PM or an email to PA_PATS_FAN54. He's a home inspector, and can likely give some expert advice.
 
I don't understand why people remove these, 'hey honey look, lets remove this colum holding up the house and put a bar here, thatway when the house collapses we'll be shitfaced and won't feel a thing'....

I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw but I realize the beams in my cellar actually have a purpose...

I would allso call in a builder, I don't think it would be too expensive but you could call around and maybe get an ideal before you bring someone in..
 
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