What Is A House Lift And Why Do You Need One?

If you’re a homeowner, you may be constantly on the lookout for ways to improve your home. This could involve minor changes, such as new paint and decor, or major ones, such as room renovations.

While most of these changes may be done for aesthetic reasons, you may want to take it a bit further and consider one major project that’s sure to improve your home’s safety and functionality—a house lift.

What Is House Lifting?

House lifting is essentially the process of raising or jacking up a home above its foundation. Though it doesn’t sound like your usual home improvement project, you will come to find that there are several good reasons homeowners choose to do this, which will be discussed later on. Lifting a house is certainly a challenging endeavor, and not one you can do by yourself without a tremendous amount of effort. The whole process is complicated and time-consuming. Given how much work it requires, you want to ensure that the house lift goes well, as even the smallest mistakes could be costly. This is why you should hire a reliable and experienced house lifting company to handle the job. You can visit experthousemovers.net or similar sites, or if you know people who’ve had a house lift done recently, you could ask them for recommendations.

How Is A House Lift Done?

Despite how straightforward it sounds, a house lift involves more than simply lifting the structure. In the process, there are two primary components at work: hydraulic jacks for lifting and cribbing for support. When the house is separated from its foundation, the jacks are evenly spaced beneath it and are then elevated to the same exact height at the same time. Once the home is lifted to the desired height, the cribbing is stacked to form a robust interlocking timber system that supports the home. To maintain its stability and maximize its life span, you should ensure that the cribbing used is moisture-sealed. Your lifter should also ensure that the house stays level and doesn’t move during each lift, as safety and stability should be prioritized. Once the home has been raised to the predetermined level, the contractor can then begin with the work you planned for your home.

Reasons To Get A House Lift

Knowing how much effort and time the project requires, you may think that it’s an unnecessary addition to your home’s structure. However, as mentioned earlier, there are actually several good reasons that may prompt homeowners to get a house lift. The following are the most common.

• Something’s Wrong With Your Home’s Foundation

It’s common knowledge that if there are major issues in your home’s foundation, basement, or crawlspace, you can’t just hope for the problem to go away or fix itself. Given how crucial a structure’s foundation is, you should opt to take action immediately; otherwise, the issue may get worse with each passing day, which could pose a safety hazard for you and the other people living in the house. If your home’s foundation is damaged due to natural disasters, a problematic drainage system, or other issues that can’t be remedied with a quick fix, it may be best to seek out house lifting experts. With their expertise and experience, they can more accurately detect what’s wrong with the foundation and give you advice on whether a house lift is required. If it is, they can handle the job, as well as stabilize your basement walls and restore the footing of your foundation.

• Flooding Is A Common Occurrence In Your Area

If you live somewhere that’s prone to heavy rain and flooding, a house lift could be just what you need to protect your home. Even if your house sustains little to no damage from flooding, constant rain could mean that your basement is always damp, and this dampness could cause mold or rot to develop, which would then lead to structural damage. Getting a house lift could help you prevent the risk of these things happening. If flooding isn’t common in your area but occurs once or twice a year, considering how climate change has been bringing about more storms in recent years, you may want to be prepared nonetheless. Raising your home above flood level can provide you with additional protection. Since your home will be stationed on top of platforms or concrete slabs, floodwater will pass beneath it while leaving the structure unharmed.

• You Want To Expand Your Basement

If your basement has been feeling more cramped and you’d like to add space to it, there are two things you can do: lower the basement floor or raise your home. In contrast with elevating your house, lowering the floor involves excavating to create more space underneath. Either option is fine, and you may choose whichever one best suits your needs and the resources you have available. However, a house lift may be slightly more advantageous and cost-effective, especially if you’re looking to fix the other issues mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know about the basics of a house lift and what situations or conditions may warrant one, you’re better equipped to decide whether it’s something you want for your home. If the above issues are true for you and are disrupting your lifestyle, then it may be time for you to start looking for reliable house lifting services.