Underpinning – New Jersey

Underpinning is a method used to increase the foundation depth. It is the process of modifying an existing foundation system by extending it to or into subsurface strata that is deeper and more stable than the near surface soil that supports the existing foundation system. This is done to provide vertical support that is not present in the existing design. Methods of underpinning include the construction of footings, stem walls, driven piling or drilled piers.

Many of the houses that forensic engineers and repair contractors are asked to evaluate were constructed with foundations that are inadequate for the conditions existing on site. Because of the lack of suitable land, homes are often built on marginal land that has insufficient bearing capacity to support the substantial weight of a structure. Also, where surface soils consist predominantly of expansive clays that shrink and swell as their moisture content changes. As a result, underpinning is required to extend the foundation support to depths that provide greater bearing capacity and are less affected by climate, soil conditions and homeowner’s actions. This underpinning provides the basis to lift the structure to a more acceptable elevation and provides vertical support to prevent the underpinned area from settling.

There are a number of different types of underpinning, depending on the circumstances.

     ●      Mass Concrete underpinning is the most common method of underpinning. The ground below the existing building foundation is excavated in controlled stages (or pins). When strata suitable for bearing the weight of the building has been reached, the excavation is filled with concrete and left to cure before the next pin is excavated. Safe transfer of the building load to the new pin is achieved by ramming a dry sand cement packing mortar between new and old foundations.

●      Beam and Base underpinning is a more technically advanced adaptation.  A reinforced beam transfers the building load to mass concrete bases, the size and depth of which are dependent upon prevailing ground conditions and the applied loads of the building.

Mini-Piled underpinning is most suited to sites with variable ground conditions, restrictive access, or environmental pollution. It is used when foundation loads need to be transferred to stable soils at considerable depths.

Foundation Support New Jersey

There are two common reasons for opting only to support a structure:

1.    You only need a small part of your foundation replaced but the rest of the house, additions or sections are fine and do not need to be lifted.

2.    You would like to turn your crawlspace or short basement into a full basement but do not want your house ending up at a higher elevation than what it is now.

Shoring is the provision of temporary support to buildings that are not safe or need to be supported while work is being done.  It is important that when cutting new openings in walls for doors and windows or replacing lintels above openings that these are not attempted without first supporting the building. If this work is done without suitable support there is a chance that the building may be damaged or even collapse.  There are a few different Shoring Methods that can be used: raking shores, flying shores and dead shores.

Raking Shores

Raking shores consist of inclined boritis called rakers. One end of the raker is placed against the wall whilst the other sits on the ground. They are used to support walls that have  begun to lean or bulge. The most effective support is given if the raker meets the wall at an angle of 60 to 70 degrees. In tightly packed areas like the Stone Town, this angle will be determined by the space available, and the width of the footway.When providing support to an unsafe building, it is often necessary to use both raking and dead shores together

Flying Shores

Flat boriti struts used to provide temporary support to two

parallel walls where one or both show signs of failure. The most common use for this kind of support in the Stone Town is where one house in a terrace has collapsed and some support has been lost to the houses on either side. For distances between walls of up to 9m or less, a single shore may be used. For distances up to 15m, a compound or double flying shore is needed. A single flying shore consists of a horizontal length of boritis set between the walls in need of support. The ends rest on needles set into the wall and are stiffened by inclined struts above and below at either end. The struts also provide added support to the walls and must be set to coincide with floors. As with the raking shore, timbers must be placed with care in order to avoid damage.

Dead Shores

Stout boritis placed vertically are used to support floor and roof slabs weakened by rotting boritis. They also form part of the support system needed before new openings can be cut through existing walls. Additionally, dead shores should be used to relieve damaged walls of much of the weight of floor slabs set into them. When used to support floors whilst new openings are cut through the walls the props support needles. Needles are very strong timbers or sections of steel placed right through the wall and at 90 to its face. The needle supports the weight of the work above and transmits it to the dead shore.

When using dead shores to support a failing floor or roof slab it is very important that all of the slabs to the rooms beneath are supported in the same way. This will ensure that the weight of the slab in need of support is carried right through the building and down to the ground. Any cellars or rooms below ground level must also be strutted. Shores are placed on sole plates of timber planking laid parallel to the walls and set about 1/3 of the width of the room in. The purpose of this is to spread the weight transmitted through each of the props over a wider area of slab and make it easier for the props in the rooms beneath to continue the load down to the ground.  Directly above the sole plates, heading boards must be nailed to the underside of the boritis of the slab above.

The shores themselves are placed between the two sets of horizontal planks and firmly tightened into position by driving home sets of folding wedges placed between the tops of the shores and the heading boards. The props, when in position, can be further strengthened by nailing planks diagonally across them, reducing any tendency to bend.

If this is something you are looking for foundation support in New Jersey, please call W.A. Building Movers for a free quote!

Foundation Leveling – New Jersey

Over time your home’s foundation can begin to fail. There are numerous reasons that this is caused by including excess moisture, soil issues, a foundation that was not designed to support your homes weight effectively, and more. Your homes entire weight sits on its foundation, so it is very important that it’s solid, or it could sink or sag. Both interior and exterior damage can occur and become increasingly serious. If your home has cracks, doors and windows are sticking, gaps between the walls and the ceiling or floor, or if the home seems to be sinking or sagging, you may need to have your home leveled.

Each home is different and there are different ways to have a home leveled. If your home has a pier and beam foundation with dirt crawl space it will be a lot easier to level since it is much easier to access.  A few methods that are used with pier and beam foundations include:

●     Installing new piers along with a new concrete base and heavy duty steel or block supports.

●     Leveling the girders and joists beneath the home with jacks.

●     Sistering” fresh, high quality lumber to any damaged or rotted joists and girders.

●     Using steel I-beams to retrofit any damaged beams.

●     Reshimming

If your home sits on a slab your home can be leveled by:

●     Helical Piers

●     Drilled Bell Piers

●     Concrete Pilings and Piers

●     Resistance or Steel Push Piers

●     Mudjacking

Of course always getting down to the root of the problem is imperative, so that the problem doesn’t occur again. If you have foundation issues due to moisture related issues you need to find the leaks and potentially have to install a new water drainage system. In some cases, your home’s foundation just wasn’t adequate to hold the weight of your home. Working with the right company will help you ensure your home is safe and stable in the future. If you’re in New Jersey this may be an issue for your home and W.A. Building Movers has a foundation support New Jersey, New York, Connecticut or Pennsylvania,!

Flooding – New Jersey

Flooding is the nation’s number one natural disaster, and it can occur inland, along the coast, and across every region of the country. Even though you may think your community has little or no risk of flooding, the reality is that anywhere it rains, it can flood. In fact, roughly 25 percent of all flood insurance claims are filed in low-to-moderate flood-risk areas. It is important to keep in mind that the risk of flooding isn’t based only on your community’s history, but on a variety of factors like rainfall, topography, river-flow and tidal-surge data, and changes resulting from new construction in your community. Those all play a part in what actual flood risk you face.

There are steps that you can take to prepare yourself and mitigate against damages. The first thing you can do is to know your risk. Next, you should create an emergency communication plan and build an emergency kit to ensure you and your family are prepared for a flood. As part of having a plan, we also encourage you to consider your coverage. A flood insurance policy can protect your home, property, or business from the financial damages of flooding. Most homeowner’s insurance do not cover damage from flooding.

In addition to these steps, there are also small flood proofing measures that you can take to help prevent, or minimize the impact of flooding services to your home and its contents. A few examples include:

• Elevate your furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home, if you live in a high flood risk area.
• Install “check valves” to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home.
• When practical, homeowners can construct barriers (such as sandbagging) to stop floodwater from entering your home.
• Seal walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds.

Homeowners around the nation have taken proactive measures, like these, to reduce their risk of damage from flooding. Proactive communities work on mitigating strategies through a combination of flood control projects and good floodplain management activities. In addition, FEMA hazard mitigation grants across the country have helped homeowners and communities affected by flooding, prevent future damages.

W.A. Building Movers provide flooding services such as house lifting in New Jersey and house moving. Get in touch with us today!

House Lifting Process | W.A. Building Movers

 

W.A. Building Movers & Contractors Inc.
www.wabuildingmovers.com
info@wabuildingmovers.com
(908) 654-8227

In this video, Co-Vice President Ryan Yarusi goes over the actual process of a house lift.

“So I’m Ryan from W.A. Building Movers. What I’m going to talk to you about here is the step-by-step process of how we go about raising a house.

When we show up to a house, what we do is, we asses the structure and figure out our best point of action on how we will raise the house

Once we get our steel layout established, you know, we bring all our materials to the job site. What we do is, the first thing that we do is break holes in the foundation where our steel’s going to go.

After we do that, we get our cribs established, we insert the steel like you see here. After we get the steel in, we shim the house on top with wood or whatever it may be so that basically we create a steel network suffice for the foundation that the house is sitting on while the house is in the air.

Once the house is loaded on the steel, we will set up the hydraulic jacking machine. What we’ll do is we’ll push up the house until we get a strong hold of the house and which when we turn on the machine we’ll push up all together.

We use a unified jacking machine so whether one corner is five tons and another corner’s 20 and another corner’s 25. The unified jacking machine will push up the entire house at the same rate.

Once we get the house to the required height that you need to go up finish-to-finish what we do is we add room on top for the contractor to have working room so that he can get the house ready for us to come lower down.

Alright, I appreciate you guys taking the time to watch this video. For more information about getting your house raised or any other aspect of construction, please visit our website at WABuildingmovers.com or call our office at 908-654-8227

House Leveling – New Jersey

Foundation issues are not always the problem. Instead, it may be an issue with joists and beams below your floor that require shoring up. There are different ways you to address this problem:

1. Sistering

If you have access to the basement or crawlspace, it is possible to jack up saggy joists until they are level and then sister them so that they remain straight after the jacks are removed.

2. Lally Columns

Another fix is to place adjustable steel columns under the joists to keep them propped up. This steel column fix does require that the base of the column be secured to the basement floor and the top of the column be secured to the joist.

3. Bridging

Another idea is to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor.  A plywood subfloor would bridge any minor waves in the existing floor, and House Leveling – New Jersey

compound would help, too. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of more weight from the plywood subfloor and 3/4″ hardwood.

4. Hydraulic Jacking

 One of the good things about floor deflection is that it is repairable. The bad news is that it often takes a long time. The solution to sagging floors, or the damaged sills and joist ends that contribute to them, often involves jacking. A common scenario is to install temporary jack posts and support beams, then permanent posts and beams over new footings. A taut string stretched across the floor will show the amount of deflection and improvement. Posts set on dirt floors should be upgraded to concrete pads with footings. Place wood posts on metal post supports to create a waterproof barrier between the post and the footing.

Jacking must proceed slowly; it took a long time for your floor to sink, so you can’t push it back up quickly without causing cracks and stress in the building. As with other structural repairs, jacking must also be done appropriately. You cannot simply put a screw jack under the lowest spot and start turning. Someone with experience should assess the problem and set up the posts and any necessary beams. You can then screw the jacks up a turn or two each month. Expect some cracked plaster along the way, and aim not for perfection, but simply stability and improvement.

Do you feel as if your floors are unlevel? If you’re house lifting new jersey, New York, Connecticut or Pennsylvania call W.A. Building Movers to assess the situation!

Foundation Correction – New Jersey

Foundation settlement can lead to major structural problems within your home.  The weather and soil conditions in New Jersey can both contribute to foundation problems. Some of the most common causes of foundation failure in the state are:

• Heaving and Settling: If the freezing and thawing of the unpredictable winter months cause the soil under your foundation to expand and contract, it may lead to heaving and settling of the foundation above.
• Hydrostatic Pressure: Some storms can lead to excess moisture in the ground, which increases the hydrostatic pressure in the soil. This pressure pushes on foundations, causing the concrete to shift and crack under stress.
• Erosion: Common after a sudden or severe rain, erosion can wash away soil under your foundation, forming voids that will lead to foundation settlement and sinking.
• Poor Soil Compaction: If the soil under your home was not properly packed when the home was built, it will most likely settle unevenly over time. The foundation above may also settle and sink as the soil that supports it begins to move.
• Pooling Water: When water pools around your foundation it can cause a build up of pressure on foundation walls. Remember that when pressure builds up, walls will bow, crack and lean. Water will find it’s way into your basement or crawlspace if this occurs. Mold and mildew can then become a health risk for you and your family.

Foundation problems such as shifting, settling, or cracking foundations often lead to structural problems, including cracks, water problems, and pest infestation. The downward movement of a home’s foundation is known as settlement, a result of soil movement. The movement and pressure can also cause shifting foundations and foundation cracks. If you see cracks in your floor, walls, or ceilings this is a sign that the foundation could be at risk. If the foundation has settled or began to sink due to soil movement, it can be lifted and stabilized by underpinning with steel push piers or helical piers.

The piers are driven, or screwed as is the case with helical piers, into the ground beneath the foundation until they reach the load bearing soils. Once installed, the piers are used to support the foundation correction and the home above.

Also if your walls seem to be leaning or bowing, the foundation could have shifted. Shifting foundations often lead to bowing and leaning foundation walls. One way to straighten these walls is with helical tiebacks, which screw laterally into the ground to pull the affected wall back into position. Wall plate anchors, installed by driving an anchor into the yard next to the wall and attaching the anchor to the wall with a rod and plate, are other solutions for shifting foundations.

If this may be an issue for your home and you’re in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut or Pennsylvania, W.A. Building Movers has a house lifting solution New Jersey for you!

 

 

Protect Your Home From Flooding | W.A. Building Movers

(1) Determine your flood risk,

(2) purchase flood insurance,

(3) make a flood plan,

(4) emergency alerts and

(5) help prevent flooding Servies. These are just five ways you can protect your home from flooding. Jason Yarusi, Vice President of W.A. Building Movers expands on each of these points in this video.

For more infomation about house lifting New Jersey…

House Lifting & Moving New Jersey

In this video, Vice President Jason Yarusi of W.A. Building Movers goes over what needs to be done before moving your house.

Read more about house lifting New Jersey and how much does it cost to raise a house?

Costs to Raise a House

Whether it’s to avoid flood damage or add another story below your house, more and more homeowners are raising their houses. The average cost to lift a house is not cheap, and can usually run anywhere from $30,000 to over $100,000, but it’s a project seasoned professionals can accomplish in just a few days. There are plenty of factors that can increase or decrease that cost such as:

• Size of the House
• Number of Floors
• Status of House
• Status of Foundation
• Time
• Permits
• Labor
• Liability
• Landscaping

 

The larger your home or more it weighs, the more complicated the process becomes. More stories means more weight to raise. More weight requires more laborers and heavier machinery. As such, a two-story home will almost always cost more to raise than a one-story home.

If your home just flooded, chances are, there is some damage to the bottom floor. Whether it be below the house, in your home’s foundation, drywall, etc, lifting a damaged house is more complicated that a sturdy house since you have to be much more careful to not further damage the house. More often the not, there will be required repairs before raising the house.

If the reason you’re lifting your home is a damaged foundation, it may be due to poor soil or ground movement and then you’ll need to secure your new foundation with helical or concrete piers. This cost is also dictated by the size and weight of the structure. Helical piers are cheaper than concrete, and this option is a much more affordable choice than transporting the home to a new location.

Time always affects your remodeling cost. If you have to raise your house sooner rather than later, chances are, your cost will be more. That is because companies will usually charge more in case of emergency. If they have to change their schedule your house jacking cost will go up. Like many home renovation projects you need permits to raise your house. While most permits cost at most $500, permits for raising a house range between $2,500 and $5,000.

You must consider the labor cost if you want to determine an accurate house lifting cost. There is no set labor cost for house raising companies. There’s probably not many house raising companies in your area, so the research should be quite easy. Furthermore, some projects require special attention from architects or structural engineers. While your house raising company has probably been in the business for some time, they’re not certified architects or engineers. As such, you may have to hire an architect.

Every contractor needs liability insurance and that necessity is magnified when it comes to house raising. There is simply no bigger project than lifting your house and doing so without insurance is truly negligent. Every contractor working on your home should have liability insurance, not just their company.

If your house needs work around the foundation, you may have to remove trees and other landscaping items, so this cost needs to be factored in as well as the cost of replanting the trees and/or replacing any landscaping when the lift is completed.

If you are looking to get your house raised in NJ, please contact W.A. Building Movers for a free quote!