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Old 06-04-2016, 09:05 PM
 
Location: Tumwater
3 posts, read 10,469 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi, I'm looking at buying a 1932 house with a post and pier foundation. The house needs to be levelled but it's sunk far enough down over the years that there is only about a 6 inches of crawl space. Not nearly enough to actually crawl under.
It's a very nice house that was updated, but not levelled prior to remodelling.

How would this house be levelled and raised? Would it be prohibitively expensive? Would I be correct in assuming the stairs and attached carport will need to be redone after it's raised?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:43 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,717 posts, read 18,774,654 times
Reputation: 11222
Hard to say about the attached parts since we have no pics. Jacking a house that is flat on the ground is not a problem. But expect the interior walls to have cracks and doors that now seem okay you might find that they've been cut off and now don't fit right. That means new doors and the old wood ones can be expensive. Putting a new foundation under one here would set your wallet back, assuming something around 1200 sq ft, about 60 grand total. You'll also have to address the sewer and plumbing when the house is raised along with any underpinning. Some areas may require you to completely replace the sewer system if it's a cast iron system. You'll probably find floor joists that are rotted and will need to be replaced or sistered. It can be a wreck, an expensive wreck. You might want to check with the local inspections dept and ask about it. Here, we are required to update all systems on the old houses. That includes the sewer, potable water, and electrical. To stress the point, they will inspect the house and if it isn't current, they pull the meter leaving you with no electricity. If you've applied for the correct permits and are bringing it up to date, they will leave it. Not all areas are like that so check. The old houses can be neat to have and to work on. But they can be a money pit if you don't do your homework.
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,404 posts, read 65,560,365 times
Reputation: 23516
Is the price of the home $60-100k under comparables? If not, keep looking.
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Old 06-04-2016, 11:03 PM
 
Location: Tumwater
3 posts, read 10,469 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks guys, the house is 2000 sq ft. 1200 from 1932, 800 from a recent addition. The house is well priced but not 60-100k under what I can afford.
We have a foundation guy coming out Monday so I should have a better idea then. Thanks again, and I'll post what they find.
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Old 06-07-2016, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Tumwater
3 posts, read 10,469 times
Reputation: 10
So the inspection turned out the house was only 1/2" off and is fine.
I asked what it would cost to have it 'fine tuned' or adjusted in the future and he said between 4 and 5.5 thousand.
He said that we could put a hatch in a closet to make it easier to inspect, and also to make sure and keep the ground dry under the house. The house is in the San Antonio area.
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Old 06-07-2016, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Nesconset, NY
2,202 posts, read 4,302,821 times
Reputation: 2159
Usually, when one writes "the house needs to be levelled" there's a functional or aesthetic reason.

Your sense of level and/or horizontal perspective must be much more acute than mine (and mine is pretty darn acute...in most cases).

Glad to hear all is okay.
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Old 06-07-2016, 05:07 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,702 posts, read 79,364,238 times
Reputation: 39415
The cost of leveling the floor should not be that much. Repairing the resulting damage to the house can be astronomical. If there is no reason it needs to be leveled, you may be better off leaving it alone. Uneven floors is part of the character and charm of an older home. Leveling can crack walls and windows, cause doors and windows to require re-framing, damage plumbing and gas lines, and cause a lot of other problems. If you end up with too much work, in some jurisdictions they will make you then bring the house up to code. That means re-wiring among other things. In California it can also mean putting in shear wall.

Be careful what cans you open.
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Old 06-07-2016, 07:22 PM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,195,918 times
Reputation: 26019
There's a house on the shoreline here which was raised. I think they wanted to build an addition and the new rules are you have to be so far above sea level. or tide line. or a seagull's knees. Something.

The point is they used steel I-beams slid under it to support the structure and jacked it up. they built pylons under it, big cement columns. It wasn't a very big house. I haven't noticed what else they've done.

Glad you've got a solution on the way.

Our house was not level. We had nails on each side of the room and strung a level on a string. Really illustrated the issues. The floor support studs were not even to code. There was one support beam down the middle of the house. We added two more between the center beam and the walls. Helps that we have a basement with a pretty high ceiling. It's a walk-out.
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