Foundation Repair Photo Album: Green Valley, California

In Green Valley Lake, California, Saber Foundations was contracted to fix an issue of sagging floors.  Walls have cracks and door frames and fire place are out of level.  The homeowner was concerned that if this issue was not corrected, it would lead to further damage to the home.  This type of settling can be because of a few different issues.  One, being that the existing block or brick columns are spaced too far apart, thus causing the beam or girder to become overloaded and sag between the columns.  When the girder sags, so does the floor above it.  The sagging can also be caused by weakened floor joists and girders due to moisture and wood rot, or the existing columns settle due to weak soil.  Weak soil can cause the existing columns in a crawl space to sink or settle. With the SmartJack™ system, stabilizing and leveling girders and floor joists is pretty easy.  A 2' cube of soil is excavated at each SmartJack™ location.  The hole is then filled with either concrete or an engineered fill that consists of tightly-compacted crushed stone.  A concrete base is then placed and leveled on top of the fill.  Next, the steel column is cut to the appropriate height for the crawlspace.  The steel column and components are assembled and connected to the girder, and the SmartJack™ system is tightened into place.  The girder and floor joists are immediately stabilized.  This allows for the lifting of the above floors and walls.  During this installation the sub-floor was removed for access to the girder beam, which was also replaced for additional reinforcement, and 6 SmartJacks™ were installed.  Once the SmartJacks™ are tightened into place the sagging floors and cracked walls were lifted back to their original position, and the sub-floor which was removed was then replaced.  The homeowner will notice that the floor no longer sags and the cracks or gaps have closed, also the fireplace is now back in level.