Settling Floor in Crawlspace, Derry, NH

Friday, February 28th, 2020 by George Tessier

Challenge

This homeowner in Derry, NH discovered cracks in her ceiling and floor of her home on Christmas Eve of 2019. After a few days, she noticed her floors sinking in both her kitchen and living room areas, which began to make her extremely nervous about her home falling apart. She reached out for professional help soon after, eventually calling Erickson Foundation Supportworks to help solve the issue.

Debbie, the homeowner, said that the home was built in 1977 and she has been living in it since 1979. When Erickson Foundation Supportworks arrived it was evident that there was a major issue, and with further inspection it was determined that the home sank 1.5" due to softening soils beneath the homes supports in the crawlspace. Columns were needed to be replaced along with the support beam in the homes crawlspace area. The issues were mainly caused by moisture and the overall dampness in the crawlspace. The crawlspace was a 56' by 26' area and about 3.5' tall from the ground to the floor joist.

This homeowner needed a fix and needed it fast before the issues became worse.

Solution

Erickson Foundation Supportworks proposed adding SmartJacks to stabilize the home as well as a 56' supplemental beam and a SaniDry system. The crew had to enter the crawlspace and work on their hands and knees for the duration of the project. There were 12 SmartJacks installed, all evenly spaced out over a 56' section in the middle of the crawlspace and cut to size. There were 2' by 2' holes dug under each SmartJack and compacted with engineered fill to create a solid, stable base for the new supports. The SmartJacks raised and permanently stabilized the sagging floors and are guaranteed to never move again.

There was also a 56' supplemental beam installed to support the sagging floor joists above.

A SaniDry system was then installed to help control the air quality and moisture levels in the crawlspace. The system removes more than 10 times the amount of water from the air than a normal dehumidifier while using the same amount of energy to ensure a dry and clean basement.