Sagging Floor Repair, Merrimack, NH

Thursday, March 12th, 2020 by George Tessier

Challenge

This homeowner was looking to purchase a home in Merrimack, NH and had Erickson Foundation Supportworks provide a prepurchase inspection to discover what was wrong with the home. A thorough foundation inspection was required in order for the home buyer to make an informed decision.
It was discovered in the crawlspace that new support columns were needed because three of the main support beams in the home were failing, which was resulting in sagging floors. On one of the beams, where the beam met the concrete, the concrete broke off and was temporarily held up with small pieces of wood. The home which, was built in 1986, required a building permit from the town of Merrimack, NH to start the project. The crawlspace was large, 60' x 25', with a couple smaller bumpouts, with a ceiling height ranging from 2' to 4'. Aside from the sagging beams, the floor of the crawlspace was also a mix of broken concrete and settled, damp soil. The entire space felt moist.

Solution

Erickson Foundation proposed adding a SmartJacks system to replace the failing lally columns which were no longer stabilizing the beams.

There were a total of 11 SmartJacks all cut to size and installed along 3 support beams. The main 60' beam at the center of the home required 7 SmartJacks, while the two smaller 12' beams required 2 each. To install each SmartJack, a 2' by 2' hole was dug and then filled and compacted with engineered fill to develop a solid, stable base for the new supports. With only one access point to the crawlspace being a 2'x'2 hole in a first floor closet, the crews had to carry buckets of crushed stone through the home, pass them down into the crawlspace, and then disperse where needed. It was a collaborative effort requiring strength and endurance.

With the SmartJacks installed, they were able to raise and stabilize the beams and sagging floors permanently.

Further recommendations for this crawlspace included NexusPro to seal the various wall cracks, as well as PolyLevel to lift and permanently stabilize the slab in the garage of the home, which was also settling. Lastly, 6 Push Piers were suggested to stabilize and potentially lift a corner of the home's foundation. These items will most likely be installed at a later date.