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Sagging floors, doors that won't close and cracks in interior walls can be signs of a more serious problem. Repair or replace posts or footings by lifting, shoring and reinstalling the posts.Sagging floors, doors that won’t close and cracks that appear in interior walls can be symptomatic of a more serious problem. You may have undersized support beams, support posts that are rotting and losing their structural integrity, or undersized post footings that are settling. It’s important to stop this problem and reverse it before it gets worse and becomes more costly to repair.
We’ll show you how to identify two common causes of floor sagging, the best tools for lifting and shoring (temporarily supporting) a house beam, and the steps to safely replace a post. The actual work of repairing three to four posts and footings takes three or four working days spread over 10 days. Add to that the time to plan the work and obtain any required building permits. Expect to pay about $350 per expert consultant, plus $200 for equipment rental.
Raising the main beam that carries the floors and interior walls of a house is complex. Don’t tackle it if you’re a novice. When you raise a house even 1/2 in., the effects can ripple through the building’s framing, plaster walls, rigid piping and chimneys. For this reason, only specialty contractors should raise a beam or wall more than about 1 in. or undertake extensive floor leveling.
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