Now that your house is raised and secure, what’s next for the ground level? Consider installing an elevated slab.

A stem wall—a reinforced concrete structure—lifts the slab off the ground, providing a stable dry space for storage, parking, or added durability. Incorporating an elevated slab can be a crucial element to consider.

When evaluating your slab, it's important to check for rusted steel reinforcement. If the steel is compromised, the slab will lose its structural integrity.  In these cases, it’s crucial to ensure that your contractor installs purlins—horizontal beams that provide additional support—spaced properly to bear the load of the non-reinforced slab. Proper purlin spacing is essential to maintaining the slab’s integrity.

The lifting process starts with a crucial step: taking a soil sample. Without this, it's challenging to design a stable foundation that resists significant settlement over time. Soil samples provide valuable insights into the quality and density of the ground, helping us determine the appropriate size and depth for helical piles to ensure a solid, long-lasting foundation.

 Many homes have uneven floors, whether due to an addition or part of the original design. Lifting your home offers a unique opportunity to correct these issues. During the lift, we can separate the floors and raise only the walls and roof, allowing us to reconstruct the floor exactly where you want it, ensuring a more level and functional space.

When comparing house lifting costs between your home and your neighbor’s, one of the first factors to consider is the type of foundation—is it a slab or a framed foundation? This difference has a significant impact on both the complexity and the cost of the project. Generally, homes with framed foundations are faster and less expensive to lift because they require less structural support.  Slab foundations, on the other hand, often require more work to dig out and must have an extensive support system. Understanding the type of foundation is key to getting an accurate cost estimate for your house lifting project.

 In this video, we explore the essential role of piers and cribbing in house lifting and foundation stabilization. Piers provide a stable vertical support system, transferring the weight of the structure to deeper, more secure soil layers. Cribbing, on the other hand, is a temporary yet crucial support structure made of stacked timber, which holds the house safely in place while the foundation is being worked on. Together, piers and cribbing ensure the home remains secure and stable throughout the lifting process, preventing shifting or settling and safeguarding the integrity of the structure.

At JAS, we use helical pilings for our house lifts to ensure maximum stability, especially in areas with challenging soil conditions, such as Shore Acres. In this video, watch as we drill 50 feet into the ground to achieve the necessary torque to securely support the load of the house, demonstrating our commitment to safety and precision. 

Watch Channel 10 News' full report:

In flood-weary neighborhoods, home lifters see growing demand

Watch ABC Action News' full report:

Rising Above the Flood: Floridians lifting their homes above the surge

Watch Channel 10 News' full report:

Florida family chooses to lift home rather than leave after multiple hurricanes