leveling a pier and beam house

I have a camp on pilings and we used a Laser level and marked every pile with a base elevation, then found the highest, and lifted the rest to that height. We shimmed with treated wood.

a family member told me theyve used this in the past. ive never tried it

Get a laser level like Mr porpi used. The water level, while accurate , requires a lot more effort.
Again, use treated wood to fill up the bulk of the gap, fine tune with asphalt shingles or cedar shims.
For greater gaps, best not to take it all up at one time, go to surrounding piers and raise them all maybe an inch or so, as needed.

green/red laser. you can move it as necessary, just re-index off a point that you know is at level. You can even get two or three of the cheap ones and overlap them for complete coverage.

Just know, as I’m sure you do, that you’re raising everything up with the base, all the way to the top of the rafters…plumbing and all!

How high off the ground is it now? Are you having to lift the whole thing?

I lifted my pier and beam house after the flood in 2016. 1400 square foot with an attached 18x26 covered deck. I used 50 bottle jacks...one between each existing support. Once set I would jack all of them 5 pumps and start back at the beginning for another round. Even doing this there was plenty of creaking and cracking noises...trying to raise and correct something that has taken years to settle into is not to be rushed.

A good, stable level jack pad is essential. I leveled solid full cement blocks or doubled half blocks as the base then used cut 4x4 for cribbing. You want the jack as close to the bottom of the house...not by the ground...as possible. It will prevent it from kicking back at you.

I used hardyback siding sheets as spacers in fine tuning. They don't compress, don't rot and, cut at 17.5, are wide enough to cover the top of a cinder block...gives you about a 3/8 inch spacer. They come in 12 foot lengths and all you have to do is score them and break them across a level surface.

I used a water level under the house to level the final product and it worked fine.

I'd post some pictures but can't from work...maybe tomorrow. Take your time and do it slow. You try to raise one small section a full 2 inches in one go and something is going to give. If the home is sheet rocked you are going to see cracks either open or close, doors get out of alignment or window issues...even doing it slow.

Any more questions and I'll try to help.

Great advice, DMAN.
I was involved in leveling my brother’s house, along with my other 2 brothers under my dad’s supervision. A bit nerve racking at times, especially when hearing a loud crack while being under the house operating one of many jacks. Probably a 2 by 4 giving way after years of settling. And yes, doors, windows, sheetrock and plumbing are to be observed throughout the SLOW process!

quote:

---

I have a camp on pilings and we used a Laser level and marked every pile with a base elevation, then found the highest, and lifted the rest to that height. We shimmed with treated wood.

---

This is exactly what you want to do. Cut the shims so the grain is running horizontal, not vertical, and shim the entire top of the block, not just 1 or 2 shims.

I have zero to add to this thread, but I am amazed at the knowledge on this board sometime

Some baws on a football message board just happen to be experts about levelling homes