Ask the Contractor - Homeowner Questions Answered!
Maintenance, remodeling, energy efficiency, design and more -- what do you want to know about maintaining your home, home repair or construction? Bruce Woolf, award-winning kitchen and bath designer, TV personality and custom home builder answers your questions and offers free advice -- exclusively on HomeESP. What kinds of questions can Bruce answer?
- How much would it cost to remodel my kitchen?
- How can I make better use of my basement?
- Which is better for the bathroom, porcelain or natural tile?
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Get expert advice. Ask your homeowner remodeling or maintenance question at right.
"I have a single family home with a basement. It's around 100yrs old. It needs leveling because it is leaning toward the rear. What type of contractor do i need and approximately what's the cost of the project?" asks Christopher of Chicago.
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OK, Christopher, after much thought this is what I think based on what little we can gather from your question about your 100 year old single family home that is currently leaning. As you might imagine, it is a big undertaking that demands that you take the appropriate precautions and hire the team with the expertise to make sure the project is done right.
The house likely needs to be jacked up in the back. There are probably structural beams in the basement that are sagging or have shifted over time and the process is to use hydraulic jacks to raise the house from front to back.
Once level, new structural beams will need to be set in place with new columns set in new concrete footers holding the structure in place.
A job like this would take a few days and would cost anywhere from $10k to $25k depending on the severity of the existing conditions in the house and around the impacted yard. A structural engineer would need to be consulted to determine the live and dead loads so that the proper beams could be specified.
Additional costs to be considered will be the repair or replacing of shifting of molding, plaster, sheet-rock, windows and doors on the floors above which may occur doing the process of raising the house.
As I mentioned earlier, all of this work should only by done by experienced contractors.
I hope this description of the work needed gives you some context with which to decide how to proceed with your project.
Best of luck and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor.
Thanks, Bruce
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OK, Christopher, after much thought this is what I think based on what little we can gather from your question about your 100 year old single family home that is currently leaning. As you might imagine, it is a big undertaking that demands that you take the appropriate precautions and hire the team with the expertise to make sure the project is done right.
The house likely needs to be jacked up in the back. There are probably structural beams in the basement that are sagging or have shifted over time and the process is to use hydraulic jacks to raise the house from front to back.
Once level, new structural beams will need to be set in place with new columns set in new concrete footers holding the structure in place.
A job like this would take a few days and would cost anywhere from $10k to $25k depending on the severity of the existing conditions in the house and around the impacted yard. A structural engineer would need to be consulted to determine the live and dead loads so that the proper beams could be specified.
Additional costs to be considered will be the repair or replacing of shifting of molding, plaster, sheet-rock, windows and doors on the floors above which may occur doing the process of raising the house.
As I mentioned earlier, all of this work should only by done by experienced contractors.
I hope this description of the work needed gives you some context with which to decide how to proceed with your project.
Best of luck and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to Ask The Contractor.
Thanks, Bruce
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Where to find prescreened Major Remodel Contractors
In response to Christopher's follow-up email question."
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You should hire a General Contractor who specializes in remodeling preferably of antique homes. They will have seen and solved a situation like yours before. Depending on the diagnosis, they'll bring in an architect or engineer to ensure the project is done well and to last.
You can search for a prescreened Major Remodel Contractor on HomeESP. Visit here to find someone: http://www.homeesp.com/addition-a-remodel.
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You should hire a General Contractor who specializes in remodeling preferably of antique homes. They will have seen and solved a situation like yours before. Depending on the diagnosis, they'll bring in an architect or engineer to ensure the project is done well and to last.
You can search for a prescreened Major Remodel Contractor on HomeESP. Visit here to find someone: http://www.homeesp.com/addition-a-remodel.
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September 06, 2011
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HomeESP's Bruce the Builder on NBC TV
About Bruce the Builder
Bruce Woolf of Quaker Road Associates is an award-winning designer-builder who has most recently been seen on TV on the NBC Show “George to the Rescue.” Bruce's dedication, over a career beginning in 1979, to client satisfaction, design and craftsmanship has earned him media, industry and professional association recognition as a leading designer and builder in the New York Metro Area.
Bruce is a recognized expert on home design, renovation and maintenance. HomeESP is proud to have him here to help answer any questions you may have and provide advice on home upkeep, repair, design and remodeling.
Bruce is a recognized expert on home design, renovation and maintenance. HomeESP is proud to have him here to help answer any questions you may have and provide advice on home upkeep, repair, design and remodeling.