Your Sagging Floor Might Be Crying Out For Support
Maybe you've been walking across your living room floor and felt that oh-so-subtle dip in the floor, or maybe even a slight bounce in your step. Or you've noticed that one door in the hall won't shut right, or when it does, it sticks, and you have to use all your might to grab a new towel. Maybe it's the newly forming hairline cracks around a window in your living room. These seem like little quirks in your home that have formed over time, but in reality, something bigger is happening below, causing all these issues!
These are all cries for help that your crawl space may need more support. So that's where SmartJack Systems for the crawl space comes in!
Why Does This Happen in the First Place?
Before we get into the solution, you might be wondering how this issue happened in the first place. It’s never from one large event, but rather an accumulation of small ones that slowly build into a snowball effect.
A crawl space's number one arch nemesis is moisture, though! Damp crawl spaces make wood joists and beams easily susceptible to rot and fungal growth because they sit in the moisture, absorbing it and breaking down and weakening.
Support columns can also have issues, especially in older homes. They will shift because, over time, the soil beneath them settles. So while the support can look like it's in fantastic shape, what's lying under may be the real issue.
In other cases, some homes were built with joists spanning longer distances than we’d typically see today. This allows floors to flex or bounce more than many homeowners are used to, so adding extra support can go a long way toward fixing that issue!
Time also plays a huge role! Homes settle, wood ages, and signs of love and wear and tear, like their mark, appear, and everything slowly starts to perform a bit differently than when it was brand new.
So What Are Crawl Space Support Jacks?
These steel support beams reinforce your home's skeleton. They are installed under the floor framing to shore up any joists and beams that have become weak and started to sag. But they’re not temporary solutions either. They’re there to stabilize the floor above for the long haul!
The SmartJack System has been designed to be a permanent support to stabilize the joists above. They don’t replace the existing columns and piers; instead, they help strengthen and stabilize what is already there.
How Our SmartJacks Work
Beneath any beams or joists that need support, the affected beams or joists rest on a specially engineered base that distributes your home's weight more evenly. Some homes might see improvement right away, while others work to stabilize the home and prevent further movement.
But Does This Actually Fix the Real Problem?
SmartJacks can help, but sometimes they're just part of what the crawl space needs. When creating a solution, several factors need to be considered, and moisture is a major one! In addition to adding the SmartJacks, we also recommend encapsulating the space, installing a new drainage system and sump pump, or installing a dehumidifier. Each of these products helps reduce moisture and humidity while protecting what's already below.
We want to solve the problem, not just mask the symptoms. Not every sagging floor calls for support jacks, and what may work in one home won’t work for another. We consider your home's age, how it was built, the soil it sits on, and moisture levels!
Don't Wait for the Warning Signs to Get Louder
If you're noticing sagging or bouncing floors, sticking doors, or cracks that seem to be growing, don't just leave them as an issue for another day. With the right inspection and a repair plan built around your home, you can restore confidence in your floors, strengthen your home's stability, and protect one of the biggest investments you'll ever make!
