Water Damage In Crawl Space Compromising Pier Stability - Portland, OR
Challenge
The crawl space of this home had a long history of standing water occurrence. Because of the many years of water intrusion and damage, the ground in the crawlspace had begun to erode and wash away downhill. This downhill erosion of the soil, caused one of the footings to shift, therefore causing the wooden pier to float overtop of the footing. With the pier no longer in a vertical position, sitting directly underneath the subfloor, the floor was sagging and the integrity of the structure was at risk of sliding downhill.
Solution
To restore proper subfloor support, we dug out 26 cubic yards of soil underneath the home, where it was eroding away. Next, we refilled the portion that we dug out with compacted rock, to firmly support the footings, ensuring that they could not slide any further. With the footings now securely in place, we removed the old wooden pier, and replaced it with a steel SmartJack pier. SmartJacks are used to "jack up" the subfloor back to its correct and level height, and they remain permanently in place. They are far stronger and longer lasting than traditional wooden piers, and are highly effective structural supports. To make sure that water intrusion and damage will no longer occur, we waterproofed the crawl space by installing our Pipe, Pump, Plastic system. This system will collect all water intrusion, and remove it safely away from the home. The entire structure of this home has now been strengthened by the installation of compacted gravel, a steel SmartJack Pier, and the addition of a waterproofing system in the crawl space.
