- Is Your House Ideal for Lifting?
The first thing you need to do is evaluate whether your house is ideal for house raising. You need to examine the nature of your structure to see whether a house lifting can be performed on it without any issues. The best way to go about the evaluation process is to hire an expert to help you out. The main reason behind this is that they have the needed skills to evaluate whether the project will be a success or not, even before it commences.
After examining your home’s structure, you will also have to evaluate the yard and remove anything that can impede the contractors when they come in such as trees, fences, patios, decks, steps, debris, or even shrubs. As part of the prep process, it is important to remove everything around your house prior to the start of the project. This helps save time and eliminates expensive labor costs.
- The Contractor to do the Project
A house raising project is quite sensitive and requires an expert contractor to ensure things go according to plan. It is therefore important that you consider hiring a good contractor to handle all aspects of your project including engineering, laying the foundation, obtaining permits, excavation, connecting utilities, landscaping, plumbing, carpentry, and many other things.
The contractor you hire will be responsible for everything, and you should consider going for a general contractor instead of a specialized contractor for every element of your house. Doing this is highly recommended because the general contractor can make arrangements and get experts for all other aspects of your house lifting project.
- Cost
Cost is an important consideration that you have to make before doing a house raising. House lifting costs vary depending on a variety of factors such as the size of the project and materials you want used. The larger your house, the more money you will have to invest. Therefore, if your house covers more square footage or has a story or two, you will certainly end up paying a lot more.
Apart from area, other things that will affect cost include labor, permits, damage, and other miscellaneous costs. If your home’s structure is damaged, repairs will need to be done. Hence, you will end up paying more to lift your house.
- The Best House Raising Method
When planning to do a house raising, you have to select the best method for your specific home. Your choice will largely depend on your house’s foundation. Some house raising methods include extended foundation walls, slab-on-grade foundation, and open foundation. These raising methods are conducted in different ways. Therefore, you have to reach out to an expert to assist you in making the right choice.
- How High You Want to Go
Another thing to consider prior to doing house raising is how high you want your house to be. If your house has been damaged by floods, then all you want to do is elevate the lowest floor until it is on or above the ground’s baseline. If your home has no damages, you can go as high as you want. Nevertheless, you have to pay attention to the Base Flood Elevation guidelines as you do house lifting to ensure you get the best possible results.
Raising your house provides you with a great way to protect it, and is an outstanding option for those homeowners that are looking to save a historic building. House lifting also provides you with the chance to raise your home right above the flood zone, enabling you to prevent floods in the house. Since house lifting entails raising a house to build a foundation underneath, the project ought to be conducted by professionals to ensure everything goes according to plan. By paying attention to the aforementioned factors, you will be able to conduct a successful house raising project that brings you positive results.
