SmartJacks are a great way to fix your sagging floors

SmartJacks are a great way to fix your sagging floors. I want to take a few minutes to tell you about the features and benefits of a SmartJack system.

Have you ever noticed that there is a spot in your floor, maybe in your living room or kitchen that dips a little bit? Chances are this is from a settling foundation. When your home was built, it most likely had a series of concrete pillars installed to hold up the wooden support beams. These concrete blocks will settle into the ground over the years as the dirt softens. This action is one of the biggest reasons that floors start to sag and get that little springy feeling. So if you aren’t supposed to use the concrete blocks, how do you fix the floors? That is a great question.

A SmartJack system consists of several elements, all of which are designed to support your floor properly. Everything from the placement of each jack to depth of each base has been thought out in advance. DryZone has skilled specialists that do these kinds of things every single day. I’ve been in many crawlspaces during my time as an inspector, and I can’t imagine trying to dig a hole to build a proper footing on each SmartJack but these guys do it all the time. They start with deciding the exact placement for each SmartJack. This step is crucial because the right placement means a better chance to lift the home back up. Then they dig and prepare each footing. What this means is that they dig a large hole and fill it with crushed stone known as engineered fill. All that stone is compacted over and over again until its good and sturdy. Next the SmartJack itself is measured and cut to length, and placed in its proper location. When the crew is installing a SmartJack system, they check several times to make sure each jack is level before attaching it to the support beam. Once the Jacks are in place, they tighten and attempt a lift if the homeowner chooses to try. Everything I’ve just described would fall under the features of a SmartJack crawlspace support system. Now I’d like to move on and tell you about the benefits.

Each SmartJack is adjustable and that means you can rest easy at night in knowing that if you should ever notice a spot in your floor sagging, the jacks can be adjusted to correct the new problem. Another benefit is the longevity you get with this system. Most temporary or light duty jacks aren’t meant to be left in place, and the concrete blocks failed you once already. A SmartJack will last for years and years, they resist corrosion and can hold much more weight than any other alternative.

When all is said and done, my favorite thing to ask people is “how many times do you want to fix the same problem?” If they tell me they only want to fix it once,  the solution is clear…use a SmartJack System and sleep well at night.