How Do I Elevate My Home?

There are many ways you can elevate your home. It allows you as a homeowner to use some creativity and add a piece to your home that you can be proud of once it is complete or if you decide to sell your home. Home elevation can add a unique asset to your home. Two homes may have seemingly identical floor plans while looking completely different from the outside due to one being elevated or two homeowners approaching home elevation from two different ways.

If you choose to explore the home elevation process, choosing the right company is important. Finding the right, experienced house lifting company is more important than the actual process of elevating your home. Though it is common for homes to be lifted, that doesn’t mean it’s cheap, or every company will care for your home like it is theirs. You should actively search for companies with proper and proven experience in elevating homes and buildings of varying sizes and heights. After doing your research on what you should look for and consider in elevating your home, you should know after meeting a home elevation company if they’re the right fit for you. They should always prioritize you, your home, and your family over themselves or the bottom line.

There are many reasons to elevate your home. Some homeowners are looking to add something new to their home and some property value by elevating their home while others are more focused on protecting their foundation or home from flooding. Elevating your home can create some security from foundation damage and add value to your property. Some people see home elevation as an investment into their biggest asset where they can turn a profit when they decide to sell, but there are other reasons to elevate your home.

The biggest reason is to protect your biggest asset and your family from floods and natural disasters. Flood protection is one of the most common reasons why homeowners choose to elevate their homes throughout areas across the country considered a risk for flooding. As floods continue to threaten homes and families, elevating your home properly can provide protection to the living area from severe flooding.

The process to elevate your home is simple and an easy way for you to decide if elevating your home is a good idea for your family and home. Before the lift begins, it must be determined whether or not a new foundation is needed. The first step of the process is inspecting your home. Before elevating your home, a technician will need to visit your home for an inspection and to make a survey. This will help all parties involved decide if home elevation is a good fit. Then, you will need to decide on a home elevation package that best fits you, your home, and your family. Once that is decided and finalized, the home elevation process will begin with ground testing, a plumbing and electrical installations check, and finally obtaining any permits required in your area.

Sometimes a new foundation is not necessary, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your home’s foundation. Once the foundation is replaced or fixed, any patios, decks or landscaping that could get in the way of the lift will need to be removed or relocated away from the home, and then utilities will be shut off and disconnected, while pipes, plumbing and ductwork that are below the floor will be removed. We will work hand-in-hand with you throughout this entire process so there are no surprises.

The home elevation process in a nutshell is: lift, support, lift again. Depending on the reason for lifting, the concrete foundation may be lifted too, or left on ground level. Most often, the foundation isn’t lifted with the home and is used to help support the home during and after the home elevation process. The process begins by lifting the home where hydraulic jacks raise and support the home during the lift while the new foundation is added or the existing foundation is fixed. The elevation process is commonly started by lifting the building one foot at a time until the height necessary is met in a safe manner.

At this point, the home is checked and verified that it is safe to continue lifting. After lifting, a sturdy base consisting of an interlocking system of timber supports the house. Cribbing is the term used to describe the Lincoln-Log-like wood beams that are cross stacked to form a supportive base for the whole house. Good cribbing is moisture-sealed to ensure its stability and longevity. Once the appropriate height is met, the tunnels that were dug to secure a strong foundation under your home are back-filled, all plumbing and electrical are reconnected, and work with you to restore the new exterior of your home. We also offer a 5-year complimentary inspection and after major flood events that are declared as disaster areas by government officials.

There are some considerations to make while considering elevating your home. The first is how high you should elevate your home. Depending on where you live, the height of your home elevation can vary based on how often it floods, the severity of the floods, and the current height of your home. The goal when elevating a home is to elevate the lowest level of the home is higher than your Base Flood Elevation (BFE). If the lowest floor in your home is below or equals the BFE in your area and there’s a flood risk, it is recommended that you elevate your home higher than the BFE. Although there isn’t a right answer for everyone for how high you should elevate your home, anyone could elevate their home to whatever height they would like to protect from flooding or foundation damage.

Another reason many people choose to elevate their home is to fix or replace foundation damage. If you’re worried about your home’s foundation or looking to replace it to protect your foundation for years to come, home elevation should be an option. You could also elevate your home if you’re looking to excavate a new basement, add headroom to a current basement, or add another story to your home. All of these options allow you to live in the house you have always wanted and it increases your property value.