House lifting, also known as home elevation, is an intricate process that raises an entire structure to increase clearance between the first floor and the ground underneath.
With weather events and flooding becoming more extreme, innovative house lifting techniques are essential for protecting properties.
This article explores recent advances in dwelling lifting equipment, machinery, and methodologies.
Introduction
Raising a home can be necessary for several reasons – most commonly to elevate the living space higher than flood elevation levels stipulated by authorities.
Other motives include gaining height to build a higher ground floor, rectify foundation issues, or facilitate underground construction.
As residential buildings get larger and heavier, house lifting presents unique engineering challenges.
Current systems employ sophisticated hydraulic jacks and modular structural supports to carefully elevate full multi-story houses with residents and belongings still inside.
New House Lifting Methods
Recent technological improvements allow house lifting contractors to calculate highly precise lift plans and predictions.
Laser scanning combined with advanced computer modeling informs specialized software to guide trailer placements and synchronize multi-point jack elevations.
Target lift heights can now be achieved within fractions of an inch across the entire footprint, including separate garage, porch, and amenity areas.
These intelligent software platforms result in remarkably level buildings after elevation.
Innovative Foundation Raising Techniques
In tandem with dwellings, modern contractors also lift and replace deteriorating foundation systems using ingenious techniques.
Hydraulic push piers installed deep into the ground can raise settled areas to remedy common subsidence problems.
Where flooding is an issue, houses may be raised onto extended piers or pillars to increase the clearance underneath.
Modular and stackable galvanized steel piers are quick to install and cost-effective. Alternatively, reinforced concrete or helical steel pillars drilled deep into bedrock provide robust structural supports.
Cutting Edge Home Elevation Systems
House lifting relies on a synchronized system of modular heavy duty steel beams, specialized jacks and pumps, and precise digital monitoring.
Beams with hydraulic jacks are carefully positioned under floors, while layers of cribbing temporarily support the structure.
Operators use digital master controls to exactly synchronize multiple jacks operated by high-pressure hydraulic pumps.
Laser guided sensors feed data back to the software, enabling each jack station to apply calculated lifts for smooth and level progress.
State-of-the-Art Dwelling Lifting Equipment
Specially Designed Hydraulic Jacks
Custom fabricated steel jack heads cradle undersides of floor joists while their vertical hydraulic rams apply tonnes of calibrated lift force.
Large jacks for whole house elevation can have over 20 tonnes load capacity each.
Digital Master Controls
These advanced panels connect wirelessly to all jacks to control hydraulic pumps and perfectly coordinate incremental lifts.
Laser guidance detects any deviation, automatically adjusting individual stations as required.
Modular Cribbing Systems
Blocks, beams, and wedding cakes made from hardwood or steel slots together to temporarily support houses at various heights during lifting. They prevent sudden drops by securing the structure as jacks rearrange.
Advanced Residential Building Raising Machinery
The scale of house lifting machinery distinguishes domestic elevations from commercial counterparts.
Specialized equipment must traverse residential yards to install jacks under floors and manipulate substantial dwellings with extreme care.
All-Wheel Steer Trailers
These unique trailers excellently maneuver jack stands into confined spaces using all wheels steered via remote control.
They can turn 360 degrees in their own footprint.
Tractor Side Booms
Fitted with tilting forks, these compact four-wheel-drive tractors carefully reposition heavy steel beams inserted underneath houses.
Operators view hard-to-see areas with remote video systems.
Vacuum Lifting Pads
Powerful suction pads grip flooring to detach sections for jack access, before precisely replacing them afterwards. This avoids damaging dwellings during preparation and completion.
Modern Approaches for Structure Elevation
House lifting is advancing from traditional step-by-step jacking to newer continuously synchronized elevation.
Hydraulic pumps pressurize entire jacking systems simultaneously, enabling smooth lifts without deviations across foundations.
Another emerging technique is water injection slab lifting, where concrete slabs are carefully raised by injecting expanding polyurethane underneath. While less disruptive, the elevation potential is lower than conventional house lifting.
Recent Developments in Building Raising Hydraulics
Hydraulic systems powering modern house lifts generate extremely high fluid pressures up to 10,000 psi.
This allows more jacks exerting greater force in confined areas under floors.
High density polyethylene hydraulic hoses withstand tremendous pressures, yet remain highly flexible for stretching jack cylinders. They are also more abrasion resistant around beams.
Advanced hydraulic pumps enable faster elevation speeds. Using multiple synchronized pumps connected to all jack stations saves significant project time.
Creative Techniques for Raising Homes
Elevating with Residents Inside
With precision digital controls, house lifting systems are now advanced enough to carefully elevate occupied family homes without disruption.
Hydraulic jacks slowly raise floors and utilities together.
Effective Water Management
Site dewatering techniques like water bladders prevent flooding of subterranean work areas during wet conditions, allowing house lifting projects to proceed where not previously possible.
Temporary Access Solutions
Scissor lifts or modular stairs on wheels provide resident access to front doors elevated well above ground. Custom ramps can also be installed if required.
Novel Systems for Lifting Households
Rotatable Jacking Beams
Hinged jacking beams that pivot and flip underneath houses allow jack positioning in extremely confined sites between closely spaced dwellings. Any remaining gaps gets filled by temporary structural spacing.
Interlocked Hydraulic Circuits
Connecting multiple hydraulic pumps enables larger systems to coordinate lifts across larger, heavier buildings. It also provides redundancy if any pumps require service.
Angled Screw Jack Pedestals
Permanent screw jacks on adjustable bases lift and realign concrete floor slabs. They replace degraded piers or accommodate odd angles.
Original Approaches to Elevating Houses
Hydrodemolition Concrete Removal Under Occupied Houses
Highly targeted water jets erase deteriorating basement walls or foundation piers without vibration, dust, or debris. It facilitates new poured walls or modular piers to lift and resupport homes.
Computer Numerically Controlled House Lifting
By fully automating elevations under computer control, advanced robotic systems accurately lift whole houses to precise heights automatically. Human judgement gives way to sophisticated software for increased consistency.
Heavy Duty Structurally Insulated Wall Panels
Prefabricated for rapid underfloor installation, these foam core structural panels spanning onto new foundations instantly create weathertight underfloor spaces after lifting. Residents can remain occupying their homes above.
Conclusion
House lifting is an extremely specialist discipline, which recent technologies have refined considerably.
Improved structural modeling, digital elevation control, and clever hydraulic systems facilitate smooth and highly precise elevations.
Cutting edge methods like continuously synchronized lifting, hydrodemolition concrete removal, and computer-controlled automation enable fast, minimally disruptive projects with fantastic accuracy.
These techniques open up house lifting possibilities to more residential buildings than ever before.
With weather events worsening and urban flooding increasing globally, more homeowners will likely investigate raising their properties as insurance or forced by regulations.
