How to Raise a House With Steel I-Beams

Raising a house is sometimes the most cost-effective way to increase the space available. You need steel I-beams for support, house jacks and support columns for your steel I-beams once they've been raised up. You also need to make sure you have concrete bases to place the floor jacks on near the four corners of the house's basement. Once you have all that in place you're ready to start raising the house.

Steel I-beams
House jacks
4-foot wood pieces

Instructions

- 1
  Disconnect all utility services and connections from the house. These will be torn right out when you raise the house, and you need to make sure they're completely gone.
- 2
  Place the house jacks in the four corners of the basement. Make sure they are resting on sturdy concrete. Lay the I-beams along the tops of the jacks so you create a box along the walls of your basement.
- 3
  Raise the beams slowly, using the house jacks. All the jacks should be pushed up at the same time and at the same speed. Make sure teverybody can work together to bring their jacks up to the proper height as you raise the house.
- 4
  Build support beams under the I-beam from wood. You should take 4-foot lengths of wood and stack them alternately flat and on their sides. This is called cribbing, and it provides support for the home and the beams beyond that offered by the jacks.

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