Ask Me Help Desk - Lifting a building

Lifting a building

Anybody have any ideas of how to go about jacking up a 40 by 24 foot building by 3-4 feet?

Use a professional company to do it with the proper equipment.

The process and some links are explained here: HowStuffWorks "How House Moving Works"

Hydraulic jacks,mechanical jacks,railroad jacks... etc.

To lift safely,I attach a heavy board (at least a 3X12) with many heavy fasteners to each stud,approx the height of the type of jacks I am to use.

Having many jacks helps.

Checking to see if the base plate is NOT secured to the ground,I slowly lift,listening to all the creeks and groaning of the building,any loud snaps or long groans from the structure will tell me to leave for a few minutes and evaluate the threat.

Once an area is up to the required height,I block that section off and move to the next,generally I have started on one end,then down one wall,etc.

Generally this describes how I lift a building,even one the size you are asking about.

Lifting a building 3-4 feet is quite difficult, and as KISS above has stated,a professional would be in line for this type of lifting.They will use the hydraulic jacks and I-beams to lift the structure evenly and slowly enough to not cause and damage to the building in the meantime.

Is there a reason you are trying to lift your building?

A little more info would help further discussion.

KBC

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbc

hydraulic jacks,mechanical jacks,railroad jacks...etc.

To lift safely,i attach a heavy board (at least a 3x12) with many heavy fasteners to each stud,approx the height of the type of jacks i am to use.

Having many jacks helps.

Checking to see if the base plate is not secured to the ground,i slowly lift,listening to all the creeks and groaning of the building,any loud snaps or long groans from the structure will tell me to leave for a few minutes and evaluate the threat.

Once an area is up to the required height,i block that section off and move to the next,generally i have started on one end,then down one wall,etc.

Generally this describes how i lift a building,even one the size you are asking about.

Lifting a building 3-4 feet is quite difficult, and as kiss above has stated,a professional would be in line for this type of lifting.they will use the hydraulic jacks and i-beams to lift the structure evenly and slowly enough to not cause and damage to the building in the meantime.

Is there a reason you are trying to lift your building?

A little more info would help further discussion.

Kbc

yes.. . I have a 24 foot cabin cruiser that I'd like not to shrink-wrap every year. . Problem is, not sure if it would be worth the cost of raising this building. . Didn't know if I should attempt it myself. .

?? how would raising the building enable you to not have to shrink wrap the boat??

I am not a mariner,so this idea is foreign to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbc

???how would raising the building enable you to not have to shrink wrap the boat???

I am not a mariner,so this idea is foreign to me.

We live in Maine.. . if the boat were parked inside a buiding I would not have to shrink-wrap it to protect it from the elements. . But the building is currently not high enough to get the boat in under the exisitng trusses.. . I estimate it would have to come up 3-4 feet in order back the trailer in to the garage.. .

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBC

Hydraulic jacks,mechanical jacks,railroad jacks...etc.

To lift safely,I attach a heavy board (at least a 3X12) with many heavy fasteners to each stud,approx the height of the type of jacks I am to use.

Having many jacks helps.

Checking to see if the base plate is NOT secured to the ground,I slowly lift,listening to all the creeks and groaning of the building,any loud snaps or long groans from the structure will tell me to leave for a few minutes and evaluate the threat.

Once an area is up to the required height,I block that section off and move to the next,generally I have started on one end,then down one wall,etc.

Generally this describes how I lift a building,even one the size you are asking about.

Lifting a building 3-4 feet is quite difficult, and as KISS above has stated,a professional would be in line for this type of lifting.They will use the hydraulic jacks and I-beams to lift the structure evenly and slowly enough to not cause and damage to the building in the meantime.

Is there a reason you are trying to lift your building?

A little more info would help further discussion.

KBC

What type of fasteners are you referring to in your answer? Would the large heavy boards be underneath or attached to the side of the studs?

It probably would be less expensive to raise the roof.

Chuck

I don't have a pic here on the structure but the easiest way is...

If it has a double plate at the top of the wall then sawzall the plates apart. Run some scabs form side to side to secure the roof. Talk to a crane company and sling the roof off to the side. Have ready the added knee wall prebuilt and swing it on top of the old wall plates. Now reset roof. It's a one day job at best. It's the sling cradle that is the key here.

We've done it on house to add a second floor.

You need cribbing to jack off and its water inside the boat house.

To raise level of your house please log on our website www.tdbd.in

Here in chennai,india people lifting a 1200 sq feet house from ground level to 3 feet height.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mallamkannan

Here in chennai,india people lifting a 1200 sq feet house from ground level to 3 feet height.

That's great. :rolleyes:

How does it help the OP?

Also, this question is from 2008. Not that you gave a solution to the question, but even if you had, I'm pretty sure they've figured it out by now.

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