Expert: Paul S. Brown, AIA - 12/6/2006

Question
My husband and I are considering hiring someone to jack our house up so our current foundation can be redone.  The house was built in the early 1900s and is a 24x36 two-story.  The foundation isn't in the greatest shape (mortar lost, not sealed, alot of cracks to the outside)and the basement in its current condition would never be able to be finished (which we would like to do in the future).  
  We were wondering if jacking the house and redoing the foundation would be our best option, and if so, what would be the risks and what should be expect to be a reasonable cost for something like this.  Or, would you have a recommendation for something alternative we should consider.  We would appreciate any information you can give us.  THanks.

Answer
Hi Suzanne:
Is the existing foundation stone?  or Concrete block?
Yes, jacking it up is a viable option.  One company that I know of that does this work as a specialty is Woodford Brothers in central New York State.  There are many others.  (I'm not sure where you are located).   Risks?  Cracking of interior wall finishes; cracking windows; doors that don't close properly after you set the house back down on the new foundation.  All of these are difficult to avoid in a job like this.  The small print of the standard agreements for operations like this generally exclude any responsibility for such problems - that is the agreement for the jacking/foundation work contractor.  If you hire a general contractor to oversee the whole project, then you can make the GC responsible for repairing cracks, windows and doors after the foundation contractor goes away.
If you want, email me at:  p spencer b @ comcast . net  (no spaces) and I will send you a few photographs of a similar project (larger house) that was done a few years ago in the Boston area.  The photos will give you a good idea of what to expect.
Hope this helps,
PB