The Oaks Condominium

Monday, December 14th, 2009 by Marianne Koiva

Challenge

The Oaks Condominium is a wood-framed multi-building condominium complex that was suffering from sagging and bouncing floors throughout all of its first floor units. Each building in the complex was built on a crawlspace foundation with masonry block pilasters spaced throughout. Most unit owners were experiencing cracks in the drywall at entryways and above interior doors. Some unit owners also reported windows that were sticking and cabinets that would not open and close properly. The masonry block pilasters throughout the crawlspaces had experienced settlement and were no longer able to properly support the main beams of the individual units. After several quick-fix attempts to fix the problem had failed, the property owners were looking for a permanent solution.

Solution

Quality 1st Basement Systems recommended the use of the Foundation Supportworks SmartJack™ system, a supplemental support system specifically designed for crawlspaces. Some of the SmartJack™ system design features include: a compacted crushed stone base, precast concrete footing, 3 ½" diameter steel column, and an adjustable thread rod to set the height. Quality 1st Basement Systems installed 120 SmartJacks™ throughout several of the complex's buildings to lift and stabilize the center beam in each of the problem crawlspaces. Along the foundation wall, the beam was lifted and copper flashing was installed to allow the block to sit on the pilaster, safely away from rot and insects. The installation of all 120 SmartJacks™ was completed in less than one week and effectively stabilized and lifted the sagging beams throughout the crawlspaces. Drywall in the units above were repaired for the last time, and cabinets and windows began to open and close properly. All floors throughout the complex are now level with the bowing and bouncing completely eliminated.

"I have lived here for several years. The floors bounced so much I started to think I lived on a ship! The day Quality 1st finished the work in my home I thought I was in a new place." -Condominium Unit Owner