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I am buying a home and one part of the home is actually visibly sagging. While looking at the crawlspace, I've noticed that some work was done to support the home. It seems like there is no new settling cracks and it looks like the home has settled, but I want to fix it permanently and level-up the sag. After looking at the foundation wall, it seems to be in perfect shape and the sag was cased by the woodwork.

Yes, I can improve upon what was done before and add proper footing/ support beam/jacks. But I am wondering if there is a way for me to attach some sort of a "shelf" directly to the foundation wall, and put jacks on that "shelf".

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  • I hope those blocks standing on end are not supporting any significant weight ...
    – brhans
    Mar 10, 2019 at 2:06
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    Oh dear, I don't think there is an approved sort of method to fix this short of tearing down the house. I'm can get pretty cowboy at times but I wouldn't attempt it without having a serious look at it.
    – Joe Fala
    Mar 10, 2019 at 2:23

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Sure you can fix this, but I wouldn’t opt for the “shelf” idea.

Typically, in a post and beam foundation, all loads are transferred directly to the soil. Installing a “shelf” will put thrust on the foundation wall. Obviously the foundation is marginal and I doubt the wall is designed for any horizontal thrust.

You’ll be pouring several “pad” footings, so why not pour one near the foundation wall and eliminate the “shelf”?

Btw, Is the roof really sagging, or is that gutter installed in such a manner that it appears to be sagging. If you look close, you’ll see there’s about 1 1/2” of fascia board exposed under the gutter on the left side of the house, but about 3” exposed on the right side. (Although, that roof section on the far right looks like its sagging.)

Also, if we’re sagging very much where you have the arrow pointed, that window would be cracked/broken.

You’re lucky that it’s a one story house. The loads are easy to follow from roof, to walls, to floor, to footing.

If you’re located in a high seismic zone or high wind area, you’ll need extra holddowns so I’d contact a structural engineer or architect for help. Good luck.

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  • Yes, roof is sagging - if you look at the siding, you will notice. The sag is visible when I look from the top long the roof. So, unfortunately, it's not simple as visual illusion created by the gutter. Your comment makes sense - I will pour new footings and will put the beam supported by jacks. It should do the job.
    – Andrew
    Mar 10, 2019 at 4:31
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    And I see they left you a screw jack so you can get started.
    – Lee Sam
    Mar 10, 2019 at 4:36
  • +1 on the contacting an engineer, they can often give guidance on how to start. This entire setup is a poster for liability.
    – Chris
    Mar 10, 2019 at 5:55

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