What is House Raising or Lifting, and Why Do It?

House raising or house lifting refers to the practice of putting in place the infrastructure to raise a house from its current foundations to a greater height than it was previously. This is usually done by using hydraulics or screw jacks and as you can imagine, is a huge exercise that requires experience and an understanding about all aspects of building.

It is only done by professional businesses such as Black and White Houseraising and Restumping, and can only be done on certain types of houses, because if things go wrong the consequences can be fatal. There are different reasons why people might do this, so read on for a greater understanding about this interesting work.

Relocation of the House

At some point, we may have all been driving along the freeway late at night and noticed a house coming along on a truck in the other lane, or ahead of us. The first step in actually getting that house off its foundations and onto the truck would have involved it being lifted or raised, using hydraulics, and placed onto the truck for removal or relocation. As you can imagine, a house is not the lightest of dwellings, so lifting the whole structure in one piece can be a very involved process, and requires skill and planning.

Renovations

Often when people choose to renovate their house they are doing so for the purpose of gaining extra space or adding more rooms. Often, if they are financially able, and their house is the appropriate kind of house, they will opt to have it lifted or raised up, to create more rooms downstairs, thereby extending the size of their house. Once it has been lifted, new foundations are put into the house to secure it in its new position, which require the assistance of an engineer to ensure that it is safe and that the new foundations can hold the weight of the dwelling. Doing so can mean a lot of work, but can change people’s lives dramatically with more space to spread out and enjoy in their home.

Raising the House Above Flood Waters

Another important reason that many people will have their house raised is to lift it up and away from flood waters. If a house has been built on low-lying ground, or the natural waterways have deviated and changed their course, it could be at risk of flooding. Rather than watching as their house slowly sinks into swampland, people choose to employ a company such as Black and White Houseraising and Restumping to lift them high and dry, thereby putting them away from rising waters and damp, and adding extra rooms.