I have a (roughly) 950gla house that was built in the 40s. I don't think it's ever been raised back to original height or even professionally leveled. I was out there last weekend and gave it a minor lift on the front since it was significantly sagging and just picking up the front 2-3" to level it, I already have sheetrock finish breaking apart at the joints and whatnot. I'm okay with that- I intend to go through and redo all of it anyway. My problem is this:
It sits roughly 10" off the ground. I'm 6'4" and 245lbs- there's no way I can fit under there to do my plumbing. I've been planning this whole time to have it professionally raised and re-leveled to 34" off the ground (30" piers and 4" thick 24"x24" pads), but that's going to cost $3,500. I was digging up an ant hill that had just begun to reach the siding of the house when I realized the existing piers are buried close to (if not more than) 10" into the ground.
So... if I already have 10" of clearance... and lift the existing piers out of the ground getting another 10" of clearance... and then add the 4" thick pads... I'd have 24" of clearance. I work on cars a lot so I'm accustomed to having less space.
However, would there be any benefit to going with the 34" of lift instead of the 24" of lift? I've read that air circulation under the house is a good thing (still not entirely sure why) but I imagine it can also be a bad thing. Can I please get some advice? I'd like to reuse the existing piers both to save on costs and to keep some of the novelty of the 40s-era build, but if it would be better to go with the 34" I can always just wait a little longer to have the job done.
Any useful advice or further questioning would be appreciated. Thanks!
It sits roughly 10" off the ground. I'm 6'4" and 245lbs- there's no way I can fit under there to do my plumbing. I've been planning this whole time to have it professionally raised and re-leveled to 34" off the ground (30" piers and 4" thick 24"x24" pads), but that's going to cost $3,500. I was digging up an ant hill that had just begun to reach the siding of the house when I realized the existing piers are buried close to (if not more than) 10" into the ground.
So... if I already have 10" of clearance... and lift the existing piers out of the ground getting another 10" of clearance... and then add the 4" thick pads... I'd have 24" of clearance. I work on cars a lot so I'm accustomed to having less space.
However, would there be any benefit to going with the 34" of lift instead of the 24" of lift? I've read that air circulation under the house is a good thing (still not entirely sure why) but I imagine it can also be a bad thing. Can I please get some advice? I'd like to reuse the existing piers both to save on costs and to keep some of the novelty of the 40s-era build, but if it would be better to go with the 34" I can always just wait a little longer to have the job done.
Any useful advice or further questioning would be appreciated. Thanks!