Foundation Jacks vs House Support Jacks: Which Does Your Home Need?
Two Very Different Tools
"Jack" gets used for several things under a house. Temporary house jacks, such as bottle jacks and screw jacks, are used during a repair to lift and hold framing. Permanent support jacks, more accurately adjustable steel support posts, are designed to stay in place for the life of the house. Foundation piers, such as pressed concrete or steel push piers, go deep under the perimeter foundation to lift and stabilize walls.
The Problem With Temporary Jacks
Many Oklahoma City crawl spaces have a few jacks left behind from a past repair, often sitting on a loose concrete block on bare soil. Those can sink, tip or rust, and the floor drops again. Signs of a temporary fix include bottle jacks, short screw jacks without a footing, stacked bricks or blocks, and wood blocking under a beam.
What a Permanent Support Looks Like
- Heavy steel post rated for structural loads
- Adjustable top plate fastened to the beam
- Concrete footing or engineered base below
- Spacing that shortens the beam span
- Corrosion-resistant coating
- Installed level and plumb
Which Does Your Home Need?
If interior floors sag between existing piers, adjustable steel support posts on footings are usually the right fix. If the outside walls and corners are settling, with cracks in brick and gaps at windows, perimeter piers may be needed. If piers themselves are crumbling, replacing them is the fix. An inspection with floor elevation readings tells you which.
Typical Costs
| Item | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Adjustable steel support post | $300 to $900 each |
| New interior pier with footing | $400 to $1,200 each |
| Reshimming and minor leveling | $500 to $2,000 |
| Typical pier and beam leveling project | $2,500 to $10,000 |
Next Step
See pier and beam foundation repair or call for a free inspection.
Want a free quote?
Call (405) 400-1701 or use the form for a free inspection and written quote.
