A few more re-leveling questions

[canman47]

I've been psyching myself up to re-level my double wide and hope to do it this weekend but have a few more thoughts. I've measured at every pier and the furthest out is + 7/8" so I don't think I have any drastic lifting. Most are 3/8" or less off. As suggested I'll be renting probably 4 bottle jacks. Since the jacks are short and the high side of my frame is about 3' off the ground what is the safe way to get the jacks high enough? I was going to stack concrete blocks like the ones the home sits on. Does it matter what direction the shims go? Some of mine are parallel with the frame and some perpindicular. Any difference? I have a low corner and the opposite(diagonal) corner is high. Does it matter which gets moved first? How accurate do I need to be? Marks book seems to ignore variations of less than 1/4". My piers sit on 2x12x24 pressure treated slabs which mostly sit on two 2x12x30 PT at right angles. Looks like near one end they ran out of the 30 inchers and just put the 24's right on the ground. I'm thinking I should put those missing slabs under the 5 piers that don't have them. Also one pad has termite damage which I want to replace. How do I get the ground smooth and level for the new pads? Ground is extremely hard and rocky making it hard to level. In some cases rocks have split the slabs. Is it OK to put a thin layer of pea gravel to get a relatively smooth and even surface? I appreciate any help from those who have done this.

[Greg]

If you can get it within 1/4" I would say GREAT!!! As long as you are lifting it do any needed repairs also.

Greg

[flcruising]

The suggestions I have are as follows...

• Use wood to bring the jacks up to the frame. Best method would be a bundle of 18" - 24" long pieces of 4 x 4 stacked up like popsicle sticks (2 parallel to the frame, then 2 perpendicular, up to as high as necessary), then cap it with solid blocking to set the jack on. I used the concrete block method, and my issues were that you must have a smooth level pad underneath the blocks, otherwise they will bust out and cause further difficulties. Also, multiple blocks are heavy to drag around under there, never again for me.
• Use something solid between the jack head and frame - parallel with the frame to distribute the force, if not you may (I did) bend the frame at the location you you are lifting.
• Use a water level, no other method is as easy or accurate to use. Mine was custom made for this purpose for about $5.
• Depending on how heavy your house, use a minimum of a 12-ton jack.
• Cap the blocks with p.t. 2 x 8 x 16 long
• Shims should be p.t. wood, perpendicular to and both sides of the frame.

[canman47]

Thanks, I answered some of my questions by looking at the building code which confirms that the shims are perpindicular to frame. Most of mine are wrong so I'll change them as I adjust. I have 2 20 ton jacks and a 12 ton. Don't know what to use between the jack head and frame. I've heard of jack plates but no one around here has them or knows where to get them. Wood would probably split and a metal plate seems like it would slip out and be dangerous. I have the deluxe water level bought through this site and it's the way to go. Has a scale so you can read 1/8" increments pretty easily. The code also says there should be road base under the piers so that's what I'll use for getting a smooth, level base under piers. The current code also says that there should be a vapor barrier under the whole house. Why is that? Even in winter it's dusty dry under my house. I'll look again but I think the code also said you can use solid cast pier caps on top of the hollow blocks instead of wood. Seems like that would compress less and couldn't decay.

[Greg]

I use a 1/4" steel plate, but since you are "adjusting" the home and not setting it up you should be fine with either jacking on the center of the rail or a 2x hardwood block. You are just lifting straight up a minimal amount. Just make sure the jack is square with the frame, If you see the jack start to shift slightly STOP and re set it.

Greg