Hey guys, the backside of the house has sank becasue the sill plate completely rotted out (more about it on this thread). So we have been raising it. Its an 1882 colonial. It has ~25' 2x8 joists that span ~12' sections. So they sit in the middle of the span on a center beam.
The house dropped 4 inches at least in the back. We raised it about 2.5 inches so far. For some reason I thought the joists were 12 footers that were notched onto the center beam. I noticed they were not when one of the middle columns was bearing no weight at all. In fact the center column was not bearing any weight either. Today the house settled back on the center column, but not the other one. Here is a picture of the basic layout of the basement and the jacks.
The center column is not supporting much, and the column to the right is free.
The plan is to raise the house another 2 inches so we can put in a sill plate. Cut the rott from the joist ends and use joist hangers. Masons are replacing all the brick on that back wall with block as well. It was badly damaged. I am worried about the joists supporting all the weight of the house. They are 2x7 3/4 old lumber.
I guess my questions are what to do. Should I be worried about the joists stressing too much, or the foundation on the far side carrying more weight?
Should I shim the center middle support columns until they become weight bearing? (They are 10x10 timbers, middle column may be 12x12).
Should I take this opportunity to replace the center supports with something different? The wood seems in good shape.
Thank you,
Josh
The house dropped 4 inches at least in the back. We raised it about 2.5 inches so far. For some reason I thought the joists were 12 footers that were notched onto the center beam. I noticed they were not when one of the middle columns was bearing no weight at all. In fact the center column was not bearing any weight either. Today the house settled back on the center column, but not the other one. Here is a picture of the basic layout of the basement and the jacks.

The center column is not supporting much, and the column to the right is free.
The plan is to raise the house another 2 inches so we can put in a sill plate. Cut the rott from the joist ends and use joist hangers. Masons are replacing all the brick on that back wall with block as well. It was badly damaged. I am worried about the joists supporting all the weight of the house. They are 2x7 3/4 old lumber.
I guess my questions are what to do. Should I be worried about the joists stressing too much, or the foundation on the far side carrying more weight?
Should I shim the center middle support columns until they become weight bearing? (They are 10x10 timbers, middle column may be 12x12).
Should I take this opportunity to replace the center supports with something different? The wood seems in good shape.
Thank you,
Josh