Fixing a Century-Old Home in Lambton Shores ON

Challenge

The owners of this beautiful, century-old home in Lambton County had problems in their home which originated from the crawl space.

• There were cracks of all sizes, travelling in all directions, near almost every window and door.
• Windows and doors were difficult to open.
• There were many gaps between walls and ceilings as well as walls and floors.
• In areas, the floors sloped, and in other areas, the floors felt soft, or “bouncy”. 

After a thorough examination, our inspector determined the problems to be:

• A lack of support for existing beams
• Dry rot in beams
• A failing interior stone foundation

Simply stated, the structural problems in the crawl space were evident in all areas of this historic home. These issues made any upgrades or restoration attempts, such as replacing doors or even painting; futile, as the home’s structure needed to be addressed first and foremost to solve these problems. 

Solution

Through our engineering process, we determined that a steel beam and two supplemental wood beams needed to be installed. A portion of an old and ineffective foundation wall was excavated and removed. Our team installed SmartJacks™ to better support the structure of the home.

We are so pleased that the homeowners now have a structurally sound home! No more bouncy, sloping floors and difficult to open window and doors. 

Project Summary

Inspector: Rick

Foreman: Justin