Why are You Lifting Your Home?
There are a variety of reasons why you might be looking into lifting your house: to add more living space; to make foundation repairs; to prevent flood damage; to expand your crawlspace or add a basement. The list goes on. While each of these reasons results in a slightly different lift, the bottom line is the same: you’ll be raising your home off its foundation, unsettling its structure. It’s with this in mind that we strongly recommend if you have the choice to lift your house before venturing into a remodel, you push the renovation schedule back and take care of the lift first. You’ll find this to be the standard across the industry among qualified and experienced house lifters.
You Should Lift First, Then Remodel. Here’s Why:
Our rule of thumb is that you should always conduct your home lift first, then have your renovations take place. Here are a few reasons why we think it’s a smart decision to execute home lifts before you tackle any remodeling.
Incidental Damage Happens
Even the most experienced and professional home lifters cannot guarantee without a doubt that you won’t have minor damage occur to your home during a lift. This could be as mild as a tile falling off your backsplash or a screw popping through your sheetrock. While most home lifts, if done by a trusted lifting contractor, go off without a hitch, the undertaking is so huge and includes so many factors, you need to be prepared for minor damages like these.
If your home is slightly damaged during the lift, it is better for you financially, timewise, and emotionally if you have your repairs done at the same time as your renovations. That way, your general contractor can tackle your big remodeling projects and take care of the small damages that may have occurred during your lift at the same time.
If You’re Lifting to Add Square Footage, You’ll Need to Remodel Anyway
When you’re ready for a change, it’s hard to push pause and prioritize other home projects, like a lift. But, if you’re planning to lift your home because you want to add square footage, you’re going to need to have your general contractors come in to take care of the renovations after the lift regardless.
You might be in a position where you’re wanting to remodel this year, then conduct your lift next year or a few months from now. Even though the itch to open your floor plan or install new tile floors is at the forefront of your mind, you need to consider holding off on making those changes until your home is elevated to its final position. That way, the lift is done, and all of the remodeling can take place at once. Waiting until after lifting your home to tackle your renovations means you won’t have to worry about incidental damage to your newly redone home should something happen during the lift.
Lifting for Foundation Repair? Hold Off.
You might want to lift your home for reasons other than adding square footage or for preventative measures. If you need foundation repair done, lifting your home might be the best option for these repairs to take place. Even if your home needs to be elevated just a few inches to make those repairs, be patient, and hold off on the remodel. When doing foundation repairs, there is a chance that your plumbing will need to be repaired, or that, once your home is finally level and settled again, you’ll see damage in places you might not expect. Countertops, sheetrock, floors—all of these areas that seemed to be in great condition before a lift and a foundation repair could potentially have stress damage after your foundation is fixed. If you’re lifting your house for foundation repairs, wait until all is said and done before you dive into remodeling. If you don’t, you might find that you have to call out your general contractor a second time to address damage caused by the house lift and the foundation repair.
Lift First, Remodel Second
Even if you’re only lifting your home a few inches for flood protection reasons, you’re still going to need a general contractor come in a take care of the lower part of your home, filling in concrete, brick, or siding, and making sure your home is secure from the outside and inside. You simply cannot guarantee a home lift that will result in zero damages or repairs needed to finish your home. For this reason, and all the ones discussed above, we strongly suggest lifting your home, allowing it to settle, and then moving forward with your remodel. Though it will take patience and delayed gratification on your part, you can rest easy knowing that once your home is lifted and your remodel is done, you won’t have to call out your general contractor for any more repairs.