Supplemental Beams & Jacks in St. Marys, GA
St. Marys floors, dry and solid again.
Shallow tidal groundwater keeps the crawl space damp, and damp wood loses its bearing. New steel puts the load back on something that will not rot.
Supplemental Beams & Jacks in St. Marys
Why St. Marys homes need this, and how we do it
St. Marys sits low against the tidal water, and the groundwater comes up close to the underside of many homes. That constant moisture goes to work on the band joists, the sills and the wood jack posts, turning good framing soft and punky and letting mold take hold. As those supports lose bearing they do it gradually, so the floor sags a little more each season.
We take the load off the failing wood and put it on steel. New adjustable jack posts go in on concrete footings, and a supplemental steel or engineered beam carries the spans where the girder or the sill went soft. Rotted band joists and sill sections get cut out and replaced, and the lift is slow so the rooms above are not disturbed.
When it is done the floor is firm, the sag has stopped, and the punky wood is gone. Because the tidal moisture is the root of it, our IICRC-trained crews usually pair the support work with drying the crawl and treating the mold, so the new steel and the wood around it stay sound.
What’s included
The whole load path - not just the soft spot
Every supplemental beams & jacks we do in St. Marys, GA follows the same checklist. We support the framing that failed and the framing that is about to. A typical beam and jack scope includes:
- Elevation readings across the floor to find the real low point
- New poured concrete footings sized to the load and the soil
- Adjustable steel jacks set plumb and shimmed to bear evenly
- Supplemental beam under long or undersized joist spans
- Rotted or split posts, girders and joists replaced or sistered
- A slow, staged lift so plaster, tile and trim are not shocked
- Photo documentation before, during and after
What we won’t do
We will not stack blocks or shim on bare dirt, we will not crank a jack fast enough to crack your ceilings, and we will not put new steel under wet, rotting framing without telling you the moisture has to be dealt with as well.
What to expect
Four steps, start to finish
Free inspection
We read elevations across the floor, check every post and girder, and find where the support actually failed.
Written plan & price
You get the jack count, the beam length and any framing replacement itemized at one fixed price, with financing options.
Install, usually one day
Our crew digs and pours the footings, sets the steel, and brings the floor up in measured stages.
Walkthrough & warranty
We show you the after photos, re-read the elevations with you, and hand over the workmanship warranty in writing.
Supplemental Beams & Jacks in St. Marys
Questions St. Marys homeowners ask us
The tidal groundwater here in St. Marys seems to keep my crawlspace wet, is that rotting my floor?
That constant moisture rots band joists and posts over time, and that's usually what softens the wood under your floor. We replace the bad supports with steel jacks on concrete footings and add a beam to carry the span, all from below.
My band joist around the edge of the house feels soft, what does that mean?
A soft band joist near the tidal water usually means moisture got into it and started rotting the wood. We shore it with steel jacks on poured footings and a supplemental beam so the floor edge stops giving, typically in one day.
Why does the wood under my St. Marys house feel damp and kinda spongy?
The high tidal groundwater keeps things damp under here, and damp wood softens and loses its strength. We set steel jacks on concrete footings and a beam under the soft area to take over the load and firm the floor back up.
Can rotted posts near the water really be swapped out without tearing up my house?
Yes, we replace rotted posts from the crawlspace with steel jacks set on concrete footings, so nothing up top gets disturbed. We add a supplemental beam where the span needs it and are usually done the same day.
How do I stop my floor from getting worse with all this groundwater around?
The fix is getting the load onto steel jacks and concrete footings that hold up better than wet wood, plus a beam under the span. We'll do a free written inspection first and show you exactly where the moisture is doing its damage.
“Our floors had gotten soft and the whole downstairs smelled musty. They inspected the crawl space, showed us photos of the rot and moisture, and fully encapsulated it. The smell is gone, the floors feel solid, and our humidity finally stays under control.”
Free inspection · No obligation
Find out what's really happening under your St. Marys home
We measure, photograph and explain what we find - then give you one fixed written price. No pressure, and no obligation to book anything.
- Free inspection with a written report
- Fixed price before any work starts
- Our own trained crews - never subcontractors