Supplemental Beams & Jacks in Sterling, GA
Sterling floors, solid underfoot again.
The older frame homes around Sterling were built on masonry and wood piers over long spans, and the floors have started to give. New steel takes the bounce out.
Supplemental Beams & Jacks in Sterling
Why Sterling homes need this, and how we do it
Sterling grew up as a railroad community on US-341, and a lot of its homes are older frame houses carried on masonry or wood piers set in sandy soil. The interior girders run over long joist spans, and where a wood post has rotted at the base or settled into the ground, the floor above it starts to sag and bounce.
We fix it with new steel. Adjustable jack posts go in on proper concrete footings so they bear on solid ground, and a supplemental steel or engineered beam picks up the long spans the original framing could not hold. Where a girder or post has rotted, it gets replaced with new material. The lift is slow and controlled so the finishes above stay intact.
When it is done the bounce is gone and the floor stops moving underfoot. Because Sterling crawl spaces sit in humid, sandy ground, we usually recommend drying the space at the same time so the new supports are not left in the conditions that rotted the last ones.
What’s included
The whole load path - not just the soft spot
Every supplemental beams & jacks we do in Sterling, 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 Sterling
Questions Sterling homeowners ask us
My old Sterling home sits on masonry and wood piers and the floor sags, is that the piers?
Often it is, old masonry and wood piers shift and rot in the damp, which drops the span above them. We add steel jacks on poured concrete footings and a supplemental beam to carry the load, working from underneath.
The wood piers under my old frame house look damp and soft, what now?
Damp, soft piers can't hold the floor, so it starts to give and sag. We set new steel jacks on concrete footings and a beam where the long span needs it, and the floor firms up, usually in a day.
Why do my floors span so far with barely anything holding them up in this old house?
Older frame homes were built with long spans and minimal support, and over time that support weakens. We add a supplemental steel beam and adjustable jacks on new footings mid-span to take up the sag from below.
Can these old masonry piers be worked around or do they have to come out?
We usually work right alongside them, adding steel jacks on new concrete footings and a beam to carry the load without fighting the old piers. It's done from the crawlspace, often in one day.
Is a damp crawlspace under an old frame home something that keeps causing floor problems?
It can, since the damp keeps working on the wood piers and framing over the years. We'll do a free written inspection, then set steel jacks on footings and a beam to give the floor solid support.
“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 Sterling 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