I have an older cottage on a newer foundation(24x24). I would like to raise it 6 feet to accommodate a full basement. Can you describe the proper procedure or recommend a resource?
Answer:
You can rent two large, 40' beams. These you slide in under the cottage 4 feet from the edges and place your jacks close enough so you still have 8' of beam hanging over the jacks. I'd feel more comfortable with three beams so there'd be one in the middle too. You move the cottage upward by adjusting all jacks at the same time. Once you have it high enough, you stack blocks under the ends of the beams and remove the jacks. Only after all the work has been done do you again put the jacks in place and lower the building onto the new foundation. The holes left where the beams were can become your basement windows.
