Home Elevation

In addition to raising timber homes, we are the first company in Australia to specialise in the raising of masonry structures, whether made of brick, stone or concrete.

Our international engineering experience, combined with specialised modern equipment and techniques enable us to provide a tailored elevation specific to your needs.

Why Elevate?

In addition to flood mitigation, the raising of a house can unlock benefits such as:

  • Installing a ground storey, doubling the size of your home

  • Improving your view of the sea, city or countryside

  • Repairing damaged or settled foundations

All adding value to a home, generally well above the cost of the building raising.

Raising a structure and building underneath removes the need for dismantling and rebuilding the roof structure. It also removes the need to strengthen the existing building structure to support an extra storey. Raising a building does not interfere with the original structure of the house and provides a cost effective means to expand the usable area of your house.

Raising a commercial building can enable the installation of additional car parking or extra office space. It can also significantly increase the usable space in a warehouse, converting a low set shed into a high bay warehouse.

Flood Mitigation

Whilst flood prevention is generally impossible, avoiding it impacting your home isn't.

Recent flooding events and climate change have created a catalyst for the adoption of flood mitigation techniques to reduce the impact of future floods. Raising of houses is seen as one of the most cost effective and surgical options available to mitigate against future flooding.

Now your house can be raised above the flood, out of the water, out of the mud, preserving not only your house and your investment, but your furniture (and memories) located within.

Some of the tangible advantages of raising you flood prone home include:

  • Avoids water entering your home and damaging your possessions

  • Prevents long term displacement from your home and community – keeping the community together

  • Stabilises, reinstates and potentially increases the value of your property

  • Reduces recovery expenses

  • Reduces anxiety associated with flood events

  • Avoids diversion of water flows and shifting of flood waters to alternative areas

  • Is environmentally responsible, preserving existing structures, retains residual energy encapsulated in the building and promotes recycling and reuse

  • Potentially reduces your insurance premiums

  • Protects homes, families and livelihoods

Flooding of a property significantly impacts on its value and eligibility for insurance. Research has shown that homes located in areas of flooding lose long term potential home value of 10%+ compared to equivalent houses which are not susceptible to flooding.

Grants

Some Australian state governments have committed grant funding together with the federal government on a 50:50 basis.

$100,000 grants, (plus 1 to 1 contribution for costs thereafter) to raise residential housing impacted by recent flooding.

Find out more information on government grants pertinent to your state:

Each structural elevation is unique.

We comprehensively assess each project to ensure structural stability of the building, identify the best approach to raising the house and identify any issues that may affect the elevation.

The Elevation Process

Three approaches are available for the raising of your home. The choice of method is determined on a case by case basis and is dependent on building construction, access to the property and soil type upon which the house is sited.

The available approaches include:

Conventional excavation
Full excavation, beam installation and raising

Banding
Limited excavation, beam installation above grade, banding and raising

Direct lifting
Partial excavation and raising direct on foundation

Reach out today to find out which process would best suit your needs.

Before and After

The general process of a conventional elevation project is provided below.

The alternate approaches identified above have a number of common elements to the process below, with some subtle differences:

Step 1: Engineering Calculations

Before any work begins on the building itself, engineering calculations are required to confirm beam sizing, beam location, number of jacks and jacking points.

Step 2: Permits and Approvals

All required permits and approvals are obtained and all services such as gas, water and telephone are disconnected before work commences. An electrical “whip” is installed to enable the house to be raised whilst electricity is maintained to the house.

Step 3: Excavation

Using specialised digging equipment, the dirt from underneath the building is excavated and temporary support jacks are installed.

Step 4: Support Installation

Steel beams are inserted under the building and shimmed off so that the weight of the building is fully supported on the beams.

Step 5: Raising

Using specialised hydraulic jacking equipment, the building is slowly lifted and supported on cribbing columns. The jacking equipment is designed to ensure the building stays level at all times, thus minimising stress on the structure. The building is continually jacked and supported until a suitable height has been reached.

Step 6: Underpinning

When at the desired height, new piles are installed to support the building at its final height. Piles are installed between the cribbing columns and the building weight is transferred to the new piles. New foundations are installed joining the perimeter piles on lower buildings.

Additional foundations are incorporated under the building in taller elevations and the piles/columns reinforced to ensure lateral stability. Once the new columns/piles are cured, the steel beams, cribbing and jacks are removed so the building is left on its new underpinning foundation.

Step 7:

For elevations up to 1.5 metres, a new perimeter wall is generally built under the existing house perimeter wall closing in a crawl space under the building. Vents are installed to enable circulation of air under the building.

All services are reconnected and stairs and decks installed.

For taller houses, the undercroft area of the building is often left open, though a range of designs can be adopted to increase street appeal.