Cribbing is one of those things most homeowners never think about until they see a house sitting up in the air. During House Lifting in, cribbing is what helps hold the home up while the work is going on. It is made from heavy wood blocks stacked in a careful pattern. You can think of it like a strong temporary tower under the house. At High Caliber Contracting, we treat cribbing like a big part of the lift because the whole setup depends on it being done right.
The way cribbing is stacked matters. It is not just a pile of lumber under the beams. Each piece has to sit flat, solid, and in the right spot so the weight gets spread out the right way. With Structural Lifting, the house may be sitting several feet off the ground for a while, so those stacks have to stay strong and steady. If one stack is off, that can put stress where you do not want it.
Another advantage of cribbing is that it leaves room for working under the house. As soon as the home is raised, there could be occasions when it will be necessary to do something under it, such as repairing the foundation, installing utilities, or providing additional supports. Successful House Lifting should include careful planning of where the cribbing should be placed before raising the house.
We also keep checking the cribbing as the lift moves along. The house is raised a little at a time, and the support stacks change with it. During House Lifting in CT, we do not just set it once and walk away. We watch the stacks, the beams, and the house the whole time. If something needs to be adjusted, we handle it before moving higher.
At High Caliber Contracting, we know cribbing may not be the flashy part of a lift, but it is one of the most important parts. Good Structural Lifting starts with solid support from the ground up. If the process is planned out properly, built up correctly, and inspected as the building lifts, then everything will go much more smoothly and safely. This is precisely what we want from every lift.