Hey everyone! We just tackled one of the less glamorous (but super important) parts of building our tiny home barndominium: installing floor jacks in the crawl space. Turns out our massive new fridge and stackable washer/dryer were a bit too heavy for the original floor joists. Rather than risk a saggy kitchen floor—or worse—we decided to reinforce everything from underneath.
But first, we had to venture into the dark realm of cobwebs, dusty insulation, and a few unexpected (and long-deceased) rodent visitors! Think of it like an archaeological dig under the house…complete with petrified mice. Gross? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Here’s the quick breakdown of our process:
If you’ve ever had to shore up a sagging floor or do any unglamorous but vital DIY projects, share your tips and horror stories in the comments. We’d love to learn from your experiences too!
Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed our little crawl space adventure, be sure to check out the full video. Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe—and maybe bring a flashlight if you ever find yourself in your own crawl space!
But first, we had to venture into the dark realm of cobwebs, dusty insulation, and a few unexpected (and long-deceased) rodent visitors! Think of it like an archaeological dig under the house…complete with petrified mice. Gross? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Here’s the quick breakdown of our process:
- Clearing the Crawl Space
- Before we could set the jacks, we had to do some serious cleanup. We brushed away cobwebs, dealt with old traps, and made sure there was room to maneuver the support posts.
- Marking the Joists for Extra Support
- We identified exactly where the washer/dryer and fridge sit above us so we knew which joists needed the most reinforcement. It took a bit of tapping on the floor (and some back-and-forth radio chatter) to find the right spots.
- Installing the Floor Jacks
- We placed concrete blocks as a base, then assembled and positioned our jacks under the key joists. A little height adjustment with a wrench went a long way toward leveling the floor up top.
- We have to be careful not to over-tighten the jacks; you want support, not cracked beams!
- Test and Adjust
- We tested the fridge and washer/dryer by running them and checking if the floors felt more stable. Sure enough, the dreaded “tilt” disappeared, and everything felt way sturdier.
If you’ve ever had to shore up a sagging floor or do any unglamorous but vital DIY projects, share your tips and horror stories in the comments. We’d love to learn from your experiences too!
Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed our little crawl space adventure, be sure to check out the full video. Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe—and maybe bring a flashlight if you ever find yourself in your own crawl space!