Thoughts...those are screw jacks used in construction....why were they needed....how much is the asking price...can you afford to replace the jacks...are the floors level...what does “in the middle of purchasing” mean...why do you want to purchase this property..

This home is in PA and apparently this is common there. We are in the middle of negotiations for repairs from the inspection. The inspector did not suggest that they be replaced but rather secured to the beams. I’m just unsure what the rating is with these temporary posts

"I’m just unsure what the rating is with these temporary posts"

No permanent rating. They are typically only a temporary support post.

If you are married to this purchase....there is a magazine, tv show, web site...this old house...they do not disclose costs, but document their work...you don’t know what you don’t know...if you are unable to pay for what you dont know, why do you want to purchase this property.

do you have a realtor, can that person help you will remediation costs?

i am not sure, on a forum, a licensed contractor can give you the assurance you are looking for.

again, what are the financials...not about emotion, but does the purchase pencil out?

I can't imagine it would be crazy expensive to make this into a permanent repair.

If you have a realtor, she should have suggested you contact a structural engineer. Not only that, but if a good realtor would have one or two structural engineers in her rolodex that she works with.

He'll assess the situation, and write a report with how it should be fixed. All for a $499.

Is PA seismically stable? Masonry would not be expensive at all.

Well, a licensed, bonded, insured contractor cannot just do some stuff a diy would recommend.

A diy could try to secure or replace the existing posts.

Sticking my neck out here, since this isn't one of my areas of expertise, that looks like what used to be called an adjust-a-post. AFAIK they're meant for permanent installation. They do have a limited lifespan in damp cellars, however.

Certainly I've had them in my own old homes, and have seen them in many others. They're typically used to (try to) level sagging and sloping floors.

I have to admit I haven't seen one under a metal I beam like that. But then, the houses I hang around in don't tend to be new enough to have such beams.

It wouldn't hurt anything except your wallet to have a structural engineer take a look.

Mickey at work!

Temporary post unattached and with no lateral support for the beam. And almost certainly no support piers. Structural engineer needed to inspect and re-design. And who knows what other diy horrors he'll find.

I have seen these posts left in place in many an older house, usually to correct rotted beams, sagging floors, or overzealous plumbing cuts. Their allowable load is not usually the limiting factor, it's the bearing capacity of the concrete slab below. The steel beam looks like overkill but the picture doesn't show the entire situation. I would do what the report suggested and move on.

Interesting. Thanks for posting that reference, Stax.

I've lived with those adjustable columns in more than one old house. They never gave me any problems at all. They'd been installed by previous owner and had obviously been in place for years. I had no idea that they were supposed to be for temporary use only.

From the looks of the rust on that beam, it's been there a good while. If this house is anywhere near Pittsburgh and the beam was installed before the mills were outsourced, in order to line the pockets of corrupt politicians on the take, the beam was probably inexpensive.

Helpful! lol

You must know what is the total load is on the column and what is the max load that column is rated for.

The column also needs to be attached to the I-Beam and there should be a footing under it to support it.

You better off having someone to come in, put a footing in and install a lolly column, the have special attachments made especially for the column to I-Beam connection... on column repairs/replacements some use reg plates and portable welding to attach the plate.