lowering a home onto a stemwall

[John Arendsen]

I have a client with a home that was jacked up 2&1/2 inches above a retrofitted stem wall foundation. The problem is that there is no top left on the screwjacks. Am I correct in asuming that I can crib and block intermittantly along each beam, install bottle jacks on top of the blocking and then apply just enough pressure to raise the home in order to remove the existing piers and cautously lower the home onto the plate? What about drywall cracking, door and window jamming, etc? No sewage lines or plumbing has been connected as yet.
Thanks,
John

[chase]

are you planning on leaving the existing piers there also? may be necessary, depends on existing floor joist as to whether it will hold up with just sidewall foundation. this will be a tedious process. do you have access to air jacks, if so you could set them up and raise whole home the remove cribbing to allow it to come doen to foundation . best way would be to set up jacks on three frame rails and raise just enough to clear those rails , set water level to top of block preimeter , then measure to see how much existing piers need to be lowered . then water level the existing piers to this level, but sure to have some safety piers , then lower the jacks and let home pivot on fourth rail when home is on the first rail , jack up the fourth rail and water level piers , then lower whole home ontop existing piers and and new perimeter wall. but to do this the peimeter wall must be dead on. that is why leaving existeing piers may help if wall is off. i just know with only 2 and 1/2 inches clearance the block mason would have to be good just to square and level.