Temporary support posts in a basement

Temporary support posts in a basement: what does the finding mean?

A temporary support post in a basement is a steel post in two or more telescoping pieces, often called a jack post, holding up a beam where a permanent column belongs. These posts are rated only for temporary use. Before your inspection deadline, have a structural engineer look at it. If the engineer calls for permanent columns, ask the seller to pay for them.

The finding sits under foundation and structure findings on an inspection report.

Key takeaways

• A post in pieces pinned together by a metal dowel is the temporary kind. Check your inspector's photo.
• Several temporary posts in one basement can point to past structural movement, often termite damage or floor framing problems.
• Bob Vila puts an installed steel jack at $500 to $550 each, one Indiana contractor at $515 to $630, and an engineer's beam inspection at $500 to $1,000, before any new footings or permits.

How do you tell a temporary post from a permanent one?

A temporary post comes in two or more pieces that slide inside each other, pinned at a set length by a metal dowel. The Home Inspector's Notebook says these are almost always smaller than 3 inches across, while a permanent post must be at least that.

A permanent post is usually one piece with a flat steel plate at one end. It should carry an ICC or BOCA sticker showing third-party certification, though the sticker is sometimes removed during installation. Its bottom should be cemented or bolted to the basement floor.

Your report may use another name: jack post, screw jack, adjustable steel column or lally column. The names overlap, so judge the post by its pieces, not the word.

How serious is a temporary support post?

Serious enough for an engineer before your deadline. InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, lists an undersized post as a potential defect. Posts that small "violate the IRC, although they are not necessarily defective," it says, and "bending is an indication that the column cannot bear the weight of the house."

One post can simply be extra support under something heavy, like a piano or a fish tank. Several posts across the basement are a different signal. The Notebook reads that as past structural movement "that was likely not properly addressed professionally," often from termite damage or floor framing problems. WIN Home Inspection, an inspection company, says temporary posts left as permanent support often point to "non-professional structural work that might lack proper engineering or permits."

Your home inspector isn't required to say whether the posts are adequate. InterNACHI's Standards of Practice exclude judging "the adequacy of foundation bolting, bracing, joists, joist spans or support systems." A structural engineer answers it. Structural engineer inspection before buying covers what that visit includes, and how to get repair estimates during the inspection period covers getting people to the house before your window closes. Send the engineer your report's photo and page number for the post.

Can I remove a support post in my basement?

You can't safely remove a support post without a structural engineer's design. A post that looks temporary can still be carrying the beam above it. Structural Workshop, a structural engineering firm, strongly advises "against removing a column without a Structural Engineer performing an analysis and designing the proper modifications."

Taking a post out shifts its load onto the beam and the posts beside it. Those footings may not carry the extra weight, and the beam may need reinforcing or replacing. Structural Workshop's best case is reinforcing the beam; its worst case is a new beam, new columns and new footings. Until you own the house and have that design, leave every post as it is.

What does a permanent column cost?

A permanent lally column is a concrete-filled metal pipe resting on a concrete footing below the basement slab, per Structural Workshop. Round steel lally columns can't be reinforced, so one the engineer finds inadequate gets replaced. The engineer sets the scope: how many posts, whether each needs a new footing, and any beam work. A contractor prices that scope.

Until you have the bid, cost guides give a starting point:

Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote.

These rows price installing a steel jack, not pouring a footing and setting a lally column, so a permanent column with a new footing can cost more. As an example only, say the engineer calls for three posts at the span across both rows, $500 to $630 each: 3 × $500 = $1,500 and 3 × $630 = $1,890. Add the engineer's $500 to $1,000 and the example runs $2,000 to $2,890. New footings, a permit and any beam work go on top, and the contractor's written bid at the engineer's scope is the number to put in your request.

What should I ask the seller for?

Ask for the evaluation now and the fix once you have a scope. A request line for this finding: "Structural engineer evaluation of the temporary support posts in the basement, then replacement with permanent columns and footings to the engineer's specification by a licensed contractor, or a credit equal to that contractor's written bid."

Ask too for any permit, engineer's letter or receipt for past work on the posts. Attach the engineer's report and the bid as soon as you have them. What to ask for after a home inspection covers how this line fits your list. The buyer repair request letter template gives you the wording around it.

What if the seller says no?

If the seller says no, you have three choices:

• Ask for a credit or price reduction equal to the contractor's bid, and hire the work yourself after closing.
• Go ahead without the repair only if the engineer's written report says the posts can stay.
• Walk away if the engineer finds wider framing or foundation damage you can't price before your deadline. See when to walk away after a home inspection.

Your contract sets the deadlines and terms for each choice, so confirm them with your agent or attorney.

Is a lally column permanent?

A lally column can be permanent or temporary. The Notebook notes the name gets used for both permanent and temporary posts, and InterNACHI says it sometimes means a concrete-filled column that doesn't adjust. Go by the pieces and the size.

Do basements need support posts?

If a beam runs across your basement, the posts under it are usually part of what holds up the house. Structural Workshop says the first-floor framing and the bearing wall above are generally supported by the main basement girder, which rests on the columns. Whether any one post can go is the engineer's call.

Before your request goes out, upload your inspection report to Kept so the other lines on your list carry a number too.

Sources

• The Home Inspector's Notebook, Permanent vs. Temporary Support Posts
• InterNACHI, Adjustable Steel Columns
• InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice
• WIN Home Inspection, Essential Guide to Permanent and Temporary Structural Support Posts
• Structural Workshop, Basement Column Removal
• Bob Vila, Sagging Floor Repair Cost
• Acculevel, Costs of Sagging Floors
• Today's Homeowner, How Much Does a Structural Engineer Cost?