I'm redoing a basement after flooding and just found this little hack.
Apparently previous owner removed permanent support post for some reason and then at some point installed this temporary jack post and covered it up with dry-wall (Im guessing so house would pass inspection).
What do I do to properly solve this?
Best Answer
It's not bad at all actually, the drywall chunk above the column's cover isn't even crushed. For as new as your lumber is this is just for stability to guard against sag & not a truly critical component. The floor isn't cracked so it's still hitting the footer, I'd just check for plumb to see if a new concrete filled column could or should land back in the circle.
Otherwise, it's really not a huge deal. Check for a sag in the beam, then see if you can get the screw up another 1/4" or more without cracking ceilings or walls upstairs. You don't really want to lift anything too much (wait 10 to 20-minutes after every 1/4" for the house to catch up, there will be creaking & moaning, but you do want to be able to back the column down after the beam's supported at straight or level.
You'll want a 4x4 (2-1 on each side) or 2-2x4's screwed together on each side of the column at that new height or higher if it goes up without growing or any problems. Cap the 2x4's with 2-2x6 chunks (screwed together & criss-crossed grain to avoid splitting) to make sure you're supporting the entire beam. Do the same at the bottom of the 2x4's with TWO 3-foot or longer 2x8's (10's or 12's, the wider the better) to spread any load & avoid cracking outside of the footer zone. Get the 2x4's close to the support to stay within the footer zone as much as you can while still being able to spin the column down with a bar through the pole holes & go get a new concrete filled column (adjustable is best) as well as a 1/4" or better steel plates for the column top & bottom at a metal (wrought or ornamental iron) shop as layers of thin metal won't do anything.
The metal shop might offer a welded-on cup or ring for the post's top & bottom, but not really needed once the column's loaded. If you're not happy with house sounds while raising, then do a 1/4" per day until you're level & doors are back to beautifully even gaps & floor squeaks are gone...no reason to rush this with all of the other work you can do down there while the house rejuvenates itself.