NOLA Raised Home

Repair guide

House shoring in New Orleans

The word means different things to different firms. This guide explains the usages you will meet, how temporary and permanent supports differ, and what to ask before you agree to anything.

Last updated October 7, 2026. Last reviewed October 7, 2026.

A historic black-and-white photograph of a long, narrow, weathered wooden house raised on piers behind an iron fence.
Narrow house raised on piers, Faubourg Marigny (historic survey photo). Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress (HABS LA-27-D)

The short version

What this may mean
The word covers different jobs, from temporary support during a repair to stabilizing a house. The scope matters more than the label.
What not to assume
That shoring, leveling and elevation are the same thing, or that temporary supports stay in place afterward.
When to get it looked at
Promptly after a flood, storm or impact if a floor changed, a door stopped closing, or a support looks shifted.
What this page helps you decide
What a quote actually includes, and which questions to ask before you agree.
Seeing this in your own house?Describe what you are noticing

Terminology decoder

What the words usually mean here

Local trade language overlaps and varies from firm to firm. Pick a word, then ask any provider which meaning they intend.

Plain meaning
In construction generally, temporary support that carries weight while something is repaired or replaced.
How firms use it
Some local firms use it for residential foundation stabilization and pair it with leveling. Others use it only for temporary support on commercial or historic buildings.
Ask this
Are the supports temporary or permanent, and does the height of the house change?

Temporary supports and permanent supports

A raised house is carried by permanent supports: piers or posts, beams and sills. When one of those has to be repaired or replaced, the weight it carries has to go somewhere in the meantime. Temporary supports, such as jacks and cribbing, carry that weight during the work, and the repair puts it back on permanent supports.

That distinction is useful when you read a quote. Ask whether the supports being installed are temporary or stay in place, and whether the height of the house changes. If the answer is that the whole house is going to a new height, you are describing whole-house elevation, which is a different and larger project.

Cut-away of a raised New Orleans shotgun house, showing how its weight travels to the groundFrom top to bottom: walls and roof, floor and subfloor, floor joists, beams and sills, brick piers on footings, and the soil. Numbered markers 1 to 6 on the right edge match the list of layers. Highlighted in amber: beams and sills, piers and bearing points.

5. Piers and bearing pointsVertical supports, commonly brick or masonry in older New Orleans homes, that pass the load to the footing and soil.

Work called shoring generally involves the lower layers, where temporary supports carry weight during a repair.

Simplified, not to scale, and not a diagnosis. Lattice skirting is cut away to show the piers. Select a layer to read what it does.

Is this what I am being quoted?

  • Are the supports temporary, or do they stay as the new permanent support?
  • Does the height of the house change, and by how much?
  • Which members are being repaired or replaced: piers, beams, sills, posts?
  • Who applies for the permit, and are engineer-sealed plans part of the job?
  • Has termite and rot damage been looked for, and what happens if more is found?
  • What is excluded, such as repairs to plaster, drywall and tile after the structure moves?

After a flood or storm

If you notice a sudden change after a flood or storm, such as a new slope, a door that no longer closes, or a visibly shifted support, have the house looked at promptly rather than waiting for a routine reading. Stay out of any crawl space that has standing water, exposed wiring, or unstable supports. If floodwater damaged the house heavily, the City’s rule that repairs or improvements of 50 percent or more trigger its flood-protection requirements may apply; the Safety & Permits floodplain staff can advise at floods@nola.gov.

Permits

The City requires a Structural Renovation permit for changes to a foundation, beams or load-bearing walls. On the City pages we read, we did not find guidance that addresses shoring specifically, so ask the Building Division at (504) 658-7130 whether your job needs a permit. Whole-house elevation adds requirements, including a riggers insurance certificate, engineered foundation drawings, and electrical and mechanical permits. See structural repair permits in New Orleans.

The City’s Hazard Mitigation Office describes grant-funded home elevation “when available”; call (504) 658-8740 for current availability.

Fit and scope

Not every request is a match for every provider. Whether a provider takes on a job, and what it includes, is decided by the provider that receives your request, so ask them directly what is in the scope and what is not. Whole-house elevation is a different, larger project, and requests for it may not be a match.

Checking who you hire

Check any contractor in the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors’ public search. The residential and home-improvement thresholds changed in 2024, so confirm current rules with the board.

Sources (6)

Next step

If something changed after a storm or flood

Describe what changed and when, including anything about the supports under the house.

Your request comes to NOLA Raised Home first. If it looks like a fit, we share it with one independent local provider, which decides whether it can help. Not every request is a match. We are not the contractor. How it works.

Describe what changed