Most common among homes built during or before the 1960s, pier and beam foundations are unique because they create a crawl space underneath your home. These foundations use concrete beams to support the outside walls of your home and use piers and supporting beams within the foundation to hold up the floor joist. While pier and beam foundations are beneficial for many reasons, they can also lead to a few common problems:
- Damage to beams
- Shifting of interior beams
- Shifting of exterior pier
- Shim failure
- Poor construction
Call Intech Anchoring Systems for information and next steps regarding your pier and beam foundation repair – 800-223-7015
Damage to Beam
Because they are made of wood, beams can easily become damaged by excessive moisture, which leads to rotting. Insects, such as termites, infest moist, wooden areas, resulting in further deterioration of wooden beams. The first step in solving this problem is to replace any wood that has been affected by rot. Next, we will re-shim your pier and beam foundation using steel shims between the piers and beams. Also called leveling, this will increase support for your foundation.
Shifting of Interior Beams
Another common issue with pier and beam foundations is the shifting of interior beams. These beams can be budged both upward and downward by water that has infiltrated underneath the foundation. The first component of this solution is to ensure that water can no longer seep beneath the foundation and stabilizing the moisture level. Next, we will again use steel shims between the piers and beams to increase support and level your interior floors.
Shifting of Exterior Pier
In addition to the interior piers shifting in your pier and beam foundation, the exterior pier may shift as well. This movement is often caused by sinking piers due to excessive moisture. To solve this problem, we will first ensure that water drains properly away from the exterior of your home. Steel shims will also be used to add support, and helical piers may be necessary as well. If so, we will use the underpinning method to install helical piers underneath your foundation.
Shim Failure
If improper materials were used to shim your foundation originally, shim failure may occur. Such materials include plywood, soft wood, cardboard, and sheetrock. In the case of shim failure, the best solution is to replace the shims with steel shims for better support.
Poor Construction
For those whose homes were build in the early 1900s, your failing pier and beam foundation may simply be a product of poor construction. Poor construction can lead to a foundation that is unable to support your home. To solve the problems created by poor construction, we can add reinforcement steel beams and steel shims to increase the capacity of your foundation and ensure that it continues to support your home.
Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Methods
Steel Underpinning
Your options for pier and beam repair include helical piers or resistance piers.
Helical Piers
- Easy to install
- Soil conditions prevent standard foundation repair solutions
- Thread into ground instead of requiring excavation work
- Little soil disturbance
- Weight transfer to load bearing soil
Resistance Piers
- Lack weight bearing technology
- Piers driven until suitable load bearing soil reached
If you are concerned about your home’s pier and beam foundation contact Intech Anchoring Systems at 800-223-7015 to get your free estimate for CHANCE Helical piers for your foundation repair.
Outdated Repair Solutions
In pier and beam foundation repair, concrete underpinning is not a technique that Intech Anchoring Systems utilizes. This technique is an outdated method for foundation repair and comes with too many negatives to the health of your foundation to be recommended.
Concrete piers do not make it through the active soil and that is why they can do more harm than good. The active soil is the soil directly beneath your foundation that constantly shrinks in periods of drought, and expands when it rains. If the weight of your home is still situated on unstable, active soil, the problem still exists.
Often times, concrete piers add weight to your footing/foundation, and it pulls the foundation down further acting as an anchor.
All of these problems are why Intech Anchoring Systems uses steel underpinning and CHANCE Helical Piers to repair all pier and beam foundations.