January 15, 2012 By

Pier and Beam House Wood Replacement and Shim Replacement

Wood replacement in pier and beam houses, plus shim replacement usually only impacts a small area of the house.

Joists, sub flooring and beams may fail due to rot or termite damage.  Sometimes existing piers fail to provide adequate support due to sinking, or the use of wooden shims.

A properly trained pier and beam foundation evaluator can usually spot most of the problems during a 30-45 minute inspection under the house. Believe me, it’ a messy task to crawl the length of a pier and beam house.  Sometimes the crawl space is so narrow as to preclude a complete inspection.

The construction industry may have made a mistake when it moved from pier and beam to slab foundations in Dallas Fort Worth. When well-maintained, a pier and beam foundation requires very little maintenance. Most pier and beam foundations, even those built as early as 1910, can be restored like new, while many slabs built prior to 1970 will continue to require care.
Pier and Beam Foundation Repair

Pier and beam foundation repair may include adding piers, shim replacement, excavation, drainage correction, and carpentry – including replacing rotted or termite damaged wood, joists and beams. We have also been called upon to reinforce existing wooden beams with I-Beams when second story modifications or additions are created. All work is warranted.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Foundation Repair Methods, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: ,
December 29, 2011 By

Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Costs

C Channel Steel added to reinforce beam of pier and beam foundation

C Channel Steel added to reinforce beam of pier and beam foundation

The cost to repair a pier and beam foundation is typically $1500-$2500 for shimming, plus the cost of any additional needed piers or beam replacement. Pier and beam foundation repair is common in the Dallas and Ft. Worth areas. Although it isn’t as involved as slab foundation repair, pier and beam foundation repair is equally important to the health of a home.

In the picture above, Granite Foundation Repair reinforced an existing, structurally sound beam of a pier and beam foundation with C Channel steel.  The repair enabled the addition of a second story to an 85 year old house.

Sadly, over the years we have seen countless budget repairs of pier and beam foundations:

  • Treated wood has been replaced with untreated wood.
  • Rugged but failed 6″ x 6″ beams that have cracked have been braced with inferior 1″ x 6″ whitewood
  • Replacement beam sections abutting old wood with a sistered piece of whitewood.
  • Shims using soft wood or sheet rock rather than steel.

These are all temporary fixes that end up costing the home owner a lot more to repair in the end.  The inferior repairs will fail, leading to more cracking and sagging.

If a beam has structurally failed, look closely for the reason.  Original pier spacing too large? Increased loads on the beam due to remodeling, or failure of a pier or failure of shims.

Before you decide to repair your pier and beam foundation, make sure you have several estimates and a good understanding of which foundation repair method each estimate uses. Pier and Beam foundation repair is often easier than slab foundation repair. The reason is the pier and beam house sits off the ground, making it easier to work under the house. However, some pier and beam homes have such a small crawl space that the area needed to repair the home is not able to be reached.

Contact Granite Foundation Repair for a free pier and beam foundation inspection.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Foundation Repair Methods, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: ,
January 1, 2011 By

How much will it cost to repair a pier and beam foundation?

Bad shim material for pier and beam. Image courtesy of Granite Foundation Repair

Bad shim material for pier and beam. Image courtesy of Granite Foundation Repair

Provided that there is no wood damage, the likelihood is that the cost to repair and level your pier and beam foundation will be in the range of $1000-$2000. Pier and beam foundation repair costs will vary depending on the amount of shimming or wood replacement that is needed.

A professional foundation repair company will shim the floor to level with steel shims.  Soft woods, most plywood, particle board, and wood scraps are not adequate for long term leveling and should be replaced.

Replacement of junk scrap shims increases the cost by $500-$1000, as the whole house must be leveled.  The results are well worth it. Be clear with the contractor to specify a total re-shim.  You won’t regret it.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: ,
January 1, 2011 By

Drainage for Pier and Beam Houses

The key to maintaining a historic pier and beam house is proper drainage.   When water accumulates or flows under a pier and beam house, it may cause either heaving (uplifting) or sinking of the piers.

Most historic houses around Dallas and Fort Worth Texas were constructed with Bodark tree posts buried two to three feet under the ground.   More recent houses are constructed with concrete blocks or poured cement posts.

Bodark post support for foundation

Bodark post support for foundation

Due to our moisture sensitive, expansive clay soils, water under a house is always a problem.

During dry spells the soil shrinks, lowering the post.  During wet periods the soil expands, raising the post.

In extremely wet conditions, clay soil turns to mud and all load bearing capacity is gone.

In the photo below repeated wet and dry cycles have caused the concrete pier to move off center from the beam that it was intended to support. The pier is no longer supporting the beam.  The homeowner may find that the floor above is springy or bouncy.

Due to alternating wet and dry soil conditions, the concrete pier has moved and is no longer supporting the beam in this pier. Photo courtesy Granite Foundation Repair.

Due to alternating wet and dry soil conditions, the concrete pier has moved and is no longer supporting the beam.    Photo courtesy Granite Foundation Repair.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , ,
September 13, 2010 By

Pier and Beam Foundation Tips

There are many tips and good practices for pier and beam foundations. We will concentrate on “the most important maintenance tip” for pier and beam foundations. The most important thing you can do for your pier and beam foundation is, assure that drainage is properly maintained. The same is true for concrete slab foundations.

Absolutely no water should be allowed to accumulate near a house, run toward the foundation,  or pass under the house.

With our clay soils, water causes the surface and sub-surface piers to heave and sink or drop with seasonal changes in moisture.  A damp, enclosed pier and beam foundation area may also lead to wood rot and encourage termite infestations.  Assure that ventilation is adequate, and if not, add vents and fans.

More often than not, most of the damage to a pier and beam foundation will come from inadequate pier support as the wet clay turns to mud.

If you are in need of a pier and beam foundation repair, contact Granite Foundation Repair.

Filed Under: Foundation Maintenance, Foundation Repair Information, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , , ,
August 21, 2010 By

Why does my pier and beam foundation keep moving?

A pier and beam foundation problem usually centers around soil moisture under the house. After a foundation inspection, Granite Foundation Repair, will determine the appropriate pier and beam foundation repair method.

Let’s look at the construction of a typical 1900 to 1960 pier and beam house in the Dallas, Ft. Worth area. Posts, which we call piers, were set one to two feet into the ground and extended 2 to 4 feet into the air.  Atop the posts were layed beams.  Atop the beams are the floor joists, and atop all of that is the hardwood or plywood flooring.

In some instances the posts were set into a concrete pad one foot deep and two feet on a side.  More recently, atop the concrete pad or footing sits a poured concrete tube.  And sometimes in place of the tube are one or more concrete blocks.  Or even a more modern variation is when the pier and pad are one poured concrete assembly.

To see what we mean, take a look at the picture below of a modern  pier and beam foundation construction using concrete block and pad.

Regardless of the pier type, piers are spaced 6 to 8 feet apart in a series of rows extending under the house.

Soil under a pier and beam foundation on clay soil must be as dry as dust.  The least bit of additional moisture will cause the soil to expand. Soil expansion will drive one or more piers upward, raising the floor.  Often times the moisture under a house is uneven, perhaps due to a leaky pipe, or poor drainage at the perimeter. Then, the pad and block assemblies will raise unevenly.

To stop a pier and beam foundation from moving, keep all  moisture out, provide adequate ventilation, and assure that the soil remains dry and crumbly.   Once the soil is absolutely, completely dry, the foundation can be shimmed to achieve uniform elevation across the house.

pier and beam construction

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , ,
July 27, 2010 By

Five Common Problems with Pier and Beam Foundations

Until the early 50s, the Pier and Beam foundation was the  most common type of foundation built in the Dallas and  Fort Worth Texas region.  The foundations tend to be robust and long lasting.  Here are the common problems.

1. Decay or damage to wooden beams and/or wooden joists.  May be caused either by excessive moisture, or termites.  Solution: Replace damaged wood and re-shim.

2. Movement of interior piers. Until recently, the support for interior beams was wooden posts either sunk into the ground, or atop a concrete pad.  Most common problem is water induced upward and downward movement of the piers. Solution: assure that water can not get under the foundation.  Once moisture is stable, re-shim.

3. Movement of exterior piers. Cause of movement is often sinking piers.  Exterior piers may be either wooden posts, or concrete perimeter with concrete piers. Solution: Assure proper water drainage away from exterior, and possibly add helical piers. Shim.

4. Shim failure. It is not uncommon to find that a house has been shimmed with a variety of non-standard materials such as plywood, sheetrock, soft wood or even cardboard.  Solution: Replace inferior shim material with steel.

5. Inferior construction. Pier and beam houses built in the early 1900s may have inadequate load supporting ability, or may be failing due to the addition of a second story.   Solution: Add steel reinforcing beams and shim.

Seldom does the cost of repair of a pier and beam foundation approach that of a more recently built slab foundation.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information, Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , , , , ,
October 1, 2009 By

Pier and Beam foundation leveling problems in Dallas Fort Worth

With proper maintenance, which means attention to drainage, pier and beam houses can be exceptionally stable.

At Granite Foundation Repair we often get calls in the rainy season about pier and beam foundation problems including cracks in walls and stuck doors and windows.

There is one way to eliminate seasonal pier and beam foundation problems… stop the water.

Too often we find that the crawl space of a pier and beam house is wet, and often even has standing water.   That is a problem because when the expansive clay soil gets wet, the soil expands, and the pier rises.  As the soil dries, the pier drops.  More often than not, some piers are on stable soil, while others are in the path of water.

Stop the water.  The soil dries.  The house can be shimmed in its new stable state, and no more cracks or stuck doors.

There may still be some movement around the perimeter, but the bulk of the problem is gone for good.

To see if drainage is a problem, check under your foundation the day after a big rain.  Put on some old clothes, open the scuttle hole, and crawl the length and width of the house looking for damp areas.  The goal is to have uniformly dry soil under your pier and beam house.

If you water regularly or not so regularly, this can also be a problem.  After watering, go into the crawl space and check for water or damp soil.

Filed Under: Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , , , , , ,
September 16, 2009 By

Why should I hire a foundation repair company that is a member of the Foundation Repair Association?

There are over a hundred companies in the Dallas Fort Worth area that advertise foundation repair services.     So who can you trust?

There is no licensing of foundation repair companies in Texas. Buyer beware when an ad states Licensed

The Foundation Repair Association is a professional national organization that exists to promote high ethical standards in the practice of foundation repair and to promote cooperation between the foundation repair industry and government.

Here are some of the criteria that the Association members must adhere to:

  • The maintenance of a minimum of $500,000 of General Liability Insurance ( verified annually).
  • The maintenance of Texas Workers Compensation Insurance or employee accident insurance (verified annually).
  • An active foundation repair business for a minimum of three years.
  • Satisfactory BBB report for the foundation repair business.

Granite Foundation Repair is a member of the Foundation Repair Association.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
September 2, 2009 By

Foundation Repair Forum

At Granite Foundation Repair our goal is to educate the homeowner on foundation repair issues. We want to de-mystify foundation repair and also help to avoid the need for foundation repair.  The forum discussions include both concrete slab foundations and Pier and Beam foundations.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information Tagged With: , , , , , ,