Depending heavily upon the type of foundation your home has dictates the foundation repair techniques and costs. Slabs, pier, and beams are the most common types of foundations. Today, we at DuraTech Texas LLC would like to discuss the basics of pier and beam foundations and repair.
Is a Pier & Beam Foundation Good?
Workers place concrete slabs on the ground with pier and beam foundations. Placed on top of them are the concrete blocks in the next step. Lastly, built around the perimeter of the home, comes the beam. Depending upon the age of the home, pier and beam foundations can be a mixture of concrete and wood.
How Do You Inspect a Pier & Beam Foundation?
To complete access to your foundation, pier and beam foundations allow our inspectors to inspect easier than other types. Though it may be small, most pier and beam foundation homes have a crawl space, and this permits our team to look at your foundation from all angles and sides. From the crawl space side, as well as the underside of beams and flooring, professional can look for cracks in the foundation in addition to inspecting the underside of beams and flooring for sagging, cracking and other dysfunctions. Replacing beams and correcting moisture or pest issues, repairs often involve supporting the sagging issues. It makes repairs a simpler process than slab foundation repairs because of the easier access to this type of foundation.
What are the First Signs of Pier & Beam Foundation Problems?
As there are a variety of tell-tale signs our technicians perform a foundation repair inspection and look for:
– Newly sticking windows or doors
– Cracks in wood floors or cracked tiles and interior floor creaking
– Sagging in places or gives with weight as well as flooring that is no longer level
– Rotting, cracked, or failing joists
– On any side, cracks in the foundations
– Cracks on plaster walls and ceilings or in the sheet rock
How to Repair a Pier & Beam Foundation
Unfortunately, it isn’t done in one simple step when it comes to solving pier and beam foundation problems. Getting your pier and beam foundation structurally sound again is a process. Below are the basics of finding the solution.
Site Preparation: In order for the foundation experts have the right access to the foundation, all shrubs and plants need to be moved out of the way. Tarps are laid down to protect the landscaping and surrounding lawn from the process after the initial step is finished.
Stabilizing Foundation: To steadily move the and raise the floor levels to their natural position, hydraulic jacks are then used. In order to avoid putting extra strain on the rest of the structure, this is done carefully.
Shimming Procedure: After the lifting, the team of DuraTech Texas LLC foundation specialists will clear out the old shimming and with metal and permanent fillers, it is replaced. The beams are added where needed to offer that supports, areas of the floor that require more reinforcement. To give the interior floor the added stability it needs, interior supports, pads and blocks may need to be added.
Pier Completion: The hydraulic jacks are removed and replaced by concrete cylinders or steel piers to permanently support the home now that the foundation is lifted to its natural position. The excavated area is finally filled in from all the debris from the project will be removed.
Foundation Repair Services & More in Crosby, Cypress, Friendswood & Greater Houston, Texas
If you need pier and beam foundation in Houston, TX, call in the professionals of DuraTech Texas LLC and let us assist you.