Depending on what part of the country you live in, buy enough houses and odds are great that you’ll eventually end up with a house that needs pier and beam foundation repair of some sort. The word “foundation” and “repair” are enough to strike fear in many investor/homeowner hearts, but its actually not always the nightmare one might expect, especially with a pier and beam foundation.
A pier and beam foundation is exactly that, a system in which your house basically sits atop beams that in turn rest upon piers (which typically sit on concrete footings). The piers are evenly spaced underneath your house so that the load on them from above is balanced. All the weight of your house is transferred down to the beams, which in turn transfers it to the piers, and so on.
Related: How to determine if your home needs a floor leveling
Over time (and we’re talking decades here), even the best pier and beam foundations are going to show signs of age, as settling of some of the piers is pretty much inevitable as the ground freezes and thaws, soil moisture changes, and the Earth takes its toil. This can result in uneven floors inside the house, sticky doors, cracking of sheetrock, and all the other signs of a foundation that’s out of kilter.
One thing to note, though, is that other issues can cause the same signs of foundation distress with pier and beam foundations, including rotting sills and beams, so you can’t just assume that the issue lies with the piers. And foundation issues can be a mixture of both, as far as needing to replace rotted sills as well as addressing problems with piers.
Related: How to Asses When Your Home Needs Foundation Repair
If your house needs significant leveling, you should also expect a good bit of cracking in your sheetrock, especially around doors and windows, and some cracking of grout around tiles can also occur. You may also have to re-hang or sand down doors that are suddenly sticking now that your foundation is level. Be sure to get any foundation repair or leveling done first when renovating a property, as you’ll likely have a good bit of sheetrock repair and painting ahead of you after its done.
Related: Post and pier repair and reinforcement
We offers a Free* inspection and estimate with no obligation to you, We are here to help you make sure, that your home is safe and there is no hidden danger from down-slope movement or erosion that might jeopardize you or your loved ones. We can be contacted by phone at (323) 418-2239.
