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How Much Does Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Cost?

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When it comes to your home, a foundation comes in all shapes and sizes. If your home has a pier and beam foundation, you’ll want to know more about its intricacies and how they contribute to the cost of repair. 

Foundation repair generally isn’t cheap, but maybe you’re thinking pier and beam foundations might have a different cost compared to other foundations.

While your foundation may be different from a slab-on-grade foundation, it might surprise you that the costs are similar overall. 

Dalinghaus Construction has inspected over 10K homes of various types of foundations, with half of them being pier and beam. We don’t only go around the house, but we go through your crawlspace to get to know every inch of your home to look for any foundation issues. We’ve repaired over 2K homes, with half being post and pier foundations. We understand the parts that go into these and do the best foundation repair work possible. We know pier and beam foundations and their repair costs very intimately.  

What is a Pier and Beam foundation?

pier and beam foundation is a common type of raised foundation made up of girder beams that support the subflooring system for the floor joists. Piers of some kind support the girder beams and transfer the load down to the soils. 

Wood posts touching pads can be part of a pier and beam foundation. They can also be composed of concrete blocks. Helical piers can also be used in place of posts.

Regardless, the concept is a raised foundation supported by piers into the Earth. It doesn’t matter what the pier is made up of so long as it supports the girder beams. 

Pier and beam foundation is a relatively broad term. There are specific types of foundations that fit into the broad category of pier and beam foundations. 

For example, a post and pad foundation with a crawlspace fits under the category of a pier and beam foundation.

To learn more about pier and beam foundation homes, here is a video for you:

Why Would You Need to Repair Your Pier and Beam Foundation?

What it mainly comes down to is expansive soils. Expansive soils wouldn’t be an issue if we didn’t need water mitigation. If these soils get wet, they expand and cause heave. These soils compact when they get too dry, causing foundation settlement. You’ll more often deal with foundation settlement in Southern California and Arizona

Here are some reasons:

  • Poor soil conditions.
    • Soil issues can cause foundation settlement (your house sinks into the ground) or heave (your house is pushed upward.)
  • Poor building practices.
    • Over the years, practices have improved. This doesn’t mean all new homes are created perfectly. They’re still susceptible to issues.
    • There is a better understanding of soil compaction when building homes now compared to back in the day.
  • Lack of water mitigation/control.
    • If water gets into expansive soils, they will expand and cause heaving.
    • Pooling water next to concrete left for too long causes concrete spalling. 
    • Pier and beam foundations have the added factor of wood. The water can affect the wood negatively and cause issues with the foundation. 
  • Your house wasn’t seismically retrofitted.
    • This means the home wasn’t properly bolted to the foundation to deal with seismic activity.

What’s unique to a pier and beam foundation is they have the added factor of wood for the construction process. There is more to deal with in comparison to a slab-on-grade foundation, which has only the concrete slab and footing. 

You have the posts, pads, girder beams, sill plates, floor joists, dealing with plumbing in a different capacity, etc. There is a lot more wood to deal with, which is made of organic material susceptible to the weather, insects, and pests. 

Thankfully, a raised foundation is less susceptible to foundation issues in an area with a frost zone. Any moisture in the concrete will expand by approximately 9%, which isn’t good for a slab home, especially if it’s in the process of drying. 

How Much Does Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Cost?

Our average foundation repair cost is around $30K.

When we charge, we charge per line item. Per line item will basically result in the same price if it were per square foot. 

Raised foundations and slab-on-grade foundations have different methods of repair, though they end up being essentially the same price. 

Both types of foundations will require a push pier or helical pier underpinning for the home to be lifted or stabilized. 

If a slab-on-grade foundation has been lifted, polyurethane foam is injected into the ground to fill in any voids between the surface and the soil. That way your house is sitting on top of something rather than nothing.

With raised foundations, especially pier and beam, our production team has to shim any posts and pads, as well as replace any damaged wood on the subfloor. If the wood looks deteriorated or warped from moisture, it will need to be replaced. 

When is the Best Time to Have Foundation Repair Done to my Pier and Beam Foundation?

When you no longer want to deal with the problem and need peace of mind. If it makes you uncomfortable to have a damaged home and it’s stressing you out, look to have your foundation repair project done sooner than later.

Look, there isn’t further need to increase your stress when you’re seeing your number one investment become damaged. Stressing over your home might keep you up at night. 

And the damage won’t get better. The damage becomes worse and more expensive over time.

And if you want to sell your home at its full value, get that repair done. A home with a damaged foundation will lose at least 30% of its original value. Plus, any foundation damage has to be legally disclosed. Banks won’t loan for homes with a damaged foundation, limiting you to cash buyers.

At least have your foundation evaluated by professionals. 

How to Get Started

Schedule a free evaluation with a foundation repair company that covers your area. And you can start with Dalinghaus Construction if you would like. 

Note – we recommend you find bids from multiple companies. Receive as many opinions as possible. Compare and contrast companies. Dalinghaus Construction encourages you to ask for multiple bids to find the best company that fits you. 

In the meantime, you can at least start with Dalinghaus Construction. We will schedule a timeslot with you weeks in advance. And yes, an evaluation won’t cost you a pretty penny. It is FREE. All we ask for is 60-90 minutes of your time. 

You can call (877) 360-9227, or click the button below to book your free evaluation today!

WRITTEN BY

Brian Dalinghaus

Brian is one of the Co-Founders of Dalinghaus Construction. He has been in the foundation repair industry since 2005. During his career, he has been associated with helping over 4,000 homes and structures throughout California and Arizona.

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