Pier And Beam Foundation

Pier And Beam Foundation

The most crucial part to building a house is selecting an efficient as well as secure foundation for the home. Researching different foundations is crucial in securing your house. Foundation contractors are informed regarding foundations and aid you select what is most effective for you as the home owner. But, you will find many who will start building a foundation with out talking about the option with you. Two foundations that a homeowner should take the time to learn about are a cement slab on grade and pier and beam foundations. Learn more about the pros and cons of a pier and beam foundation for your home. And how much it can cost you if you have foundation problems that require a repair contractor to fix.

A cement slab on grade foundation is just what it sounds like, it's a big hunk of concrete poured all at once, it's supported by rebar or other steel bars. It is prone to cracking in areas of Texas where the clay filled soil expands and contracts as the weather changes.

Pier and beams, for several reasons, can be a better choice than a slab foundation. These foundations include a crawl space, about 1 1/2 feet high, beneath the house. This foundation requires more work to construct, but is safer and convenient when you need to crawl under the house to install more insulation or run a ground wire for your computer.

The crawl space permits access to A/C, heating and water pipes without having to work through a concrete slab which is all but impossible to get to. Piers and beams mean your foundations is less likely to develop crackc caused by the ground shifting since the whole house rests up to 18 inches off the ground. Severe soil shifting could be adjusted, it is a process less costly than slab repairs. Pier and beam foundations generally are favored in Dallas, Fort Worth and other areas of North Texas simply because the weather is prone to severe winter conditions and several periods of freezing and thawing - soil expanding and contracting which can wreak havoc on a cement slab but is not as big a problem for a pier and beam foundation.

The safety function here is that deep pier foundations are hardly impacted by climate variations. But, the shifting grounds of Texas make pier and beam foundations a preferred choice over cement foundations.

When you do have a problem with your foundation, you may need to call in a foundation repair company to level the piers. As far as cost wise goes, leveling a pier-and-beam foundation, "it depends". For a normal house residence meaning a 2000 sq. ft. house built in 1954 on a pier and beam foundation, quotes range from $3,500 to $5,750 from three different contractors. If your house needs leveling, you ought to expect a good bit of cracking in your wallet, especially around doors and windows. You may sand down doors that are suddenly sticking now that your foundation is level. Be certain to repair any foundation or level first when renovating a property. You will likely have a great bit of repair and painting ahead of you after your home is leveled. Foundation problems only get worse over time. They do not get better or fix themselves. Contact a home foundation repair contractor to give you a quote on your pier and beam foundation repair.