Pier-and-beam foundation repair
Some older houses in Midland and Odessa, and many farmhouses on the county roads, sit on piers over a crawl space. They move and get fixed differently from a slab.
In a pier-and-beam house, the floor framing rests on rows of short piers in the crawl space, with a beam or skirting around the outside. Every pier sits on its own small footprint of soil. When that soil gets wetter or drier than the soil under the next pier, the floor above picks up humps, dips and soft spots. A crawl space that collects water after a storm creates a second problem: rot and insects in the wood.
How can you tell the trouble is under the floor?
- The floor bounces when you cross the middle of a room
- A hallway rises or dips where it meets the bedrooms
- Interior doors stick more than the exterior doors
- Wood shims on top of the piers have crushed, split or slid out
- Damp dirt or standing water under the house after rain
- A sill or joist that feels soft when you press a screwdriver into it
What work is usually involved?
- Re-shimming. Replacing worn wood shims with steel ones between the pier caps and the beams.
- Added supports. New piers where beams span too far, or replacements for piers that have tipped or sunk.
- Wood repair. Replacing rotted sills, and sistering or replacing damaged joists and beams.
- Perimeter support. If the outside beam has dropped, it may need exterior piers like a slab edge.
- Water control. Grading and gutters that keep storm water out of the crawl space, and working vents.
Why is a raised floor sometimes the easier fix?
A crew can reach every support from the crawl space without breaking concrete. That also means the house can be adjusted again if a wet year or a dry stretch shifts it. Ask whether future adjustments are covered by the warranty, for how long, and whether there's a charge for a service call.
What should you ask before signing?
- How many supports will be added or reset, and where?
- What are the new shims and pier caps made of?
- Did you find rot or termite damage, and is fixing it in the price?
- How will water be kept out from under the house?
- Will you need to cut an access hatch, and who patches it?
We don't quote prices. Foundation work can only be priced after someone measures the floors and works out why the house is moving, and the price is agreed between you and the contractor.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Will the floors need adjusting again?
They might. Soil keeps reacting to wet and dry spells, and raised-floor houses are built to be re-leveled. Ask whether the warranty includes future adjustments.
My crawl space is tiny. Can it still be repaired?
Usually. Crews work in tight spaces and sometimes cut an access hatch in a closet floor. The contractor will tell you after looking underneath.
Related services
More background: Midland and Odessa foundation guide.
New cracks in the brick, or a door that suddenly drags?
Call and get connected with a foundation repair contractor who works in Midland and Odessa.