There are some engineering projects that were completed and still marveled upon today because of their uniqueness, difficulty, location and in some cases cost. One of those marvels is a pier foundation which is designed using piles or vertical pillars that distributes the building weight to the ground. Then beams are constructed and placed on top of the column adding a finished level of strength to the foundation. This is common when a level of difficulty presents itself such as problematic root systems which makes building a regular foundation impossible.
Pier Foundation Option
Making a decision when it comes to repairing your foundation could be very stressful when trying to figure out the extent of any potential damage. Before the cost of any repairs can be considered, there must be a professional inspection of your foundation to determine the condition and what steps need to be taken.
Steel Piers
This should be contracted by someone who is certified and has years of experience doing this. It usually takes little time and doesn’t require too much soil removal as compared to other types of piers. Foundation experts will use this method in situations where sinking and lack of foundation stability takes place.
They will position piers underneath the house and then the house is lifted back to its original position. This method has become more high tech and data oriented when it comes to fixing it in place. The pier foundation cost for this type of work can range from $1,000 to $3,000. Even if it may seem pricey to some, it pays off in the long run by solving the critical sinking problem.
Spot Piers
The way this method is carried out is by hand digging shallow spots which is then filled with reinforced concrete and rebar. It’s popular in areas that are low weight structures like the porch of a house. This kind of pier is designed to hold up a certain area where contact is made like underneath a beam or a post.
The main load from a column is now spread to a wider area which allows the soil more flexibility to hold more weight and balance the framework. It can be applied to both pier + post and also supports columns in commercial construction. The pier foundation cost for this type of work can range from $2,000 to $6,000.
Helical Piers
When regular foundation structures seem too difficult to set up where the conditions of the soil is very poor, then this method is used to support the building. The weight is transferred deep into the ground where the bulk of the load is supported. This also is applied when repairing current foundations that shows signs of weakness and exhibit cracks. It’s not expensive nor require massive excavations because they thread deep into the earth. This pier is a foundation pin that is made of steel and it contains helices that’s similar to screws.
The time that is spent constructing a foundation is reduced tremendously and hardly any kind of displacement of soil is noticed. The cost varies depending on your location including the size and dept of the pile being used. It can range from $150 – $250 to install a residential helical pile and this covers a bracket that connects the pile to the building, engineering, the pile and installation.
Concrete Pier Foundation Repair
This method was very frequently used long before the hydraulic support steel pier came around and it provides a more permanent strategy to repair any foundation. Many people will not consider this option a top priority because of the difficult scenarios when trying to transport drilling rigs into yards of residential buildings. Those contractors that repairs the foundation usually digs a lot of dirt when prepping the holes that will be used for the pier. Many are turned off from using this procedure because of the high cost involves.
