What is a pier an beam?
A pier foundation, sometimes called a post-and-beam or pier-and-beam foundation, consists of wood posts or concrete piers set into the ground to bear the weight of a building or home. Pier foundations are easier to build and are less costly than the more common concrete foundation. They are best used for smaller buildings and homes with a low likelihood of earthquake or hurricane force winds.
Bad Supports: Termite Damage, Dry Rot, Improper foundation supports. Remember that these homes sit directly on the surface of the soil. As the soil moves the supports will also move. Blocks over time can break, tilt, rotate and even drop from under the support. I've seen everything from car jacks, to car tires, to 2x4's used as supports. Rotted or termite eaten wood can no longer support the weight of the home. Wood will compress and in turn floors will drop. This will need to be replaced so the house can be lifted back into place.
Most common Signs of problems: Sticking/Non working doors, drywall cracks, separation in the floor boards, separation in the window casings, zigzag patterns in the exterior siding, and in severe cases the walls separating from either the ceiling or floor.
Most Common Repair Methods
Readjustment/Re-shim: This is mechanically lifting the home until all of it's structural components are realigned. I hesitate to list this under repair. It's not a permanent solution. A readjustment lasts only as long as the soil conditions allow. It's also only as feasible as the wood underneath the home allows. Wood is often warped or bowed due to age and it's impossible to get these homes level. I always make the home owners aware that we can't get it level, and we can't guarantee that doors will be perfectly aligned when we are done. While we can't make it perfect, we can usually make a noticeable difference in condition. Occasionally, new wood beams are needed in order to lift areas in between the original foundation layout. If your bathroom door doesn't sit on the interior beam, it will be impossible to correct without new wood. Wood Replacement Drainage Correction: This needs to be done two ways, one is by the addition of gutters and the other is by the instillation of surface drains. Gutters need to be in place to catch water ejected by the roof during rains, and the surface drains to catch surface run off that goes back to the house. French drains are normally not effective with block and base homes, and can be a very expensive, non functional direction.
Block An Base Stations
A Block and base foundation is a wood framed house that sits on blocks. Blocks are to be solid concrete blocks that sit on top of a base that is 4" x 16" x 16" directly on the soils surface. Interior and exterior beams should be 4x6 treated lumber or larger. Typically these houses have exterior beams and one interior beam running front to back down the center of the home. Spans between interior and exterior beams should not span greater than 7 feet. Beams should be a minimum of 18" off of the ground in order to keep water and wet soil directly off the beam. |