Pier-and-beam foundation repair
Many older houses in Temple and Belton sit over a crawl space on piers and beams. They move differently from a slab, and they're repaired differently too.
In a pier-and-beam house, the floor framing rests on wood beams, the beams rest on short piers or blocks across the crawl space, and the outside walls sit on a perimeter beam or footing. Each interior pier is its own small foundation. When the clay under some of them dries and shrinks, swells, or simply gets soft from standing water, those piers sink or tip, and the floor above them goes with them.
What are the warning signs?
- Floors that dip toward the middle of a room or feel springy underfoot
- Doors in the center of the house binding while the outside rooms seem fine
- Shims that have slipped out, split or crushed on top of piers
- Damp soil, standing water or a musty smell in the crawl space
- Soft sill plates or sagging beams from rot or termites
What does a typical repair include?
- Re-shimming. Adding or replacing shims between the piers and beams to bring floors back toward level. In clay, this may need another adjustment after a few wet and dry seasons.
- Adding or resetting piers. New piers where beam spans are too long, and replacements for piers that have sunk, tipped or cracked.
- Framing repair. Replacing rotted sills, sistering cracked joists, and replacing or doubling damaged beams.
- Perimeter support. If the outside beam has settled at a corner, it may need piers the same way a slab edge does.
- Crawl space moisture. Clearing vents, fixing grading that sends water under the house, and adding drainage where water collects.
Why is this often easier to adjust than a slab?
The crawl space gives access. A contractor can reach most of the structure without cutting floors, and future adjustments are straightforward if the soil keeps moving. That's worth asking about up front: does the warranty include readjustment, and for how long?
What should I ask before signing?
- How many piers are being added or reset, and where are they on the plan?
- What are the shims made of, steel or wood?
- Did you find rot or termite damage, and is that repair in the price?
- What will keep water out of the crawl space after you leave?
We don't quote prices. The contractor prices the work after taking floor readings and working out why the house is moving, and any number offered before that is a guess.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Is pier-and-beam worse than a slab on blackland clay?
Neither type is immune. Pier-and-beam houses tend to be easier to readjust because the crawl space gives access, while a slab usually needs piers from outside. Moisture control matters for both.
How often do shims need to be adjusted?
It depends on how much the soil moves from year to year. Ask whether readjustments are included in the warranty and for how many years.
Related services
- Slab foundation repair
- Foundation piers
- Foundation drainage and moisture control
- Foundation evaluations and crack repair
More background: Bell County foundation repair guide.
Brick cracking, doors binding, or a floor that's started to tilt?
Call and a foundation contractor who works in Bell County will come take readings and explain what's moving.