How Do You Keep a Pier And Beam House From Settling?
Are You Having Crawl Space Problems?
A Pier And Beam Adjustment May Be Just What You Need
Many older homes were constructed with crawl spaces. Instead of concrete slab foundations, these homes have pier and beam foundations. While you don’t have to deal with the problems concrete foundations face, having a crawl space does not mean that you are free from having foundation troubles. If you live near Amarillo and are experiencing crawl space problems, you may benefit from a pier and beam adjustment.
3 Reasons Crawl Spaces Develop Issues
1. Moisture
Moisture can be a huge problem for crawl spaces. If your crawl space is not well-ventilated, it’s only a matter of time before you have a moisture problem. When it finally happens, it can cause the beams to rot. Signs of moisture in the crawl space include a moldy smell in your home, standing water in the crawl space, and higher utility bills.
2. Expansive Clay Soil
Common to the Amarillo area, expansive clay soil is known for shrinking and swelling in relation to its moisture content. When the soil contains a large amount of moisture, it swells and pushes on your crawl space, causing cracks, leaks, and an unlevel home.
On the other hand, when the soil loses moisture, it shrinks, which will potentially cause shifting of the crawl space.
This may be the cause of your crawl space problems if you notice sloping floors, sticking or crooked windows, and doors, or cracks in bricks or the walls of your home.
3. Poor Construction
Poor construction can also be the cause of crawl space problems. Improperly installed floor joists or support beams can become misaligned or just break down. Signs of this problem are similar to those of expansive clay soil.
Get A Pier And Beam Adjustment To Make Your Crawl Space Like New
Once you have identified that you have a crawl space problem, you will need to have it addressed. The majority of the time, a pier and beam adjustment is just what you need.
Pier and beam foundations can fail for many reasons, including deflected grade beams, sunken supports, rotted sill plates, cracked and broken joists, and malfunctioning beams. The piers and beams can be adjusted according to whether the foundation has heaved or settled. This will ensure that each beam and pier is holding the correct amount of weight, releveling your home.
Not correcting misaligned piers and beams can lead to expensive repairs down the road. Preventative maintenance will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
Why You Should Have Your Piers And Beams Adjusted Every Two To Four Years
To maintain your crawl space and foundation, it’s best to have a pier and beam adjustment every two to four years. There are several reasons why these adjustments are necessary to maintain your pier and beam foundation.
1. Piers And Beams Are Made Of Wood
Wood is just not as strong as concrete. It is prone to many more problems than concrete does not face, including rot.
2. Finite Number Of Support Points
Unlike concrete foundations, pier and beam foundations only have a limited number of support points. If you have 10 support points, the total weight of your house is evenly divided among those support points. If your house weighs 10,000lbs, that’s 1,000lbs per support point!
3. Each Support Point’s Load Has To Travel
Loads have to travel all the way down through the joists, decking, piers, and beams before it reaches the ground. The stress this places on the piers and beams can actually cause them to shift.
Choose An Expert For Your Pier And Beam Adjustment
At Childers Brothers, we believe in getting to the heart of the problem with your foundation. We are not like the other companies who do a quick 10-minute inspection to diagnose the situation. We do an in-depth inspection followed by our professional repair work.
Free 27-Point Analysis
We conduct a free 27-Point Analysis of your foundation before we make any recommendations on what kind of repairs you need. We examine every nook, cranny, crack, and possible cause of your problems.
Our priority is to be caring and accommodating while making your experience as comfortable as possible. We perform our inspection, offer our recommendations to you, and leave the decision-making up to you.
Core Values
Our core values make us stand out among our peers.
1. Innovation: We are continually evolving our foundation repair practices to match the changing world of technology and housing. We do everything possible to keep our knowledge base up-to-date and stay ahead of the curve. We continually enhance our product offerings.
2. Respect: We offer a friendly and approachable attitude at all times. We strive to ensure you have a pleasant experience from start to finish.
3. Communication: No one likes to be kept in the dark, which is why we keep you informed every step of the way.
4. Honesty: We only recommend the products and services you need, not what will benefit us. We believe in being openly honest with all of our clients.
5. Accountability: While we strive to make sure everything is done right all of the time, no one is perfect. On the very rare occasion that a mistake does happen, we will do everything in our power to make it right without any finger-pointing or trying to pass the buck.
Science-Based Solutions
Our scientific approach to finding a solution to your foundation problems is unique to the industry. Most companies come with the solution already in mind before they even do their inspection. We use our 27-Point Analysis results to lead us to the right solution based on science.
We do not use one-size-fits-all solutions. We do, however, guarantee to diagnose your problem accurately to provide the best solution.
Our science-based solutions do not use half-measures. We refuse to use materials that are not built to last.
Contact Us For The Best Repairs
When you’re ready to have your crawl space inspected, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will find the root cause of your problems and offer you the best pier and beam adjustment to take care of all of your problems.