concrete piers
Concrete piers are concrete columns that are formed by pouring liquid concrete into holes drilled into the ground for homes and light commercial buildings.
Concrete piers have several advantages:
1. They can be designed to carry virtually any load.
2. When construction with a soils report, they have a proven record of performance.
Drilled piers are costly. We recommend specialist expertise as drilled pries require more structural knowledge to be successful.
It is simple, concrete piers will last as long as your concrete foundation.
The installation process is simple.
- In each location where a pier is going to be installed, a hole is drilled down to the target depth, generally between 12 and 20 feet below the surface of your slab. Each hole is typically 12 inches in diameter. The holes go down the depth specified by the report.
- Next, a set of reinforcing steel bars are tied together and lowered into the hole.
- The concrete is allowed to cure or harden for 7 days.
- When all of the piers are hardened, hydraulic jacks are placed on the piers and are then used to lift your foundation.
- Once your foundation is lifted, steel and concrete spacers are placed on the piers to support your foundation, and the hydraulic jacks are removed.
- The final step is to cover the piers and clean up.
Concrete piers can be installed by cutting holes in your floor, digging down beside the interior grade beams,and then drilling to the target depth. Of course, this is terribly messy, and can destroy expensive tile and wood floors. If the depth of a pier is greater than the height of your ceiling, then each pier hole must be drilled with a shaft that can be dismantled and reassembled as needed. This is very costly. An alternative is to dig tunnels under your home, and install the pilings from the tunnels. If tunnels are used to install interior pilings, you can stay in your home while the work is being done and your floors will not have holes cut in them!
Contact us today to request a quote for your home.