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pier and beam: adding support piers and proper construction method
Posted on 7/17/19 at 4:28 pm
Posted on 7/17/19 at 4:28 pm
Can anyone advise on the proper technique for adding additional support piers to an old pier and beam house. I have some brick piers have fallen or settled or leaned over the years. A foundation company said they would add several new piers, as well as shim any existing piers that were not supporting anything due to settling.
Their method is to bring in concrete block, 4x16x16 (really 3.5x15.5x15.5), as the "footer." and basically lay it in place on the ground. no digging. Then put 8x16x16 block stacked on top of that, dry stacked without mortar. Then capped with 2x6 treated wood and finally shimmed.
This sounds a little basic to me. Footer not even dug, dry stacked w/o mortar?
Also they are leaving existing piers in place, even the ones that lean or have fallen or no longer suppor the structure.
Is this accepted practice?
Their method is to bring in concrete block, 4x16x16 (really 3.5x15.5x15.5), as the "footer." and basically lay it in place on the ground. no digging. Then put 8x16x16 block stacked on top of that, dry stacked without mortar. Then capped with 2x6 treated wood and finally shimmed.
This sounds a little basic to me. Footer not even dug, dry stacked w/o mortar?
Also they are leaving existing piers in place, even the ones that lean or have fallen or no longer suppor the structure.
Is this accepted practice?
5
Posted on 7/17/19 at 4:35 pm to rotrain
That sounds shoddy as hell 
I would definitely get another company to come out and give you an assessment
I would definitely get another company to come out and give you an assessment 
Posted on 7/17/19 at 5:16 pm to rotrain
Technically, it would work. Would I do it? No.
What you are looking for is someone to come in and dig a footing. Pour concrete. Put a steel beam bolted to the concrete and to the joist.
I'm not in your area but I would expect maybe $450 a pier maybe less if you have a couple.
What you are looking for is someone to come in and dig a footing. Pour concrete. Put a steel beam bolted to the concrete and to the joist.
I'm not in your area but I would expect maybe $450 a pier maybe less if you have a couple.
Posted on 7/17/19 at 5:35 pm to rotrain
call cable lock and get it dont right, those guys sound shady as hell, like they saw it done, and not knowing how to do it correctly, they are just imitating the same look.
the footing is called a chain wall and needs rebar structure to be placed inside it, the concrete blocks are stacked for the piers but its concrete filled with more rebar tying it into the chain wall to create on solid stable structure and then there are tie down straps that are set into the concrete inside the piers when its poured, so the beams are then secured in place by screwing those into the beams and the beams should be no less then 6x6 treated beams
this was all done to my house when it was raised 4ft high and cost $22k in 2010
the footing is called a chain wall and needs rebar structure to be placed inside it, the concrete blocks are stacked for the piers but its concrete filled with more rebar tying it into the chain wall to create on solid stable structure and then there are tie down straps that are set into the concrete inside the piers when its poured, so the beams are then secured in place by screwing those into the beams and the beams should be no less then 6x6 treated beams
this was all done to my house when it was raised 4ft high and cost $22k in 2010
This post was edited on 7/17/19 at 5:40 pm
Posted on 7/17/19 at 8:57 pm to rotrain
quote:
Is this accepted practice?
Hell no.
Just got an education in foundations over the last few months. Spent more than I ever thought I would fixing bullshite work done by the previous owner.
Don't dry stack.
Large footings.
Shims better not be wood.
Use treated wood.
Where are you at?
You can see a previous footer in this pic. The contractor poured the footer, but no rebar coming up to tie the blocks in.
New footers with rebar
Post high density concrete with rebar extended
This post was edited on 7/17/19 at 9:07 pm
Posted on 7/17/19 at 11:12 pm to fightin tigers
Thanks for all of the responses. The piers i am replacing are on the interior, not along the perimeter. Not sure if that matters. But there will definitely be no digging, no rebar, and no pouring concrete. Sounds like i need to move on. But this is the second company to tell me the same thing. Cenla.
Posted on 7/18/19 at 12:58 am to rotrain
Maybe they do it differently up there. The piers replaced under the center of the house used the same construction. I don't have any pics of those since I wasnt climbing under to look.
Posted on 7/18/19 at 3:48 pm to fightin tigers
quote:
Just got an education in foundations over the last few months. Spent more than I ever thought I would fixing bull shite work done by the previous owner.
Looking at your pics I can see you've got an old "Barge Board" house. I had the very same thing when I bought my first house back in the mid 70's.
Older New Orleans neighborhoods are chock full of that type construction, especially in the older "shotgun" houses.
Posted on 7/18/19 at 4:04 pm to rotrain
I lived in a pier and beam house for 6 years in BR. Had the same issues. My house was an A frame house and was about 38 ft wide by 64 feet deep. I had 28 inch brick piers on the outside wall and concrete piers running along the floor joists underneath the house. Whoever built my house (was an idiot) and did not dig footings for any of the piers. Over the years it settled and the center of my house was lower than the perimeter. Had cable lock come out and shim piers as well as add piers just the way you all are mentioning. It solved the immediate issue but the long term issue was water standing under my house. I had to bring in dirt and out under my house. It sucked but u had ZERO issues after that
Posted on 7/18/19 at 4:13 pm to fightin tigers
Correct way. 
Or used solid piers over a dug footing.
Or used solid piers over a dug footing. Posted on 7/18/19 at 4:58 pm to gumbo2176
quote:
Looking at your pics I can see you've got an old "Barge Board" house. I had the very same thing when I bought my first house back in the mid 70's.
Kind of a mix of all kinds of building. Gave the foundation contractor hell trying to figure out some solutions, but couldn't be happier with the outcome.
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