Leveling your Pier and Beam Home with Shims?
If you are noticing signs of foundation problems in your pier and beam home, you may be considering the option of adding shims to level your pier and beam home. As your local foundation repair experts, we want homeowners to be educated when it comes to the numerous solutions available to address your home’s foundation problems.
What is a Pier and Beam Foundation?
Pier and beam foundations are a type of foundation that supports the weight of your home. This foundation type is made up of two distinct parts: the piers and beams. The piers are the vertical columns that are placed into the ground to support the weight of the home. They can be made from concrete or wood, depending on which you prefer to use in your home. The horizontal beams connect with these vertical supports to create a strong base for your home’s structure.
Signs of Foundation Failure in a Pier and Beam Home
What is Shimming?
Shimming is the process of adding a thin piece of material to make slight adjustments between home elements, including foundations. Shims are inserted between larger parts to fill gaps, level, and adjust while maximizing alignment and support. One thing to note: shims are not a permanent solution–you’ll need to go back every few years to add more materials until your house is level again. And even then, there could still be issues with shifting soil underneath the footings if there isn’t enough support in place for them (which would require further repairs).
The Problem with Shimming
Shimming is a temporary fix that can cause further damage to your foundation. It can also cause structural instability, and it’s a waste of money.
While shimming your pier and beam home may sound like the most affordable option, if you continue to use this temporary fix – it’ll end up costing you more money later on down the line than it would if you would have repaired it right, the first time!
Permanent Solutions for Pier and Beam Foundation Failure
The first step to pier and beam foundation repair is to determine what caused the problem in the first place. If you’re not sure, contact a professional who can help identify the issue and recommend solutions. When you contact Baird Foundation Repair to inspect your foundation, our system design specialists will crawl underneath your home to properly inspect the condition of your foundation.
Baird Foundation Repair’s Pier and Beam Repair Solutions consist of The SmartJack® Crawl Space Stabilizer. The SmartJack® is an adjustable, supplemental support system used for sagging crawl spaces. It not only provides supplemental support to your failing structure but can also often lift failing floor joints or beams, restoring them to their original position in even the tightest of crawl spaces. This unique system can be installed year-round and is made with strong, corrosion-resistant, galvanized steel. Because the SmartJack® is rust-resistant, it remains adjustable for years, should you need to make future adjustments.
How to Choose the Right Foundation Repair Company
When choosing a company to do your foundation repairs, you should always ask for references and do research on the company, their solutions, and their services. If you’re not sure how to find these, Google is your friend! You can use this search engine to search for reviews of local foundation repair companies. This will help you get an idea of what others think about each company’s work.
You should also ask about warranties and guarantees, financing options, as well as what kind of work they offer (for example: pier and beam homes).
The Benefits of Professional, Long-Lasting Foundation Repair
The benefits of professional foundation repair are numerous. The most obvious reason to hire a professional is that they will be able to provide you with a long-term solution to your problem, whereas shimming your pier and beam home may only provide temporary relief. Another benefit of hiring a professional is peace of mind; you’ll know that your foundation is being taken care of by someone who knows what they’re doing, so there’s no chance that further damage or accidents could occur while trying to fix it yourself or using incorrect materials (which can lead to even more costly repairs down the road).
Your Local Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Company
The bottom line is that shimming is not a permanent solution. If you choose this route, you will be left with the same problems in the future and will have to keep repairing them over and over again. The best thing you can do for your home’s foundation is to hire Baird Foundation Repair. We have over 50 years of experience working on pier and beam homes throughout Texas and offer superior service and products that will permanently stabilize your home’s foundation! Contact us today to schedule your free inspection.
crawl space , foundation repair , pier and beam , sinking floors