There are several different options when homeowners are researching for foundation repair.  One common word used is Piering.  This has a broad meaning and can lead many folks astray when looking for an option.  Many customers from Ardmore, to Oklahoma City to Tulsa are asking what methods are the best because of the varying ages and conditions of their homes. This is a guide to help you understand the history and options of each piering system.

1)Concrete Underpinning

Concrete underpinning is the first method typically discussed.  This is a technique where the soil is excavated immediately underneath your home and then high strength concrete is poured underneath. This creates a new footer under the home and a dry cement or grouting is packed into the concrete mass and original foundation to help during the shrinking and cure process. This method while outdated is a great method when the foundation is too weak to deteriorated to be held up by a piering system.  It can add additional weight to the already failing soil so supplemental repair methods work well when implementing underpinning.  

2) Concrete Piers

Concrete Piers are the original piering system. Developed decades ago their intention was to place the weight of the home, off of the soil and onto direct point loads deep under the surface.  This method works well on very light structures that only need short term support.  The poor lateral strength makes this a poor choice for homes on the sloped soil.  For Example: If you live in the rolling hills of Guthrie or some of the clay slopes of Tulsa, this likely will shift when the soil shrinks and swells leaving your home unstable. 

3)Helical Piers

Helical piers are a steel pier system that uses machinery to advance the pier into the ground.  Many folks in Oklahoma call these: Auger Style Piers.  These work very well when the structure too light to handle the installation procedures of a concrete or push pier system.  They also work very great for pre-construction methods.  Methods such as deck posts, concrete pads to be installed or commercial foundations.  An engineer will design the amount of blades and resistance for each pier so a trained site foreman can install them properly.  This is a great system used throughout Oklahoma. 

4)Steel Push Pier System

The Steel Push Pier uses the weight of the home to drive steel pipes down into the ground to support your home on load bearing strata or bedrock.  The procedure allows for the installation team to provide real time load calculations and reach greater depths.  It can be assembled quickly and provide a large degree of lift.  This system will not work well when your home is light or the footing is to deteriorate to support the home.  

For more information on piering systems and methods of installation feel free to call Vesta Foundation Solutions at 1-866-375-9990.  We provide free information to homeowners and building professionals about the methods and procedures for proper installation.  We also provide free estimates for repair for ConcreteLeveling, Foundation Repair, and dirt crawls space repair in the greater Oklahoma City Market.