Pier-and-beam and crawl space leveling
Many older Longview homes are built over a crawl space. Their floors sag for different reasons than a slab, and the fixes are different too.
In a pier-and-beam house, a perimeter beam or wall carries the outside walls, and rows of interior piers hold up wood beams and floor joists. Everything sits above a crawl space. With Longview's rainfall and clay subsoils that drain slowly, crawl spaces can stay damp for long stretches, and two things go wrong: the soil under interior piers softens or shifts, and the wood framing above starts to rot.
Signs of trouble under a raised floor
- Floors that dip toward the middle of a room or feel spongy underfoot
- Doors in the center of the house sticking more than ones on exterior walls
- Puddles, wet soil, or a musty, earthy smell coming from the crawl space
- Shims that have slipped out, crushed or rotted on top of piers
- Sill plates or beams that are soft when probed, or show insect damage
What does leveling involve?
- Re-shimming between piers and beams to bring floors back toward level. Steel shims hold up better than wood in a damp crawl space.
- Adding or resetting piers where spans are too long or existing piers have leaned or sunk.
- Framing repair, such as sistering joists, replacing sections of beam, or replacing rotted sill plates.
- Perimeter support if the outside beam itself has dropped, using piers as you would on a slab edge.
- Moisture work such as grading, gutters and crawl space drainage so the soil and wood stay drier.
Why the water matters most
Shims and new piers treat the symptom. If water still runs under the house every time it storms, the soil under those piers stays soft and the wood stays wet. Ask every contractor what they'll do about the water, and whether it's in their bid or something you'll need to arrange separately.
Questions to ask
- How many piers are being added or reset, and where?
- What are the shims made of?
- Did you find rot or termite damage, and is that repair priced in?
- Does the warranty include coming back to re-shim, and for how long?
Pricing comes from the contractor after they've taken floor readings and figured out why the house is moving. We don't quote prices, and any number you hear before someone has measured the house is a rough guess.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Is a pier-and-beam house easier to fix than a slab?
Often, because the crawl space gives access. Interior leveling can be done without cutting floors, and it can be readjusted later if the soil keeps moving.
How long does re-shimming last?
It depends on how much the soil moves and how wet the crawl space stays. Ask whether readjustments are covered under the contractor's warranty.
Related services
- Slab foundation repair
- Foundation piers (concrete, steel, helical, drilled)
- Foundation drainage and water control
- Foundation evaluations and crack repair
More background: Longview foundation repair guide.
A door that stopped latching, a crack in the brick, or a floor with a dip?
Call and a local foundation contractor will come take floor readings and tell you what they see.