What Is A Pier and Beam Foundation Repair?
Pier and Beam foundation repair jobs are typically reserved for older homes. These type of homes are also known as house on stilts that have a small crawlspace below the house. Imagine a beach house on beams, but only with shorter beams. That's what a pier and beam foundation repair job focuses on. Today very few foundation repair companies work on these, check out the following excerpt from Digital Journal:
GL Hunt, a foundation repair company in Carrollton, TX, are proud to announce that they now also offer pier and beam foundation repair. In so doing, the company has been able to help even more residents in the Carrollton area to repair damaged foundations. Few other companies in the area have as much training and expertise in this kind of foundation repair, further setting them apart as the go to foundation repair company in the area.
Gary Hunt, owner and founder of GL Hunt, says: “Pier and beam foundations are traditionally found in older homes and businesses. They are usually efficient and very durable and provide larger crawlspaces for homeowners as these are integrated into the foundations. However, there are occasions when these foundations will require repair. When they do, they will need special care from experts who are knowledgeable on how these are constructed and what they are for. Fortunately, we have such professionals who have the right combination of knowledge and experience for pier and beam foundation repair.”
The city of Houston was hit recently by Hurricane Harvey which caused one of the worst floods in history. During the flood, many low level homes were inches from being saved by flood waters. The question then arises, should home builders go back to building houses on pier and beam foundations? We found an interesting article a local Houston newspaper publication on pier and beam housing:
Staying out of the floodplain is the number one measure that Houston needs to take to reduce impacts from flooding.
Overbank flooding from the creeks and bayous is the deepest and most serious kind of flooding. But anywhere in Houston is subject to street or sheet flooding, the kind that occurs when the amount of rain exceeds the capacity of the storm drains. If an Allison lands in your neighborhood – 40 inches in one day, not four like Harvey – and you are not elevated above the level of street flooding, you will get water in your house even if you are far from a bayou or a floodplain. A storm well short of Allison could do the same.
Our forebears knew what to do. They elevated their homes. They built with pier-and-beam construction three to four feet above the grade of their lot. And they very frequently elevated their lots above the grade of the street with fill dirt.
Read The Rest of the article from the Houston Chronicle
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