How We Use Steel Piers to Fix Sinking Foundations-and Why They're the Best Solution

How We Fix Sinking Foundations with Steel Piers—and Why They’re the Best Choice

Here’s the simple science behind our steel pier solution: the soil under your home isn’t strong enough to support it. To fix this, we need to install piers that reach stable, load-bearing soil and then attach these piers to your home's foundation. Here’s how we do it: 

1. Excavation
   We start by digging down to your foundation to create an access point for the piers. This can be done from outside your home or by digging through the foundation floor inside.

2. Drilling Piers
   We drill high-strength steel piers deep into stable soil beneath your home. We use either an excavator or a portable device for this, and we make sure the piers are in stable soil using precise measurements.

3. Attaching Piers
   The piers are then connected to brackets placed under the foundation’s footers, ensuring a solid connection.

4. Lifting the Foundation
   Using a handheld hydraulic device, we carefully lift your foundation back into place. This can help close gaps and fix sticking doors and windows. Once the piers are in place, we backfill the soil around them to cover them up.

Why Steel Piers Are the Best Option

You might hear about other methods, but here’s why steel piers are our top choice:

• A: Total Foundation Replacement
  This is costly and often unnecessary. Usually, the problem is with the soil, not the foundation itself.

• B: Concrete Underpinning
  Adding more concrete under the existing footings can actually make the problem worse, causing the foundation to sink further. It’s also expensive if you later decide to use steel piers, as the added concrete needs to be broken up first.

• C: Concrete Piering
  Concrete piers aren’t as strong as steel and can’t reach the depths that steel piers can. They also don’t hold up as well over time.

Choosing the Right Piers

Not all steel piers are the same. Our piers are designed with decades of research and testing to ensure they’re effective. Plus, our installation crew is highly trained and experienced, which makes a big difference in protecting your home from settling.

At The Basement Doctor, we pride ourselves on our extensive training and top-quality equipment to get the job done right.