Pier-and-beam foundation repair
Older Lawton houses are often built over a crawl space on piers and beams. Their problems, and their repairs, are different from a slab's.
A pier-and-beam house sits on a perimeter foundation wall or beam, with interior piers holding up wood beams and floor joists over a crawl space. When the clay under those interior piers shrinks or swells, or when wood framing gets wet and rots, floors sag, dip and bounce.
Signs of pier-and-beam problems
- Floors that feel soft, bouncy or sloped toward the middle of a room
- Doors that stick in the center of the house more than at the edges
- Standing water, damp soil or musty air in the crawl space
- Shims that have fallen out or crushed on top of the piers
- Sagging or split beams, or sill plates soft from rot or insects
What does the repair usually involve?
- Re-shimming. Adjusting steel or hardwood shims between piers and beams to bring floors back toward level. This often needs to be revisited as the soil moves.
- New or reset interior piers. Adding piers where spans are too long, or replacing piers that have tilted or sunk.
- Framing repair. Replacing rotted sill plates, sistering or replacing beams and joists.
- Perimeter work. If the outside beam has settled, it may need piers just as a slab edge would.
- Crawl space moisture. Improving drainage and ventilation so the soil and wood stay drier.
Why is this sometimes an easier repair?
Because the crawl space gives access. Interior adjustments can be made without cutting through floors, and future adjustments are possible as the clay goes through wet and dry years. Ask any contractor whether readjustment is included in their warranty.
What should I ask?
- How many interior piers will be added or reset, and where?
- What will the shims be made of?
- Is any wood rot or termite damage present, and is that repair included?
- What's being done about water in the crawl space?
The contractor prices the job after measuring the house and working out why it's moving. We don't quote prices, and a figure given over the phone before anyone has taken floor elevations is a guess at best.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Is pier-and-beam better or worse than a slab in clay soil?
Neither is immune. Pier-and-beam houses are often easier to readjust because the crawl space gives access; slabs need piers from the outside. Either way, moisture control matters.
How often do shims need adjusting?
It depends on how much the soil moves from year to year. Ask whether your contractor's warranty includes readjustments and for how long.
Related services
- Slab foundation repair
- Foundation piers (steel, helical, concrete)
- Foundation drainage and moisture control
- Foundation inspections and crack repair
More background: Lawton foundation repair guide.
Doors sticking, new cracks in the brick, or a floor that slopes?
Call and a local foundation contractor will come measure it and tell you what they find.