Signs a pier-and-beam home needs leveling
- Floors that slope, bounce or feel soft
- Doors that drag or won't latch
- Cracks in plaster or sheetrock above doors
- Gaps under baseboards
- Visible sagging beams or tilted piers in the crawl space
How we level the house
We go under the house to check every pier, shim and beam, and measure the floor to find the low points. Then we jack the floor up carefully in small steps. Failing piers are replaced with new concrete piers on proper footings, rotted shims are swapped for steel shims that won't decay, and cracked or rotted beams are sistered or replaced.
On homes with too few supports, we add piers to shorten the spans between them so the floor stops sagging between supports.
Moisture and wood rot
Pier-and-beam homes in south Louisiana deal with a lot of humidity under the house. Standing water, poor ventilation and missing vapor barriers lead to rot, mold and termite damage that weaken beams and joists. We'll point out any moisture issues we see and recommend fixes so the new supports and wood stay sound.
Timeline and cost
Most pier-and-beam leveling jobs take one to three days. They are often less expensive than slab repair because the work is done from the crawl space without breaking concrete. You'll get a fixed written price after the inspection.
What a leveling job costs
Price depends on how many piers need to be reset or added, how many shims and beams need replacing, and how easy the crawl space is to work in. A home with a few settled piers might need a modest repair; a house with widespread rot or long, unsupported spans will need more. After the inspection you'll get a fixed written price that lists every pier, shim and beam we plan to touch.
After the house is level
Expect some settling-in as the house adjusts: a few doors may need small adjustments and some old plaster cracks may need patching. We recommend a re-check after the first year, especially after a very wet or very dry season, to confirm everything is holding.