Pier and Beam Foundation Problems: More Than Meets the EyePosted by Kemp Lindahl on June 22nd, 2021 Problems connected with pier and beam foundations can be be extremely challenging to pin-point as foundation problems because there are a lot of things happening with pier and beam foundations that could normally not present in a standard slab on grade foundation, like the actual sagging from the beams involving the piers, or lateral movement of the piers, or uneven loading from the piers (that is a kind of foundation failure). So not merely may a pier and beam foundation be subject exactly the same conditions that an everyday concrete slab on grade foundation could be susceptible to, but a pier and beam foundation could have additional conditions that might have almost nothing to do with the soil supporting the piers. Let's briefly discuss view it of the non-soil related problems. One with the main conditions that you may have which has a pier and beam foundation has related to either deterioration (rotting) of the beams spanning between piers (if using wood beams) or excessive deflections (sagging with the beams). As wood beams grow older, they have an inclination to disintegrate as they are not thoroughly protected from the environment. As the years use, the beams start to increasingly sag, which means that exactly what those beams are supporting will likely sag. A wall being backed up by these beams will begin cracking, giving the illusion that you've a foundation problem. A structural Engineer would usually have the ability to tell you if it is a problem Another very common condition for pier and beam foundations may be the lateral movement with the piers. In many instances a floor on the pier and beam foundation is several feet out in the ground, we've even seen houses out and about with more than 4ft away through the ground. As it is possible to imagine, if the wind pressure pushes from the house these wind forces must be somehow transferred to the bottom which means the top of such piers become flag poles, swaying backwards and forwards while using wind. It may not noticeable towards the human eye, nevertheless the little movement will develop some cracks in the walls, giving you again the illusion that you've a foundation problem. Once again, an educated Structural Engineer would have the ability to determine if this is a problem. Uneven pier loading is an additional very common problem for pier and beam foundations. This is usually a problem using the design of the foundation mainly because it pertains to knowing where you should squeeze piers. Heavily loaded areas (like load bearing walls) and lightly loaded areas (like inside the middle with the living room) could settle differentially from one another in the event the design has not been done efficiently in the beginning; that's, the piers for the heavy loaded may "sink" further than the piers inside the lightly loaded areas if the piers weren't properly engineered. structural engineer perth causes cracks inside floors (if using brittle finishes) along with cracks inside the wall. This is a foundation problem, but this is hard to verify it since it could be easily wrongly identified as soil movement due on the soil moisture changing. nrmconsultants.com.au/integrated-solutions/ is to get a Structural Engineer to gauge the situation. We have gone through just a couple of examples of conditions that you can face with a pier and beam foundation, so when you can view, its not all problems have about the building blocks. It is greater than what you know already. The moral of this story is, just because the truth is a crack it doesn't mean there is a foundation problem, of course, if you want a genuine and unbiased opinion then get yourself a Structural Engineer that does not benefit a basis repair company.Like it? Share it! More by this author |