House leveling for pier and beam homes in the Valley

How do I know if my pier and beam house needs leveling?

Floors that slope, dip or feel soft, a bounce or squeak when you walk, doors that swing open or shut on their own, gaps under baseboards and cracks in drywall above doors all point to a pier and beam house that has settled. These signs usually grow slowly, so an early check keeps the repair small.

• Floors that slope, dip or feel soft in spots
• A bounce or squeak when you walk across a room
• Doors that swing open or closed on their own
• Gaps under baseboards or between the floor and walls
• Cracks in drywall above doors
• Visible sagging in the skirting or the edge of the house

What does house leveling involve?

A crew works from the crawl space. They find the low spots with a level, lift the beams with jacks, then add or replace shims, swap sunken or cracked piers and add piers where spans are too long. Rotted sill plates, joists or beams are replaced while they are under the house. Most jobs take one or two days.

A crew goes into the crawl space and checks the floor with a level to find the low spots. They lift the beams with jacks and set them back on solid support by adding or replacing shims, replacing sunken or cracked piers, and adding new piers where the span is too long.

Rotted sill plates, joists or beams are replaced while the crew is under the house. Many companies also recommend improving ventilation or drainage in the crawl space, since moisture is what rots wood and softens soil.

How often does a house need re-leveling?

Pier and beam homes in the Valley often need a small adjustment every several years, because wood shims compress and the clay soil keeps moving. That is normal maintenance, not a failed repair. Solid piers with steel or composite shims, plus good crawl space drainage and ventilation, stretch the time between adjustments.

Wood shims compress and the clay keeps moving, so pier and beam homes in the Valley often need a small adjustment every several years. That is normal. A good leveling job with solid piers and steel or composite shims lasts longer between adjustments.