Foundation Question: Are Push Piers Worth It or Are There Other Options?

Question

Hi BP Community,

I'm new to real estate and home construction, and I recently bought a house (has a crawl space on flat land) which has about 4 inches of settlement on one corner of the house. The house is liveable and the settlement is more of a cosmetic issue rather than a safety one (for now at least). Windows, doors, etc are all working fine but there is one long crack one the floor and a parallel smaller crack on the ceiling... The humidity in the crawl space is not too bad, readings have been average to a little above average in the wood and air.

I want to replace the flooring to LVP or LVT but need to have level floors in order to do this. I've had a few contractors offer quotes for installing push piers and lifting the house... all for over $40k, which to me seems like a huge cost for leveling, which won't really even be noticeable (although I understand it will mitigate any future settlement and further damage). I'm also aware of self-leveling compound, but I believe that may be just a bandaid solution to the cosmetic issue but will not address the risk of future settlement.

I wanted to reach out to this community to see if anyone has any thoughts about whether push piers and house lifting would be a worthy investment or if it's just a total scam/rip off? For the more experienced rehabbers that have dealth with settlement, what are your thoughts on this and do you know of any alternatives?

Aaron Schrader · Answer

@Paul Merriwether I did the same thing on my place in SD. We have soils here that contribute to uneven floors and foundations, and yes @Carolyn McBride you can relatively simply jack the house up and reestablish fresh contact points for the home on the foundation. It would also be important to try and understand why the settling happened- around here it is almost always a poor drainage issue that softens the soil against the house and over the years and decades can result in a settle corner or whole side of a home. Gutters and grading and downspouts would have fixed it before it happened. I don't know your area or earthquake stuff at all, but that's what fixes things around here. I've seen extensive foundation repairs done to cinder block walls that are bowing from external hydraulic pressure, and they've been repaired with extensive steel beams, tension systems and a drain cut in for around $12,000.
4" is a fair bit of slope and to put in floor leveler...well, that's a lot of floor leveler. I'd get some other eyes on it and some other quotes, but like I said, for us here we can put in some concrete pads under the house, bottle jack up the corner and put a new pier in place.

Andrew Postell · Answer

@Carolyn McBride this is HIGHLY dependent on where you are in the country. And since I can't see where you are in the world, this might be hard to make a recommendation. I guess I could assume that since someone is pitching this to you that your property/soil is right for it...but that's a pretty big assumption. We don't use these in North Texas. Then again, we don't have any bedrock under our soil either. So, what we do here isn't what they would do in Ohio or California. My best recommendation here is to get with other investors in your market and ask them what techniques and companies they are using for foundation work. Lots of groups meet in person so try some local real estate meetup groups. Meetup.com is a good resource for those but some of the groups will also post here on Bigger Pockets Marketplace too. If you can't wait for an in person meeting use facebook and join local groups for you. Some of those facebook groups have thousands of members. Eventbrite too. But post locally for this. That’s the best bet.

Paul Merriwether · Answer

@Carolyn McBride >> I understand it will mitigate any future settlement and further damage).<< If they told you that ... they LIED!!! This is California, earthquake country. You can pay that $40k and the very next day your home could be tilted even more. IMO our older homes like mine at 99 yr's have slopped floors. That tower in San Fran is tilting!
It is, what it is in the Bay Area. Flooring is flexible ... it should work OK.

You could try lifting up just that one corner like you would a car. Then cap the foundation in that area. That's basically what I did on the rear and one side of my home. My quote was $50k. I did it for maybe $2,000 and my labor.

I actually jacked my home up as if it were a car.! :)

Calbeny Willfred · Answer

I actually had a similar foundation issue myself, so this thread caught my eye even though it’s 2 years old.

With 4 inches of settlement, I’d get another opinion before spending $40k+ on push piers. I’d want to know what’s causing the settlement first and what other repair options are available.

I ended up using Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise (Avant-Garde is DBA) for mine. They jacked the affected area, fixed the drainage and handled the permits. The work was done quickly and properly, and I haven’t had the same foundation problem since.

Carolyn McBride · Answer

Thank you. Yes, I want to confirm the property mentioned is located in Oakland, CA and I'd love any perspective on any foundation issues experienced in the area.

Bill B. · Answer

Also add your location to your profile and post. Then people with the right keywords will respond.

Foundation Question: Are Push Piers Worth It or Are There Other Options?

Foundation Question: Are Push Piers Worth It or Are There Other Options?

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