Pier And Beam Foundation Repair Question

[gingersiam]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone give me a ballpark figure of how much it would cost to repair a pier and beam foundation for a house that is approximately 850 square feet. Like what is average price and what is the worst case scenario price? I am trying to brace and prepare myself for the worst case scenario price

[musicman]

it would depend on whether you're doing a leveling job or a raising and leveling....whether you have rotten beams, etc. too many unknowns. this is a small home. for 2k i think you could get quite a bit done.

remember many aren't involved in hooking up services that have to be cut. plumbing/gas/etc.

[cwrm4]

I would first look at the drainage situation around the rear of the house. If water is pooling under the house or around the piers, the expansion and contraction of the soil/clay as it swells with water and then dries out can cause a lot of the problems you describe.

[Pumapayam]

it would depend on whether you're doing a leveling job or a raising and leveling....whether you have rotten beams, etc. too many unknowns. this is a small home. for 2k i think you could get quite a bit done.

remember many aren't involved in hooking up services that have to be cut. plumbing/gas/etc.

For my home, which is slab (unrelated) and with a square footage of 1200 on the foundation portion, it was sub $5K.

I don't know how much easier a pier and beam home would be, but I am sure you will not go above this figure.

[gingersiam]

I would first look at the drainage situation around the rear of the house. If water is pooling under the house or around the piers, the expansion and contraction of the soil/clay as it swells with water and then dries out can cause a lot of the problems you describe.

Thank you for your reply.

hmmm we have noticed a lot of water around the house- well on the sides and near the house it always seems kinda muddy...there is an add on 3 car garage in the back that is somewhat attached to the house and we noticed some water seeping in from where some of the panels have rotted away...

I guess that means we should call a plumber first?

For my home, which is slab (unrelated) and with a square footage of 1200 on the foundation portion, it was sub $5K.

I don't know how much easier a pier and beam home would be, but I am sure you will not go above this figure.

Pumapayam and Musicman,

thank you both for your input. That really gives me a good idea of how much it could be if it is a foundation problem.

I was getting worried that it might somewhere in the five figure range. A friend of mine told me her neighbor paid somewhere around $35,000 for her foundation repair but I think her's was a slab foundation.

[musicman]

Thank you for your reply.

hmmm we have noticed a lot of water around the house- well on the sides and near the house it always seems kinda muddy...there is an add on 3 car garage in the back that is somewhat attached to the house and we noticed some water seeping in from where some of the panels have rotted away...

I guess that means we should call a plumber first?

i'd only call a plumber if it is plumbing related. most likely with the weather we've been having it's rain water. i will stress this. attempting to do a leveling when there is water under the house is a bad idea. it would be best to resolve the drainage issues prior to the leveling. this may involve gutter installation, french drains, adding fill, most likely a combination of all. you cant really keep the piers on the exterior wall completely dry, but you sure can keep those under the house dry which would result in a more stable leveling.

i had flooding under my house (long story) but after my "improvements," it is bone dry, even though some of it is lower than the surrounding earth.

I was getting worried that it might somewhere in the five figure range. A friend of mine told me her neighbor paid somewhere around $35,000 for her foundation repair but I think her's was a slab foundation.

if anyone quotes you 5k, walk in the opposite direction. your house is too small to charge you that much.

[gingersiam]

i'd only call a plumber if it is plumbing related. most likely with the weather we've been having it's rain water. i will stress this. attempting to do a leveling when there is water under the house is a bad idea. it would be best to resolve the drainage issues prior to the leveling. this may involve gutter installation, french drains, adding fill, most likely a combination of all. you cant really keep the piers on the exterior wall completely dry, but you sure can keep those under the house dry which would result in a more stable leveling.

i had flooding under my house (long story) but after my "improvements," it is bone dry, even though some of it is lower than the surrounding earth.

if anyone quotes you 5k, walk in the opposite direction. your house is too small to charge you that much.

Hi again Musicman,

thanks so much for your detailed replies. Who did you call to fix the drainage? Or were you able to do it yourself? My boyfriend and I have been trying to preform most- if not all- the work ourselves. But we have learned to call professionals when needed LOL.

[musicman]

Hi again Musicman,

thanks so much for your detailed replies. Who did you call to fix the drainage? Or were you able to do it yourself? My boyfriend and I have been trying to preform most- if not all- the work ourselves. But we have learned to call professionals when needed LOL.

i did the design myself. i ended up using a combination of gutters and an underground drainage system with yard drains and inputs for the gutter spouts to route water to the street.

i do recommend this. during the next rain, go outside and try and determine where the water is flowing. where is it going under the house, where the water from the roof(s) goes, etc. gutters are a great way to address the roof runoff as long as you figure out a way to get the water away from the house. i've seen so many people get gutters installed but yet the water drains right next to the house in a more concentrated area which is probably worse. i temporarily installed long pipes to drain it to the yard but long term the solution was the underground drainage pipe to get the water to the street. yall should PM me. you are more than welcome to stop by and look what i did. of course every situation is different but it may give you some ideas.

i will say this, with ditches you MAY have a little slope advantage because you have a lower point that you can drain to. sometimes curbs just don't allow enough drop particularly with older homes.

[gingersiam]

i did the design myself. i ended up using a combination of gutters and an underground drainage system with yard drains and inputs for the gutter spouts to route water to the street.

i do recommend this. during the next rain, go outside and try and determine where the water is flowing. where is it going under the house, where the water from the roof(s) goes, etc. gutters are a great way to address the roof runoff as long as you figure out a way to get the water away from the house. i've seen so many people get gutters installed but yet the water drains right next to the house in a more concentrated area which is probably worse. i temporarily installed long pipes to drain it to the yard but long term the solution was the underground drainage pipe to get the water to the street. yall should PM me. you are more than welcome to stop by and look what i did. of course every situation is different but it may give you some ideas.

i will say this, with ditches you MAY have a little slope advantage because you have a lower point that you can drain to. sometimes curbs just don't allow enough drop particularly with older homes.

We are definitely going to do this. It is going to be the very next thing on our