There are several types of piers that can be used when your home needs additional support. How do you know what piers you need?
First, you probably want to know if you need piers to start with. Just because you see cracks in your foundation does not mean you automatically need piers. It takes a professional inspection, from a trained expert, to determine the right foundation solution for your home. Mid-Atlantic can help with that. We have been performing basement waterproofing and structural foundation repair since 1965. We know foundations. We train all of our inspectors on what to look for, what tools to use and how to properly assess a foundation’s needs. If It is determined that your home needs piers, we will explain the situation to you so you completely understand why. After that we can discuss various pier types.
PUSH PIERS
– This is a type of pier that sits directly below your foundation and is driven deep into the ground using the weight of your home to drive the pier to a set resistance. Once the pier reaches the correct resistance we can sometimes offer recovery. This means we might actually be able to lift your home back up and close the cracks. But how will you know if your home is eligible for recovery? That is a perfect question to ask your inspector when he reviews your foundation analysis with you.
HELICAL PIERS
– This is a “screw” type of pier that is literally screwed into the ground. The deeper you go, the greater the resistance. This type of pier attaches to the footing of your home with special brackets to support the load.
These are the two main piers that can and should be used in the soils for the Mid-Atlantic Region. With clay being the main soil component you really have to know what you are doing to properly support and install the right pier. We use independent licensed Engineers for every foundation piering job we do. We feel that using an independent Engineer offers you, the homeowner a third party verification of our findings and peace of mind that you are getting the correct pier, placement and support for your home.
Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing always pulls permits and has every job inspected by county officials when available. This also offers another layer of protection and assures you that the work has been done in compliance with building codes. Bottom line – Mid-Atlantic does it right the first time so you never have to worry about your foundation again. Isn’t that really what you are looking for?
Call us today for a free, no obligation inspection and analysis of your home’s foundation needs.