New Braunfels Foundation Experts puts homeowners and property owners considering steel pier foundation repair in New Braunfels, TX in touch with an independent local foundation company that installs them.
Steel piers are steel pipe sections driven deep below a foundation through brackets attached to the beam. They are chosen when a contractor or engineer wants support from deeper, firmer ground and a recorded installation pressure for each pier.
Installation
- Soil is excavated beside the beam and a steel bracket is fastened to it.
- Pipe sections are driven through the bracket with a hydraulic ram.
- Driving continues until the pier reaches the required resistance.
- The foundation is lifted, brackets are secured and holes are backfilled.
When Steel Makes Sense
- Heavier homes and commercial buildings
- Deep clay where shallow piers may not reach firm support
- Repairs where a recorded pressure for each pier is wanted
- Second repairs after shallower piers did not hold
Rock and Steel
On the Hill Country side of the Balcones Fault, steel piers may reach rock quickly. That can be good support, but it should be recorded and understood. Ask what the contractor considers the stopping point and how they confirm it.
Things to Weigh
- Cost: usually more per pier than pressed concrete.
- Corrosion: galvanizing or coatings protect steel in soil.
- Interior work: interior steel piers are harder to install.
Records Worth Keeping
Ask for an installation log with the depth and pressure of each pier, along with the pier drawing, readings, any permit record and the written warranty. That file tells a future buyer exactly what is under the house.
Questions to Ask
- What resistance or depth will you drive to?
- Is the steel galvanized or coated?
- Will an engineer review the layout?
- What does the warranty cover?
Corrosion and Coatings
Steel piers are meant to last for decades in damp soil. Ask whether the pipe and brackets are galvanized, coated or bare, and what the manufacturer's literature says about corrosion. It is a fair question to put in writing.
Depth and Pressure Records
Steel piers are driven with hydraulic equipment, and the operator can record the pressure on each pier as it goes down and the depth where it stops. Those two numbers together say a lot about what each pier is bearing on. Ask for them for every pier, along with a drawing of their locations. Keep them with your warranty; an engineer reviewing the house in the future will want them.
Interior Piers and Flooring
If interior beams need support, steel piers may be installed through the floor inside the house. Ask how many interior piers are planned and how flooring will be repaired afterward.
Common questions
How much do steel piers cost?
Angi's range for piers of all types is about $1,000 to $3,000 each, and steel tends to sit at the upper end of it.
Are steel piers better than concrete?
Steel can be driven deeper, and each pier's pressure gets recorded, which matters on hard jobs. Concrete piers work well on many houses.
Can steel piers rust?
Steel can corrode in soil, so coatings or galvanizing are used. Ask what the contractor uses.
Do steel piers reach bedrock?
They are driven to a set resistance, which may be rock or firm soil depending on the site.
Do I need an engineer?
Houses sometimes need one; commercial jobs and big repairs more often do.
Can steel piers be added to an earlier repair?
Yes. Second repairs sometimes use steel where earlier piers did not hold.