Pier-and-beam house leveling in Alexandria, Louisiana
Older homes in Alexandria and Pineville often sit on piers above a crawl space. When those floors start to sag or tilt, this is how they're brought back.
Under a raised house, the floor framing sits on a ring of foundation around the outside and lines of short piers across the middle. Each interior pier rests on its own small footing in the clay, so when the ground under one of them dries or soaks, that pier and the floor above it move on their own. Moisture adds a second problem. A crawl space that stays damp all winter keeps the wood sills and beams wet, and over time that wood softens, rots or attracts termites.
How do I know the problem is under the floor?
- Floors that bounce, feel soft, or dip toward the center of a room
- Doors near the middle of the house sticking worse than those on outside walls
- A musty smell, wet soil or standing water in the crawl space
- Shims on top of piers that have slipped, split or crushed
- Sills or beams that are soft, cracked or termite-damaged
How is a raised house leveled?
- Measure. The contractor takes floor elevations in each room to find the high and low spots.
- Inspect the crawl space. Every pier, shim, beam and sill gets checked, along with how wet the ground is.
- Lift gradually. Low areas are jacked up in stages, then held with new shims, new piers or added beams.
- Repair the wood. Rotted or damaged sills and beams are replaced or sistered so the new supports bear on sound framing.
- Dry it out. Crawl space drains, working vents or a ground cover keep the soil and new wood from staying wet.
Why might it need adjusting later?
The soil under the piers doesn't stop responding to wet and dry years, and shim stacks are designed to be tightened or reset as it does. Find out whether follow-up adjustments are included, how many years that lasts, and what's excluded.
What should I ask before signing?
- Can I see a sketch of every support being reset or added?
- Concrete, steel or treated wood: what will the new piers and shims be?
- If you find rot or termite damage once you're under there, how is it priced?
- What's the plan for the water under my floor?
- What might happen to plumbing, ducts, plaster or tile as the floor rises?
Pricing comes from the contractor, after they've measured the house and worked out what's causing the movement. We don't quote prices. A pier count or leveling plan guessed over the phone isn't worth much until someone has walked the slab or crawled under the floor.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
How many days does a leveling job take?
That varies with how far the floor has sunk and how much framing has to be replaced. Your quote should include an expected schedule, and careful crews raise the floor slowly to protect interior finishes.
Will leveling crack my walls?
It can, especially in older plaster or a house that has been out of level for years. Lifting in small steps reduces the damage, and the contractor should warn you ahead of time about likely touch-ups.
Related services
- Slab foundation repair
- Foundation piering (concrete, steel, helical)
- Drainage and moisture control
- Foundation evaluations and crack repair
More background: Alexandria, Louisiana foundation guide.
Brick cracking, a door that won't latch, or a floor that suddenly slopes?
Call and a foundation contractor who works in Rapides Parish will come measure the house and explain what's moving.