Slab foundation repair in Alexandria, Louisiana
Most brick ranch houses and newer homes around Alexandria sit on a concrete slab. Here's how a slab that has settled gets supported, and when piers aren't the answer.
A slab-on-grade foundation is concrete poured on the ground, with thicker beams around the edge and under some interior walls. In Red River clay, the soil just outside that edge is what swings the most: it dries and shrinks in a hot late summer and swells when winter rain and roof runoff soak it. The ground under the middle of the house stays steadier. Over the years, one corner or one side can end up lower than the rest.
How does a settled slab show up?
- Brick mortar cracking in a stair pattern close to one corner of the house
- Tile that cracks along a line, or a concrete crack found during a carpet change
- Doors at one end of the house that catch at the top corner
- A widening gap where the brick meets a window or the garage door frame
- Furniture that rocks, or a floor you can feel tilt as you walk across it
What does the repair involve?
- Floor readings. The contractor measures elevations across the slab and maps the high and low areas.
- Look for the cause. Gutters, grading, trees and possible plumbing leaks get checked before anything goes in the ground.
- Plan the support. Pier locations are marked under the grade beam where it dropped; interior piers are added only if the readings show the middle has sunk too.
- Drive and raise. Each pier goes down to steadier soil, then the slab is lifted in controlled steps and the piers are secured at the final height.
- Backfill and finish. Holes are filled and compacted, and cracks are repaired after the house is stable.
What if the middle is high, not the edge low?
That's heave. When a leaking pipe or bad drainage puts water under a slab, the clay swells and pushes the center up. Piering the edges won't fix that and can make the floor less even. If the readings show a high spot near a bathroom, kitchen or water heater, ask about a plumbing pressure test before you pay for piers.
Will the floor be perfectly level afterward?
Expect better, not flawless. Concrete that has sat out of level for a decade has bent the house around it, and forcing it all the way back can crack tile, drywall or plumbing. A good contractor will name a realistic target and warn you about what may pop or crack inside during the lift.
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.
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Common questions
Is slab piering done from inside the house?
Mostly from outside. Crews dig beside the foundation and work under the edge beam. If interior piers are part of the plan, the floor has to be opened at those points, and the bid should say how it gets patched.
Why would a foundation contractor suggest a plumbing test?
A hump near a bathroom or kitchen can mean a leak is swelling the clay under the slab. Testing the lines first keeps you from paying for piers when the real problem is water.
Related services
- Pier-and-beam and raised house leveling
- 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.