For the houses that were outside tolerances, we suggested where the foundation piers should be placed on our AutoCAD drawing. But just as important as pier placement was the action we recommended they take to address the causes of the movement to reduce the possibility of future movement. The slab is much more massive than the piers and whatever moved the slab will, over time, affect the piers. Therefore it is very important to address the causes of the foundation movement so the money you are paying for the installation of expensive foundation piers will not be wasted.
One action all property owners should take after foundation piers are installed is to have a qualified plumber check out the plumbing system of your home. When piers are installed, the house is lifted. The pipes under the house are in the soil and when the house is lifted, the pipes will not stretch – they can crack or break and you now might have a new plumbing problem that will cause more damage to the foundation and to the new piers that were just installed.
Piers being installed
Foundation piers are not “install & forget”. You have spent good money to fix a foundation problem, always take those actions to address the causes of the foundation distress and follow up with a plumbing inspection to insure you have not created a new problem.
