Is your Oklahoma home suffering from a damaged foundation? Or are you building a new home and wondering how to create the strongest foundation?
Caring about your home’s structural integrity is smart, because in Oklahoma, our clay soil tends to shift a lot throughout the year. The soil beneath a home can move due to dramatic temperature changes, freeze-and-thaw cycles, and rainy seasons followed by droughts. Your foundation slab can crack, sag or jut up unevenly as a result. And it can damage the rest of your house, lessening its overall value and safety.
No one wants that. And the right foundation solution, from Edens Structural Solutions, is a must to avoid these problems. Helical piers are one of the most common and practical ways to strengthen your home’s foundation and even prevent foundation issues in the first place. Here’s what you need to know.
What Are Helical Piers?
Helical piers, also referred to as screw piles or anchors, are vertical metal rods inserted in the ground and attached to your house’s slab to add strength and stability. Helical piers were first used in the 19th century to help shore up buildings that rested in muddy or sandy soil, such as lighthouses. As you can imagine, if they worked for those types of structures, they’re effective for homes in Oklahoma’s clay soil too.
How Helical Piers Add Stability to Home Foundations
Steel rods are inserted deeply into the soil beneath the house, so that they can help to bear the load of the building as it weighs down upon the ground beneath it. These piers are placed at specific intervals apart, so that the weight is distributed evenly.
The result is that the house’s structure is evenly and strongly supported across the entire foundation, reducing the likelihood that shifting soil will cause the foundation to crack or heave upward. Your home will be much less susceptible to foundational problems.
Benefits You’ll Get from Helical Piers
Construction companies, structural contractors, and property owners alike appreciate the many ways that helical piers work to create lasting, trusted foundation solutions. Here’s what you can expect when you choose to install helical piers for your home.
1. Easy Installation
Your foundation contractor will use a hydraulic torque tool to quickly and easily drive your helical piers into proper position. The installation of helical piers can be done in a few hours—much quicker than adding a concrete foundation.
2. Quick Results
As soon as the piers are in position, they are ready to bear weight. This is especially handy during a new build. Unlike concrete slabs which must be dug out and given time to cure, pre-construction piers allow your builder to begin framing out your new home speedily.
3. Versatility
While helical piers are usually installed vertically, they can be inserted horizontally as well. As a result, they’re great as a foundation solution in a wide variety of situations:
- Shoring up retention walls
- Adding strength to walls installed on lake shores
- Fitting into areas where building space is limited
- Bolstering stability in areas where a foundation can’t be dug deep
4. Eco-Friendliness
When used in the pre-construction phase, helical piers offer great environmental advantages over concrete. You won’t have to remove a lot of soil or landscaping. The process is quieter, producing less noise pollution and less ground vibrations. And unlike concrete, metal helical piers are recyclable.
5. Works for Both Existing Homes and New Builds
Helical piers can be installed in the pre-construction phase instead of or in addition to a concrete slab, giving you confidence that your new home’s foundation will last. Or, they can be added to an existing house, allowing homeowners to conveniently repair foundational damage and protect their investment in their home.
6. Excellent Cost Savings
Helical piers provide great savings for homeowners. Consider what happens with a concrete installation—digging out the ground, laying the concrete, smoothing it, and hauling off the debris. This takes time, requires a large crew and is pricey. In contrast, the time and effort spent to insert foundation piers is much less, so it costs less too.
Will Helical Piers Fix a Home’s Foundation Damage?
It’s common for Oklahoma homeowners to start noticing signs of foundation problems, like these:
- Cracks in walls and floors
- Leaning chimney
- Doors and windows that don’t properly open and close
- Sagging or tilted floors
Older homes in Oklahoma often have concrete slabs that may have moved over the years, because the soil shifts so much here. Foundation piers are an effective solution because they add strength, help distribute the load more evenly, and can help shift the foundation back into place.
Wondering if the cracks in your walls are serious? Check out our Foundation Repair Guide to learn more.
Is It Worth Investing in Pre-Construction Piers?
If you are building a new home, it’s well worth considering the advantages of pre-construction piers.
- It’s easier and faster than laying concrete.
- It’s more cost-effective than concrete.
- It’s an effective option for larger structures, as well as for decks that extend over open space or water.
Be Confident in a Lasting Foundation
You deserve a house that remains safe, strong, and valuable. So, whether you’re doing a new home build or looking for ways to strengthen your existing home’s structure, helical piers are a smart choice to consider.
Our team at Eden’s Structural can help you assess your specific foundation needs and provide clear solutions that give you confidence in your home for years to come. Check out our Foundation Repair Services, and contact us for a free consultation.
