Have you had experience of Foundation Watering Systems for pier and beam house foundations (houses)

[CaroleF]

Hi Folks.

I have a pier and beam house where the piers are sitting on top of the soil. Have any of you got a similar foundation and if so, have you tried a "water drip system" to stabilize the soil under the piers? It would most likely be prohibitively expensive to install steel piers deep in the ground. But I don't want to have to keep repairing the sheetrock and have problems locking and unlocking my doors.

[elnina]

How old is the house? Is it constructed with Bodark tree posts buried two to three feet under the ground?
https://foundationrepairaustintx.net...ric-pier-beam/
What are the house inspector recommendations?

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by CaroleF

Hi Folks.

I have a pier and beam house where the piers are sitting on top of the soil. Have any of you got a similar foundation and if so, have you tried a "water drip system" to stabilize the soil under the piers? It would most likely be prohibitively expensive to install steel piers deep in the ground. But I don't want to have to keep repairing the sheetrock and have problems locking and unlocking my doors.

Long response, 'sorry....

For a pier and beam foundation, I would caution against watering them with a drip system unless you have a soil moisture monitoring system and controller, with multiple monitors, else they can get over watered. The problem you (and I) have with pier and beam is that the pier/blocks act like pistons when soil/clay underneath get too much water. If one side is dry, but the other is not, then the soft/wet soil will expand more so than dry soil. If this moisture level is not monitored, and kept even all around the house, then you will get the piston effect which causes the slight shifting, and causes those cracks above windows and doors. You have to then shim the beams again.

Most of the shifting will be around the perimeter walls because those are the piers that get the most moisture, from rain, etc. Those piers in the middle of the house are usually more stable as water does not get there.

Now, if you have a 'pond' under your house after a rain, then you will have what I call a 'fun house', where the uneven floors become noticeable. That happens because of the constant and prolonged exposure to water. Your main problem then is to keep the bottom of your home dry.

When I purchased my house in Montrose, the town homes they built next to my old house had elevated 'patios' (you can't call those back yards!); as much as 9 niches to 1 foot above miy home. Every time it rained, the bottom of my house would become a swimming pool. To top it off, they did absolutely nothing to mitigate the drainage problem. The prior owner of my home was a cheap landlord and did not do anything either.

Over two years (DIY), I mitigated the water problem. First, I had to lay mortar and cinder blocks all around the perimeter of my house, under the house outer walls. Not for support, but just to hold the soil back from going under the house when it got wet. I then hauled in dirt, yards of it, to bring the soil level up to my neighbors, now my water runs between the houses to the street as it is supposed to do.

I had gutters installed and put in a 4 inch drain to the street, so the gutters emptied into that so the roof water did not contribute to the problems.

I also had to dig out a 4 foot deep hole, by 3 feet wide and install a water collection tank in there. I then had to dig a trench under my house and lay 4 inch perforated pipe with a sock sleeve to keep out dirt. It drained from the highest point and ended up at the lowest point of what is essentially a sump. I then purchased a heavy duty sump pump (steel, not cheap plastic ones from Home Depot, or Lowe's), with a float switch. Anytime water does collect, it flows into the sump and when the float switch is activated, it pumps the water out to the street.

We spent a little over 5K when we purchased the house four years ago to level it and get some sills replaced because it was so bad, and then last year we spent another 8K to have it raised about 1.5 ft, and had all the blocks replaced.... replaced the footing, and used solid cinder blocks instead of bricks, and had some beams replaced, and installed termite shields (those metal looking caps).

So far, no more cracks, doors sticking, etc. I made sure to make the water run away from the house, and not to let the water collect under the house. When I go down there, it is very dry, and we no longer get that musty smell we used to get when it rained. Also, I have about 30 inches of clearance under the house now.

Lastly, you have to keep an eye on your neighbors... we had a new one who had just purchased the town home and after he moved in, he hired a company to install a nice looking deck and patio. Very nice indeed to the tune of about 15K, however, when they were getting ready to put in pavers, we noticed it was again above our soil line. I had to speak with the crew who was subcontracted to do the work and told them they had to mitigate the water problem. Funny, later that same day, the owner of the patio business came to assess the situation, and then he had the crew dig up the foundation again and run 4 inch pipes from the gutters to the front of his house. If I did not keep an eye on him, that water was going to flow into my yard again.

'Sorry again for the long post. Good luck!

[CaroleF]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Long response, 'sorry....


'Sorry again for the long post. Good luck!

Thank you so much; that was an amazing post, so informative and cautionary.

I am in the country on 0.9 acres. My neighbors on one side have trailers (two of them) on the other side another pier and beam, neither of the neighbors is anywhere close to my house, thank goodness. The previous owner of the house I bought paid to have earth built up around the house to move the rain water away and now it runs diagonally through the yard on the west side and not close on the house. So maybe the shifting won't be as bad I have thought. I am just going to wait and see; no point in mitigating a problem I don't know that I have, especially after reading your post and seeing what that mitigation might involve.

I have always envied those who could afford one of the older pier and beams in Montrose, but now I see the dangers of living next to new development. Sorry that it is costing you so much to enjoy your home.

[CaroleF]

Originally Posted by elnina

How old is the house? Is it constructed with Bodark tree posts buried two to three feet under the ground?
https://foundationrepairaustintx.net...ric-pier-beam/
What are the house inspector recommendations?

1996. Concrete blocks. House inspector said nothing because the house had been re-levelled and the sheetrock fixed.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by CaroleF

Thank you so much; that was an amazing post, so informative and cautionary.

I am in the country on 0.9 acres. My neighbors on one side have trailers (two of them) on the other side another pier and beam, neither of the neighbors is anywhere close to my house, thank goodness. The previous owner of the house I bought paid to have earth built up around the house to move the rain water away and now it runs diagonally through the yard on the west side and not close on the house. So maybe the shifting won't be as bad I have thought. I am just going to wait and see; no point in mitigating a problem I don't know that I have, especially after reading your post and seeing what that mitigation might involve.

I have always envied those who could afford one of the older pier and beams in Montrose, but now I see the dangers of living next to new development. Sorry that it is costing you so much to enjoy your home.

Yes, well... we spent a lot before moving in, not because we wanted, but because the bank wanted it! The house had old beatup cedar siding, and the bank wanted it replaced. Okay, we decided to go with Hardiplank, but before we did that, we had to level the house, else if we put on new siding, then leveled the house, it would break, or make the siding uneven, so we had to level first.

The second leveling was secondary, I wanted more room under the house, so while lifting, they had no choice but to level again. As far as sump and stuff, a neighbor had an old rain collector that had a small leak in the bottom, but it did not bother me, it fit my needs perfectly, and free!

'Sounds like you found yourself a nice little paradise there... if I lived there, you know I'd be installing a mosquito misting system! Its just money, right?

[elnina]

Originally Posted by CaroleF

1996. Concrete blocks. House inspector said nothing because the house had been re-levelled and the sheetrock fixed.

If the house was re-levelled then it should have some warranty on that work (was the warranty transferred to you, the new owner?), and should not shift anymore. I would call them and ask why the doors are not closing properly. They should readjust the piers without cost to the owner for the life of the warranty.
They might have some solution how to prevent future shiftings.

[CaroleF]

Originally Posted by elnina

If the house was re-levelled then it should have some warranty on that work (was the warranty transferred to you, the new owner?), and should not shift anymore. I would call them and ask why the doors are not closing properly. They should readjust the piers without cost to the owner for the life of the warranty.
They might have some solution how to prevent future shiftings.

It was their advice that led to the previous owner putting in the water mitigation dirt system, which includes running large pieces of wood (like half of a pole) horizontally around the whole house outside of the piers.

I don't think you can get a warranty for re-levelling of a pier and beam foundation like mine. No foundation company with any sense would guarantee that piers sitting on the surface of the earth won't move. With the amount of rain we get and the nature of the soil, the movements will be there; but with the mitigation, rain does not pool under the house any more, so the amount of moisture around the piers is much less.

The good thing is that although the doors sometimes stick, usually they subsequently unstick. I won't call him again unless the shift is so great that I can't find a solution to it other than to have the house re-levelled, because re-leveling will crack the sheetrock again. I'd rather adjust the doors, which is something he suggested when I asked about the issue. Hence the need to find a good handyman.