Your home's foundation has a great responsibility-supporting the entire structure, along with everything and everyone in it. Damage like brick cracks and uneven flooring can happen over time, making home foundation repair essential to protecting your family's safety in the surrounding Boston area.
One method used to achieve lasting stability is to pier foundation areas affected by settlement. Systems including push piers and helical piers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island rely on stable soil deep beneath your home, providing lasting protection you can trust.
This page explores the importance of foundation piers and how Busy Dog Basement Technologies is your dependable partner for all your foundation repair needs.
What Are Foundation Piers?
Foundation piers are structural supports advanced into the ground to anchor your home to solid, load-bearing soil or bedrock. These systems provide lasting stability, protecting your home from the effects of shifting soils.
By transferring the weight of your home to these deeper, more stable layers, piers help stop further settling and may even raise sections of your foundation closer to their original elevation.
Foundation piers play a critical role in preserving the structural integrity of your home and are often part of a complete home repair strategy, including basement waterproofing or crawl space reinforcement.
Signs You Need Foundation Piers in MA or RI
Recognizing common problem signs is the first step in knowing when to pier foundation areas affected by settlement and sinking. Look for these symptoms:
- Foundation wall cracks
- Cracked bricks
- Cracks in drywall
- Basement cracks
- Sagging, uneven floors
- Concrete slab floor cracks
- Gaps between the walls and floor or ceiling
- Sticking windows or doors
- Cracking or leaning chimney
These issues can be complex and accompany other problems within your South Shore home. If you're unsure what kind of damage you're dealing with, don't hesitate to contact a local foundation repair expert like Busy Dog Basement Technologies for advice.
Are Foundation Piers Necessary?
Absolutely-foundation piers are essential for permanently stabilizing a shifting or settling foundation and stopping additional damage from progressing.
As trusted local foundation repair professionals, we encourage homeowners to act at the first indication of a problem. Fixing a sinking foundation early on can save you money in the long run. Waiting too long often results in more severe damage and significantly higher repair costs.
If your home is also experiencing issues like bowing walls due to hydrostatic pressure, we'll recommend the right repair solutions. Our customized repair plans are tailored to your home's specific needs, considering both the type and severity of the damage.
Are Different Types of Foundation Piers Available?
Many foundation pier varieties are used to stabilize homes, but not all of them are created equal. Traditional piers, including concrete pilings and square shaft helicals, and light-duty foundation push piers lack longevity and fail over time.
You deserve a lasting home foundation repair solution you can trust. Busy Dog Basement Technologies offers the following types of foundation piers:
Helical Piers
Installing helical piers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is one of the most common repair techniques used to address foundation settlement. This system includes durable steel piers with round helix plates attached to the ends. These specially designed helical tips bite through problematic soil and act as a screw as the system is advanced into the soil. They have various applications but are ideal for lighter structures.
Here's a look at how we install helical piers:
- Dig around the foundation to uncover the footing.
- Use hydraulic tools to drive the piers deep into the ground.
- Carefully track pier depth and load capacity as they're installed.
- Secure a strong steel bracket to the foundation footing.
- Benchmark the installed piers with small exterior wall rivets for reference.
- Refill the excavated area with soil once the installation is complete.
Push Piers
Foundation push piers function in a similar way to helical piers but have a different structure and method of installation. Made of heavy-duty steel rods, these piers are manually driven into the ground, using the weight of the home itself to anchor them securely and provide long-term stabilization.
Installation steps include:
- Excavating down to the foundation footing
- Securing a steel footing bracket
- Driving the steel piers into the ground through the bracket
- Continuously checking pier depth and load-bearing capacity
- Installing small exterior benchmarks for future monitoring
- Refilling the excavated area with soil once complete
Slab Piers
Slab piers are engineered to provide precise support for homes built on slab foundations, offering an effective way to correct settling in these types of structures.
Our crews follow these installation steps:
- Remove flooring in the affected area.
- Drill through the concrete slab to reach the footing.
- Position a bracket beneath the exposed footing.
- Drive pier segments deep into the ground.
- Monitor depth and load capacity throughout the process.
- Secure the bracket to the slab.
- Re-pour the concrete and smooth the surface for a clean finish.
At Busy Dog Basement Technologies, we offer a proprietary line of each of these foundation pier systems, which are tailored to meet your home's unique foundation repair needs.
What Are the Benefits of Foundation Piers?
Our push pier foundation repair and helical piers in Massachusettsand Rhode Island are built for exceptional durability and long-lasting performance. Every installation is tailored specifically to your South Shore home, delivering key advantages such as:
- Lasting Foundation Support: Designed to permanently stabilize your foundation for the life of your home.
- Stops Further Settlement: Once installed, our piers help halt continued sinking or shifting.
- Reduces Additional Structural Issues: Prevents future foundation-related damage from occurring.
- Long-Term Protection: Built to safeguard your foundation for years to come.
- Lift Capabilities: When conditions allow, our team can apply additional pressure to gently raise settled portions of your foundation.
- Comprehensive Warranty Coverage: Each pier is backed by a nationally supported, transferable warranty for added peace of mind.
To maximize these benefits, trust Busy Dog Basement Technologies' exclusive foundation pier systems. Talk to an expert today to see how our customized solutions can strengthen and protect your home.
Why Our Foundation Piers Are The Best Choice for Your Home
Along with the key advantages already highlighted, here's what makes our foundation piers stand out:
- Outperforms conventional piers and piles
- Uniquely engineered to suit Massachusetts soil conditions
- Built for exceptional strength and long-term reliability
- Covered by an extensive, industry-leading warranty
- Included in our annual maintenance service program for ongoing support
Get Lasting Home Foundation Repair Today!
Your home's foundation has the important job of providing structural stability and safety. When settling and other damage happens, it's important to fix it right away with lasting home foundation repair solutions like foundation piers.
Homeowners in Boston, Eastern Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have trusted Busy Dog Basement Technologies to fix and protect their homes for more than 25 years. We're excited to help you create a safer home, too. Contact us today to schedule a free inspection and learn more about our permanent solutions!