Foundation raising in Pelham AL - a settled house lifted back up on steady piers
Doors sticking, floors sloping or cracks spreading across the walls? We lift the settled section back up on piers set in stable soil.
Finding the cause
We check soil, drainage and footing before recommending any piers.
Pier type for your soil
Push or helical piers, matched to the ground under your house.
Slab or crawl space
We level slab houses and pier and beam homes.
Lifting and leveling
We raise the settled part back near where it started.
How does foundation raising work in Pelham?
Foundation raising in Pelham means driving steel pipes, called piers, down through brackets on your footing, the wide concrete base the walls sit on, until they reach stable soil or rock. Then we lift the settled part of the house back near where it started and leave it resting on those piers.
The kind of house you have changes the job more than anything else. On a pier and beam house, our crew can reach the framing from the crawl space, so leveling usually means shimming the beams back up on their piers or replacing the piers. A slab house has to be lifted on piers driven down to load-bearing soil, which is more work and costs more.
The price comes down mostly to how many piers your footing needs and whether they're push piers, driven straight down, or helical piers, screwed in on spiral plates. The schedule turns on that same count. I can't tell you either until I've seen the house, so I walk it with you and send a written quote that says what's included.
- Piers set down to stable soil
- A pier type picked for your soil
- A plan that looks at the cause
- Your questions answered before work starts
How can you tell your foundation has settled?
When part of your house starts sitting lower than the rest, it usually shows up inside first and outside second, so these are worth checking.
Doors and windows sticking
When a door that used to swing freely starts rubbing the frame, the opening has usually shifted because one corner of the house dropped.
Cracks in the walls
Diagonal cracks climbing from the corners of doors and windows often mean the wall above is being pulled out of square.
Sloping or uneven floors
If a ball rolls across the room or the floor dips underfoot, part of the house is likely sitting lower than the rest.
Cracks in the foundation
Stair-step cracks in brick or block, or a crack along the slab edge that keeps widening, point to a footing that's moving.
Gaps at trim and baseboards
Baseboards pulling away from the floor or crown molding separating from the ceiling are small signs that the framing has moved.
Water pooling against the house
When rain sits along the foundation instead of running away, the soil underneath stays soft, and that's often where settling starts.
Ask for a foundation estimate
Tell us your house type and what you're seeing, plus any crack photos. We reply within one business day to set up a free, no-obligation estimate.
What I look at before foundation raising
Before I recommend a single pier, I want to know why the house settled, because lifting it without dealing with the cause just sets up the same problem again.
The soil under it
Helical piers hold better in softer soil, where push piers might not carry enough weight, so the ground under your house can point us toward one or the other.
Drainage around the house
We check where your roof and yard water goes, because soil that stays soaked against the foundation keeps moving after a lift.
The footing
I look at how the footing is built and how far it has dropped, since that decides how many piers it needs and where they go.
Cracks inside and out
We note cracks in drywall, brick and slab, because their pattern shows which part of the house dropped and roughly how far.
How a foundation raising job runs
I plan the work around your household, so before we start you'll know which days we're digging along the house and what each step is waiting on.
You call or write
Call or send the form with your house type and a few crack photos, and we'll set a time for me to come out.
I walk the house
I come out myself, look at the floors, cracks, footing and drainage with you, and answer every question you have.
Your written quote
You get a written quote that names the piers, their type and what's included, so you can compare it against anyone else's.
Permit and digging
Once you say yes, we set the start date and handle any permit, then our crew digs along the footing and sets the piers.
Lift and walk-through
We lift the house back near its original position, backfill and clean up, then walk through it with you and keep you posted throughout.
Why Pelham homeowners call Pelham Concrete for foundation raising
You can count on a job that follows the plan we agreed on, and on an owner who takes the time to answer your questions before anything gets dug up.
I come out myself
I walk your house and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the digging and lifting. If you need a surveyor, we help you line one up.
Running jobs since 2017
I spent years scheduling crews, trucks and inspections before starting Pelham Concrete in 2017, so our jobs run on a plan you can follow.
Fully licensed and insured
Alabama licenses people who do home building and home improvement work, and we're fully licensed and insured, so ask any contractor you're weighing to show theirs.
Satisfaction guaranteed
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job is our promise, so call (205) 651-8545 or send us the form and tell me what you're seeing.
Foundation raising in Pelham and nearby cities
Inside Pelham city limits, the city's Building Department issues building permits and inspects residential construction, checking work against the codes Pelham has adopted. Whether a foundation lift needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, so we check with that office before we start and handle the paperwork when one is needed.
Most of the settling we see comes from the red clay under the Birmingham area, which swells after heavy rain and shrinks in drought, leaving gaps that let sections of a foundation drop. We're based in Pelham and do this work across the Birmingham area, including Helena and Alabaster, so if your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Got a door sticking or a crack that keeps growing?
(205) 651-8545Foundation raising questions we hear
How much does foundation raising cost in Pelham?
Underpinning across the US usually costs about $1,300 to $3,000 per pier, so your total depends mostly on how many piers your footing needs and whether they're push or helical. That's a national figure for the market, not our price. I count the piers on site and put them in your written quote, which is free.
How long does foundation raising take, and can we stay in the house?
Shimming a pier and beam house usually takes 1 to 3 days, and lifting a slab on piers runs about 3 to 7 days, depending on how many piers go in. Most owners can stay home the whole time, though slab work is noisy and means digging around the outside edge of the house. Where a pier has to go through a patio or walk, we open it up with concrete cutting instead of breaking it out.
Do I need a permit for foundation raising in Pelham, AL?
We find out before any digging starts by checking with the city, and we handle the paperwork when a permit is needed. If flooding is what damaged your house, the city's flood rules require a building permit before any repair work begins.
Should I hire a structural engineer before foundation repair?
For a serious problem, yes, and at least one Alabama cost guide advises getting an independent structural engineer before you accept a contractor's repair plan. The engineer works for you, not the repair company, which helps keep you from paying for more repair than you need or less than will hold. If what I see looks serious, I'll suggest one before you accept anyone's plan, ours included.
What causes a house to need leveling again after foundation repair?
A house leveled properly on stable soil shouldn't need it again, so a second round usually means the cause was never fixed. That can be drainage still soaking the soil, a footing that's too small, or settling that needed piers and got shims instead. Those are the things I look at before recommending anything.
Will raising my foundation fix the cracks in my walls?
Raising stops wall cracks from getting worse, and the lift can partly close some of them. Drywall, trim and paint repairs are usually priced separately and most contractors leave them out, so our written quote says plainly whether they're part of the job. If the settling cracked your drive too, ask me about concrete driveway building.
Get a foundation estimate from Pelham Concrete
Send crack photos and any engineer's report to office@pelhamconcrete.com or call (205) 651-8545, so I walk in already knowing what you've seen.