What Are Helical Piers?

Helical piers are foundation underpinnings that look like large screws. They are installed beneath the frost line in the soil under a home to support the foundation of a property where the soil is not strong enough to do so. They perform a number of roles, including: 

• Weight Transference 

The main role of helical piers is to bear and spread the weight of a property when the soil it rests on is not competent to hold it safely. This can be needed for a number of reasons, including poor drainage surrounding your property, poorly compacted backfill soil, or even fundamentally incompetent soil underneath your whole foundation. This has a lot to do with the type of soil you have under your home and whether or not your property was designed to compensate for this. 

If the property was not designed with mechanisms to mitigate insecure or weak soil under your home, it can shift, causing the property to sink or slip. Helical piers circumvent this issue by bearing the weight of a property and transferring it to load-bearing strata or soil deep beneath the frost-line. This essentially removes the issue by bypassing the unsuitable soil entirely. 

• Support and Stabilization 

Helical piers provide support to areas of your property’s foundation that are otherwise vulnerable or under too much pressure. They do this by transferring the weight of your property and stabilizing your foundation. By providing support, they ease the pressure on your property as a whole and limit the damage that a shifting, sinking, or uneven structure can do. 

If you have already noticed some signs of damage—for example, spreading cracks, dampness, or uneven flooring—helical piers may do something to address the cosmetic signs of damage, but they are primarily designed to address the underlying causes of the damage. Once you have helical piers installed, you will be able to address the cosmetic issues with ease.