Foundation piers for settling houses
When part of a foundation is sinking, piers carry that part of the house down past the soft soil to ground that can hold it.
Foundation piering supports a settling footing on steel piers driven or screwed down to firmer soil, then, where it's safe, lifts the house back toward its original level. It's for Cheyenne-area homeowners with a corner, wall or addition that has dropped. We connect you with a foundation contractor who confirms the house is actually settling before recommending piers.
How do I know part of the house is settling?
- Stair-step cracks in brick or block that are wider at the top
- A crack between an addition, porch or garage and the main house that keeps opening
- Floors that slope toward one outside wall
- Doors and windows near one corner that start to bind
- Vertical cracks in a poured basement wall that are wider at one end
Why do houses settle in Laramie County?
Most settlement comes down to what's under the footing. The U.S. Geological Survey's surficial geology map of the Cheyenne urban area shows artificial fill, stream and terrace alluvium and alluvial fan deposits in parts of town. Fill that wasn't compacted, loose creek deposits and soil softened by a leak or by years of roof water can all compress under a footing. Laramie County's open hole report, which a Wyoming design professional signs before a new footing is inspected, asks directly whether the footing sits on undisturbed native soil and calls for compaction and soils reports when it doesn't. Older houses were not held to that standard, and additions were often built on shallower footings than the main house.
Push piers or helical piers?
- Steel push piers are driven in sections using the weight of the house as resistance until they reach firm bearing. They work well under heavier walls and are the usual choice for lifting a settled two-story house.
- Helical piers have steel plates shaped like a screw that are turned into the ground to a target torque. They suit lighter structures such as porches, additions and garages, and they can be loaded right away.
Either way, ask what each pier was driven to (depth, and pressure or torque) and get a pier log when the job is done.
What affects the cost?
The number of piers and how deep they have to go are the biggest factors, followed by access (decks, concrete, landscaping, finished basements), whether the piers go outside or inside, whether the house will be lifted, and engineering and permit requirements. We don't quote prices; the contractor prices the work after measuring the house.
Is piering always the answer?
No. A house that's heaving up in the middle, or a wall that's being pushed in rather than sinking, won't be fixed by piers. Neither will movement caused by a drainage problem that's still happening. A good evaluation tells these apart before anyone drives steel.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
How deep do foundation piers go around Cheyenne?
It depends on where firm soil or bedrock is under that part of the house. Push piers are driven until they reach resistance and helical piers until they reach a target torque, so depth is recorded during installation rather than known in advance.
Can the house be lifted back to level?
Often some of the way. Contractors lift to a practical target and stop if lifting would crack finishes or stress the structure. Ask what the target is before work starts.
Do piers need a permit?
In Cheyenne, ask the city's Building Division; outside city limits, ask Laramie County Planning and Development. The contractor should know and pull any permit the job needs.
Related services
- Basement wall repair
- Heaving basement floors
- Foundation crack repair
- Foundation inspections and engineer reports
More background: Laramie County foundation repair guide.
Leaning basement wall, new cracks, or a floor that's lifting?
Call and a foundation contractor who works around Cheyenne will measure the house and explain what's going on.