Helical Piers – Quick, Strong Foundation Support

If your house is settling or the soil is soft, you need a fix that’s fast and dependable. That’s where helical piers come in. Think of them as giant screws that twist into the ground, reaching stable soil layers. They give your foundation a solid grip without the mess of concrete piles.

How Helical Piers Work

Each pier is a steel shaft with one or more helical plates (the “flights”) welded on. When a crew drives the pier with a hydraulic torque motor, the plates pull the shaft down into the earth. Once the shaft hits firm ground, the pier stops moving and transfers the building’s weight to that stable layer. The whole process usually takes a day or two per pier, and you can see the load rating on a simple dial.

Because the piers are screwed in, there’s no need for large excavations or pouring concrete footings. That means less disruption to your garden, driveway, or interior walls. The steel is coated to resist corrosion, so a correctly installed pier can last 50 years or more.

When to Choose Helical Piers

Helical piers are a go‑to solution when you have any of these issues:

• Uneven settling or cracks in walls and floors.
• Loose, expansive, or sandy soils that won’t hold a traditional footing.
• Limited access to the site – the equipment can work in tight spaces.
• A need for fast installation – most projects finish within a week.

If you’re building a new home on a sloping lot or adding a heavy deck, helix piers give you a reliable base without waiting for concrete cure times.

Cost‑wise, helical piers sit between simple concrete footings and deep drilled shafts. You pay for the steel and the torque‑motor crew, but you save on excavation, formwork, and long cure periods. Many contractors offer a per‑pier price, so you can budget accurately.

When you hire a professional, ask for a soil report. The report tells the installer how deep the stable layer is, which determines pier length and the number needed. A good installer will also do a load test after installation – a simple pull‑out test that confirms the pier can handle the design loads.

Maintenance is simple. Because the piers sit below ground, you won’t see any movement once they’re set. If you ever notice new cracks, it’s a sign to have a structural engineer check the load distribution, not a sign that the piers failed.

In summary, helical piers give you a quick, low‑impact way to reinforce foundations, especially on tricky soils. They’re fast to install, last for decades, and keep your home level and safe.

Ready to firm up your foundation? Start by talking to a certified foundation contractor, ask for references, and get a written load‑capacity report. With the right piers in place, you’ll have peace of mind that your home stands on solid ground.