Has your home's foundation been sinking or shifting? If so, you may want to call a foundation repair company — such as CXC Contracting. One solution that they are likely to recommend is having helical piers inserted into and beneath your foundation. These piers will help support your foundation, correct its current shifting, and also prevent the foundation from shifting or sinking more substantially in the future. Here are some questions homeowners often have about having helical piers installed in their foundation. 

Where do the piers go?

The piers will typically be inserted through your foundation and deep into the ground. Your installer will essentially create a hole in the floor of your basement or crawlspace and then push a helical pier down through that hole. The pier will be a few feet tall – tall enough to reach the stronger, more stable rock that's deep below the ground. The hole used to insert the pier will be refilled with concrete, restoring your basement floor to its original state.

How many helical piers will you need?

The answer to this question depends on the extent to which your foundation is sinking. Some homes only need one helical pier added for support in one corner of the foundation. Other homes may need several helical piers inserted along one side of the home or across the middle of the foundation. The cost of this service will depend on how many piers you need. A foundation repair company should be able to tell you how many piers you need and where they should be placed pretty soon after examining your home.

Will installing helical piers help correct problems like shifted door frames?

If your door frames have shifted or your window frames are crooked due to a shifting foundation, having helical piers installed should help correct this. The piers will lift the foundation back toward its original position, which can help shift the rest of your home back to its original position. If your doors and windows do not improve after the piers are installed, let the foundation contractor know ASAP. They may need to extend or adjust your piers, or they may need to add some additional ones.

With these questions answered, you should know more about having your foundation repaired with helical piers. This is a tried and true solution for shifting foundations, so you can expect to get good, reliable results from the work.