4 Steps to Push Pier Installation

Throughout your years of homeownership, you’ll likely have to deal with a settling foundation. Symptoms like cracked foundation walls and sticking windows and doors are signs that your home could benefit from professional push pier installation.

At Indiana Foundation Service, push piers are one type of solution we may recommend to permanently stabilize a sinking or settling foundation.

This is not an installation you can take on yourself but rather a job for experienced pros like our team. Learn how we ensure your home’s stability and longevity in four essential push pier installation steps.

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What Are Push Piers?

Push piers, also known as resistance piers, are a robust foundation repair solution designed to stabilize and potentially lift sinking foundations. These heavy-duty steel piers are “pushed” or driven deep into the soil until they reach stable, load-bearing strata or bedrock below the less stable surface layers.

Push piers are particularly effective for correcting foundation settlement issues. They not only prevent further sinking but can also, in many cases, lift the foundation back to its original level. This helps to close cracks in walls and other structural issues caused by the foundation settlement, restoring property value and integrity.

Indiana Foundation Service employs push piers for their strength, durability, and minimal disturbance they cause to the property, making them a preferred choice for foundational repairs.

4 Steps of Installing Our Push Pier System

At Indiana Foundation Service, we understand no two foundations are alike. That’s why we provide free inspections and quotes for all foundation repairs. After a thorough evaluation, we’ll customize a system that is ideal for your foundation and soil conditions.

Here’s a high-level look at how we install push piers in four simple steps:

1. Excavation and Preparing The Foundation Footing

For an outside installation, the soil around your foundation is excavated so the footing is exposed. For an inside installation, a section of your slab floor is removed to expose the footing. The slab is restored after the installation.

A section of the footing will be prepared for each foundation pier so the pier is supporting the wall directly, and not simply lifting the section of the footing that extends beyond the walls. This makes for the strongest installation.

2. Securing The Foundation Bracket

A steel bracket is secured to the foundation footing at each pier location.

With push piers, the foundation bracket is installed before the piers are driven into the earth. This allows the push pier to take advantage of your home structure, stabilizing the pier as it advances deep below your foundation to competent soils.

Each of our pier systems includes a comprehensive warranty against manufacturer’s defects, as well as our in-house performance warranty.

3. Advancing the Steel Piers

The hollow steel piers are installed in sections, or extensions, that are connected to each other. One at a time, each extension is driven down through the bracket until strong supporting soils or bedrock are reached.

These steel piers are the strongest component of our foundation pier system and are responsible for transferring the weight of your structure to competent load-bearing soil. Our foundation piers are available with a galvanized steel design. These piers are corrosion-resistant for long-lasting durability.

4. Stabilizing And Restoring The Foundation

Once all foundation piers have been installed, the settlement of your foundation is permanently halted.

Then, our installation team determines if the foundation should remain at its stabilized location or be lifted back to its original position. Following this final stabilization, slabs are repaired and soil is replaced to totally hide the repair.

Why Our Push Piers Are The Best

The push pier system is engineered to handle the heaviest structural loads. As the weight bears down on the foundation bracket, the bracket exerts great pressure on the pier directly beneath the bracket.

This is the most critical point of stress on a foundation push pier system, where extra strength in the pier helps the most. Our push pier system includes a steel sleeve that extends from the bottom of the bracket, reinforcing the pier at this critical point.

The external sleeve strengthens piers during installation as well, which prevents the kinking, buckling, and rotating that is commonly seen during the installation of other push pier systems.

Push piers are installed adjacent to a foundation footing and not directly underneath. The weight instead bears directly down on the bracket and the pressure is transferred down to the pier itself. Engineers refer to this effect as eccentricity. Because of this eccentricity, all pier systems see the greatest level of bending stress directly below the bottom of the foundation bracket.

Advantages Of Our System

Year-round installation
Warranty-backed solution
Can be installed inside or outside the home
Reach greater depth than other methods
Stabilizes home for lifetime of the structure

Can potentially lift the foundation
Installation is not visible after completion
Designed with corrosion-resistant galvanized steel
A rugged foundation bracket design
Innovative steel sleeve design avoids warping

Trust Our Certified Push Pier Installers In Indiana!

Indiana Foundation Service inspector meeting with homeowners

Foundation settlement doesn’t have to be a challenging issue to shoulder on your own. Our experienced team at Indiana Foundation Service can help you permanently repair and protect your home with reliable professional push pier systems. We’ve been doing it for more than 30 years.

Contact us today to schedule a free inspection and repair estimate. You can trust us for unmatched customer care, fair pricing, and customized solutions that will put your home back on solid ground.