Number of piers
Most of a slab bill is driven by how many supports go in and how deep they need to reach below East Texas clay.
01Common repair methods
Pressed piers are the most common approach in East Texas. Short cylinders of precast concrete (or steel pipe sections) are hydraulically pushed into the ground beneath the grade beam until they reach resistance, then the slab is lifted and shimmed onto them. Steel piers are driven the same way but can usually go deeper, which matters where the clay layer is thick.
Drilled piers, sometimes called bell-bottom or drilled-and-poured piers, are holes augered to a set depth and filled with reinforced concrete. They take longer and cost more per pier, but some engineers prefer them for heavy two-story homes or when soil tests show deep active clay.
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A good crew will explain why it picked one method over another for your house.
02Signs your slab has moved
Look for diagonal cracks running from the corners of doors and windows, stair-step cracks in brick veneer, tile that cracks in a line across a room, and exterior gaps where brick pulls away from window frames. Outside, check whether the visible edge of the slab has a crack that has offset, with one side higher than the other.
Interior plumbing is worth checking too. A slab that has shifted can stress drain lines poured inside it. Many repair companies recommend a hydrostatic plumbing test before or after lifting, especially on houses older than about 30 years.
03Questions to ask before you sign
How many piers, where, and to what depth or resistance? Is there an engineer's report, and who pays for it? Will they provide a before-and-after elevation survey? What does the written warranty cover, is it transferable if you sell, and what does it exclude? Clear answers to these make estimates comparable.
Also ask how they handle landscaping, patios and interior access points. If piers are needed under the interior of the slab, some crews tunnel beneath it rather than breaking through floors. For homes with a raised floor rather than a slab, see pier and beam repair in Tyler instead.