Pier and Beam Foundation Repair in Round Rock, TX
Bouncy floors, a dip in the hallway, doors that drift out of square: in an older pier-and-beam home, those usually mean tired supports underneath. We work from the crawl space to reshim, add or replace piers, and repair sills and joists, so the floor feels solid again.
- Free on-site foundation evaluations
- City permit and engineer paperwork handled
- Slab, pier & beam and drainage repair
- Free on-site evaluations
- City permit & engineer paperwork handled
- Pressed concrete & steel piers
- Cleanup & haul-away
How Pier-and-Beam Homes Move
A pier-and-beam house sits on rows of short piers with wood beams across them and floor joists on top. There's a crawl space under it, which makes these homes easier to repair than a slab, but it also creates their typical problems:
- Crushed or rotted shims. Older homes were often leveled with wood shims that compress, split or rot over decades.
- Piers that sink or tip. Short piers resting in clay move as the soil swells and shrinks, and some were never very deep to begin with.
- Wet crawl spaces. When gutters or grading send water under the house, sills and joists soften and the soil under the piers gets wetter than the rest.
- Too few supports. Additions and remodels sometimes put new loads on beams that were never designed for them.
You'll find many of these homes around Old Town Round Rock, where the city's oldest neighborhoods sit.
Pier and Beam Repair Options
Most pier-and-beam repairs combine a few of these.
How Much Does Pier and Beam Repair Cost in Round Rock?
Crawl-space access usually keeps pier-and-beam repairs below the cost of a large slab job.
Published ranges from national cost guides and a Texas engineering firm. Your free on-site evaluation gives you a written price for your home. See the foundation repair cost guide.
Choosing the Right Pier-and-Beam Fix
Reshim or replace the pier?
If the pier is sound and simply sits a little low, steel shims bring the beam back up. If the pier has tipped, cracked or keeps sinking, shimming is a short-term patch, and the pier itself should be replaced or a new one added beside it.
Framing first
A floor can't be level if the wood under it is soft. We probe sills, beams and joists before leveling and replace or sister anything that has rotted. Leveling over rotten framing only moves the problem.
Don't forget the void
The Texas ASCE guidelines list restoring the crawl-space void among pier-and-beam repairs. Soil that has washed or settled up against the framing holds moisture against the wood and needs to be cleared.
How far to level
Old houses have settled for decades, and plaster, trim and doors have settled with them. We level in stages and stop where the house tells us to, rather than forcing it flat and cracking finishes.
Not sure your home is pier and beam? If there's a crawl-space door or vents along the base of the walls, it almost certainly is. We'll confirm at the free evaluation.
Our Pier and Beam Repair Process
Most jobs take a day or two once materials and any required permit are in hand.
Crawl-space inspection
We go under the house, check every pier, shim, beam and joist, and take floor readings above.
Written plan and quote
You get a quote that lists supports, shims and framing repairs, plus engineering and permit where required.
Framing repairs
Rotted sills and joists are sistered or replaced before any leveling starts.
Supports and shimming
New piers go in where needed, and steel shims replace crushed wood ones.
Level and walk-through
We level in stages, check doors and windows with you, and leave the crawl space clean.
Keeping the Crawl Space Dry
Water under a pier-and-beam house does double damage: it rots wood and makes the clay under the piers swell. The fixes are usually simple:
- Gutters and downspout extensions so roof water lands well away from the house.
- Regrading so the yard falls away from the skirting instead of toward it.
- Working vents so humid air can move through the crawl space.
- A French drain where a neighbor's yard or a slope sends water toward the house.
We check all of this at the evaluation, because a pier repair under a wet crawl space won't hold for long.
Respecting an Older Home
Many pier-and-beam houses near Old Town have original wood floors, plaster and trim that don't like to be moved quickly. We take it slow:
- Small lifts, checked often. We raise a section, then look at doors, windows and plaster before going further.
- Original materials kept. We work from below, so floors stay in place.
- Historic overlay help. Homes in Round Rock's historic overlay need a Certificate of Appropriateness before permitted alterations, and we help with the paperwork when it applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my house is pier and beam?
Look for a crawl-space access door or vents near the base of the exterior walls. Floors that sound hollow or feel bouncy are another hint. We'll confirm at the evaluation.
Why are my floors bouncy or sagging?
Usually crushed or missing shims, a sinking pier, or soft framing from moisture. Sometimes beams are simply spanning too far between supports.
Is pier and beam repair cheaper than slab repair?
Often, because we can reach the problem from the crawl space without excavating along the house. Published ranges for shim leveling run about $1,000–$3,500, while bigger support and framing repairs can reach $15,000 or more.
Do you replace wood shims with steel?
Yes. Steel shims don't crush or rot, so the floor stays where we set it.
Do I need a permit for pier and beam repair in Round Rock?
Round Rock's foundation repair permit calls for an engineer's sealed plan and final report. We confirm what your scope needs and file it. See the permit guide.
Can you fix a sagging floor in just one room?
Yes. Many pier-and-beam repairs are local, such as one sagging beam or a group of tired piers under a bathroom or kitchen.
Will leveling crack my plaster?
Any movement can open old cracks, which is why we lift in small stages and check finishes as we go.
Pier & Beam Repair Across Round Rock
Get Your Free Pier and Beam Evaluation
Call now or request your free on-site foundation evaluation. No cost, no obligation.
- Free on-site evaluations
- City permit & engineer paperwork handled
- Pressed concrete & steel piers
- Cleanup & haul-away