Butler Foundation of Richardson & Plano Inc. Piers | Garland Foundation Repair and Leveling

The reason we use reinforced concrete drilled shaft piers in expansive soils is:

Drilled shaft piers are recommended by independent Professional Engineers to be used in new construction.

Piles are never recommended by independent Professional Engineers to be used in new construction in expansive soils in this area. If piles aren’t recommended for new construction, why would You want to use them to repair your home?

Monolithic Piers

Our MONOLITHIC pier is approximately 16 to 18 inches in diameter at the bottom of the pier and increases approximately to 24 to 30 inches at the top. Nine feet (9') below the bottom of the beam typically places the pier below the soil's active zone.

An expansive soil’s active zone extends from the surface to the depth at which the natural seasonal drying and wetting of soil no longer changes. Since seasonal changes in the moisture level affect the strength and stability of an expansive soil, it is important that the base of a drilled shaft pier is well below the active zone.