Post and Pier Repair That Starts With a Load Test, Not a Sales Pitch

Epp Foundation Repair sees three failure patterns account for almost every post-and-pier callback across the four-state region: 1970s and 1980s helical pier installs that predate code-required torque verification and are now load-shedding at the sleeve junction, creosote-treated wooden posts in 1950s and 1960s crawl spaces rotting where the post meets the sill plate, and undersized push piers driven by prior contractors that never reached load-bearing strata. None of these are the homeowner's fault. They're the legacy of how foundation work used to be done before code caught up. A pier is supposed to transfer building load past unstable surface soil down to firm bearing 15 to 30 feet below grade. When a pier fails, the load it was carrying redistributes. Usually to the next pier in line, which then fails too. That's why Epp's crews almost never replace a single pier. The crew finds three or four in sequence working harder than the manufacturer rated them for.

Pre-code helical piers from the 1970s and 1980s

Before torque verification became standard practice in the late 1980s, helical piers were installed across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri to depth, not to load. Epp's crews regularly inspect 40-year-old installs in Lincoln, Omaha basements where the pier reached design depth but the soil at that depth wasn't actually load-bearing. The pier sleeve shows rust corrosion at the lead-section coupling, and a load test reveals the pier is carrying maybe 60% of its rated capacity. The fix is rarely full replacement. Epp usually supplements with one additional pier on each side and re-distributes load.

Rotted wooden posts in old crawl spaces

Most rural NE, IA, and northern MO farmhouses from the 1940s through 1960s used creosote-treated wooden posts sitting on shallow concrete pads. Epp finds these rotted out within 6 to 18 inches of the sill contact. Moisture wicks up, the treatment fails after 40 to 60 years, and the post crushes under load. Floors sag, doors stick. Replacement is straightforward: helical pier driven through the crawl-space opening, post removed, load transferred to the new bracket.

Undersized push piers from prior contractors

Epp documents the original install depth from any paperwork the homeowner has, drives a verification pier to true refusal nearby, and shows the homeowner the depth difference before quoting supplemental work. Some "failing" push-pier jobs Epp inspects are actually still doing their job. The settlement the homeowner noticed has another cause entirely, often a new plumbing leak or a downspout washout. Epp tells those homeowners that, even when it means walking away from a large contract. That's the BBB Integrity Award standard Epp has held since 2011 and again in 2016.

Epp Foundation Repair runs a four-step diagnostic on every post-and-pier inspection. The inspector pulls any original install paperwork the homeowner has, runs a manometer floor-level survey to the nearest 0.1 inch over the affected area, exposes the top of each existing pier or post to inspect the bracket, sleeve, and load contact, and performs a torque or pressure load test on each accessible pier. The result is a Customized Repair Estimate listing every pier's current load capacity, the recommended action. Leave alone, supplement, or replace, and the reasoning behind each call. The inspection and load test are performed at no cost.

Supplemental helical piers. Most common. Epp drives one additional helical pier on each side of an underperforming pier to share the load, leaving the original in place. Costs less than full replacement and preserves the working portion of the original install. Full pier replacement. Used when the original pier is fully corroded, the bracket has failed, or the load test shows under 30% of rated capacity. Site access is harder than a new install because Epp's crew has to work around finished space, which makes it more expensive than a new install. Helical conversion of wood posts. In crawl spaces with rotted wooden posts, Epp installs a helical pier through a 12-inch crawl-space opening, transfers the load to a steel bracket, and removes the rotted post. The new pier is rated for 50-plus years in undisturbed soil. Pier encasement. For corroded but still-loaded steel piers where replacement would require demolishing finished basement space, Epp encases the existing pier in steel sleeve plus epoxy grout. Buys the pier another 20 to 30 years and avoids interior demolition.

Epp Foundation Repair will not remove a working pier installation just to sell a new one. Some "failing" pier systems Epp inspects are still doing their job. The homeowner's settlement traces to a different foundation repair cause. Epp also does not remediate wood rot beyond the post itself (that's a carpentry scope, not a foundation scope), does not perform plumbing leak detection on suspect crawl-space sites, and will not warranty a supplemental pier installation where the original pier's load capacity is unknown because no test was possible.

Customized Repair Estimate after on-site inspection reflects your scope.

Epp Foundation Repair inspects piers with load testing across Lincoln, Omaha, Grand Island, Norfolk NE; and St. Joseph MO. Call the closest office to schedule. A full pier diagnostic typically takes 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on access and pier count.