Mongoose1988

hello i have a pier and beam home that has become swaybacked . Paartly because of the armadillos digging under blocks etc and due to the drought i guess . i cannot afford a pro but need to have some sense of levity ! i was thinking on pouring long concrete beams and using that for my footings ?? to increase the " footprint " so as not to sink as easy buuuut calichee mud clay gumbo etc.. in texas, so would this work and what would my approach need to be ? also how many and what size jacks would i need ? im really not llokin forward to this project but once started it will be, pardon me but (balls out) . any and all help is greatly appreciated as im a thinker who as wife puts it "over analyzes things" the house is approx 1000sq' simple rectangle design . also are there plumbing concerns associated with job ?

nealtw

Have you gone forward with this, if not how about some pictures. As a rule the bigger the footing the better.

Mongoose1988

no i have not proceeded with anything as of now have learned that blocks at 6' centers are recomended

Mongoose1988

also i have no pics right not but is very visible from the outside and in the kitchen you can see the angle of the counter tops

nealtw

Never seen an armadillo but can't believe houses are built on soil they would digg in. Is your style of house normal to the area, sitting on piers.

oldognewtrick

Don't worry, they'll be there sooner or later. They finally made it to middle TN.

BridgeMan

Mongoose, just trying to be objective here, but also trying to save you some work. Why not just jack the sagging beams back into position, pouring a few properly-located concrete footings (at the 1/3-points) from which to do the lifting? You can rent heavy-duty jacks, or even buy a few off of Craigslist.

Or if you can afford it, the quick-and-easy way would be to hire an outfit that installs helical piers, using them to lift and hold the beams in their correct position.