My home has settling due to sitting on clay soils.
I've seen homes that get new foundations rebuilt sitting in one or two large steel beams and wondered, if those are themselves underpinned to bedrock, can a home safely sit on these indefinitely? Mostly I'm curious but also wonder if that would result in less underpinning and a more even floor throughout the home.
Best Answer
Yes, the house could sit on beams if attached to the beams properly. I live in a high seismic area and we build homes 6-10 feet above ground due to flooding from possible seismic activity. The homes are set on beams which are set on posts (piles or caissons). Yours wouldn't need to be that high of course, so contact a STRUCTURAL engineer not a CIVIL engineer to see if it's possible in your area.
Also, there are other types of repairs like "ram jacks" that you could google and locate a company to give you a quote. I think the cost is about $150 to $300 per pier, depending on size, depth required, etc.