How many supports, and why there?
Ask to see the elevation readings that justify the placement. Supports along one wall because that wall is low is an answer; supports because that is the standard package is not.
Pressed Concrete vs. Steel Piers
Both push a support down under the foundation and use the weight of the house to do it. The difference is how deep they can go and what that is worth on your particular lot. Ask the provider which one the measurements point to and why.
- Referral Service
- Slab & Pier and Beam
- Residential & Commercial
The Short Answer
On most Fort Worth houses with straightforward perimeter settlement, pressed concrete pilings are the common choice and they do the job. Steel becomes the better answer when the structure is heavy, when the stable ground is deep, or when a previous set of supports has not held. Neither is automatically the right one, and a company that only ever offers a single method is not really comparing.
What matters more than the material is whether enough supports are placed, in the right places, at a depth that actually resists movement. That comes out of the elevation survey, not out of a brochure.
Compare the Two Methods
| What to compare | Pressed concrete pilings | Steel piers |
|---|---|---|
| How they go in | Precast concrete cylinders are pressed down in short segments using the weight of the house itself | Sections of steel pipe are pressed the same way, then joined as they go deeper |
| Depth they reach | Stop when the ground resists further driving, which on deep clay may still be within the moving layer | Can usually be driven further, which matters where firmer ground sits well below the surface |
| Where they tend to suit | Typical one-story and lighter two-story homes with moderate, well-defined settlement | Heavier structures, deep fill, or spots where a nearby pier has already failed to hold |
| Cost and scope | Generally the lower-cost option per support, so more of them can fit the same budget | Usually costs more per support because of the material and the extra depth |
| What the quote must state | Number, spacing, driving pressure reached and the written warranty terms | Pipe size, depth or resistance achieved, bracket detail and the written warranty terms |
When Pressed Concrete Usually Suits
A typical single-story slab home with settlement along one or two sides, a clear cause such as drainage running the wrong way, and no history of failed repairs is the classic case for pressed concrete. Because each support costs less, the money can go into placing more of them at proper spacing, which is often what actually holds a slab steady.
This is the usual recommendation on 1960s to 1990s slabs across the mid-cities and on many of the newer subdivisions south of town. See slab foundation repair for how the work is staged, and foundation piers for how supports are placed and spaced.
When Steel Piers Usually Suit
Steel earns its extra cost where depth is the problem. Heavy two-story brick and stone homes, lots with deep fill from when the subdivision was graded, and houses where concrete pilings were installed before and the corner has dropped again are all reasons to go deeper with pipe rather than repeat the same approach.
Steel also gets used on commercial buildings, where loads are higher and the tolerance for repeat movement is lower. On a pier-and-beam house the comparison is different again, because the support sits under a beam in a crawl space rather than under a slab edge.
Questions for the Inspection
How deep do you expect to go?
Ask what resistance or depth the crew will drive to and what happens if they do not reach it. That is the point where concrete and steel genuinely diverge.
What does the warranty actually cover?
Get the terms in writing: which supports are covered, for how long, whether it moves with the house if you sell, and what is excluded. Do not accept a verbal promise.
What about the water and the trees?
Lifting a house without correcting what moved it invites a repeat. Ask whether drainage or a root barrier should be part of the scope.
Should an engineer look at this first?
An independent structural engineer works for you, not for the repair company, and can write a scope you then get priced. Many buyers, sellers and owners of larger homes choose to start there.
What will the house look like afterwards?
Ask what will close up, what will not, and whether doors, brick mortar or interior cracks need separate cosmetic repair after the lift. No lift stops all future soil movement.
Arrange a foundation inspection in Fort Worth
Get the measurements first, then compare methods against what they show.