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Explaining Post and Pier foundation
Have you ever heard of post and pier and wondered what that was? I had a recent home inspection that gave me the opportunity to explain this to a client. For those of you unaware let me try to explain…
A post sits on a poured concrete footing
Most homes are sitting on a poured concrete foundation that outlines the perimeter of the house. Additional concrete pad are poured between if additional support is needed for the flooring. The flooring and wood framing is built on top of this mini-wall. You can see the blog post I wrote on poured concrete foundations.
A post and pier foundation is when a house sits on posts like stilts that rest on piers – usually concrete blocks or pads. Distinctive is their lack of a perimeter foundation mini-wall. This construction is similar to the water-front docks that rest on piers driven into the seabed. There is some post and pier in the Northwest and I usually find it in older homes, homes near water and areas of frequent water activity (flooding), and with manufactured, mobile homes.
What’s the advantage of post and pier? They are quick and inexpensive to construct. They handle water well, allow for good air circulation, keep the house elevated from the ground and pests, and are relatively simple to repair.So what’s the problem with post and pier? Potential issues can be the lack of seismic support for the home. It is essentially balancing on the posts. Also, if a post starts to deteriorate it can be dangerous because the house requires every post to be in good working condition to carry the load. Additionally, rodent activity is inevitable in post and pier crawlspaces as well.
