Pier-and-Beam vs. Slab Foundations in East Texas

The question isn't which one is better. It's how this one has been treated.

East Texas has both, often on the same street. Older homes are frequently pier-and-beam. Most newer homes are slab-on-grade. Buyers tend to have strong opinions about one or the other, usually based on something a relative said. Here's how I actually think about them.

The thing they have in common: our soil

Much of East Texas sits on clay that swells when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry. That movement is the main reason foundations here shift, crack and settle, whatever type they are. Drainage and consistent moisture around the house matter more than almost anything else.

Pier-and-beam

The house sits on beams supported by piers, with a crawl space underneath.

• Pros: I (and a plumber or a foundation contractor) can get underneath to see the structure, plumbing and wiring. Leveling is often adjustable. Plumbing repairs don't mean cutting concrete.
• What to watch: moisture in the crawl space, wood rot, termites, sagging floors, shims that have shifted, and poor ventilation.
• What I check: I go into the crawl space when it's accessible and safe, and look at the piers, beams, joists, moisture and anything that's been added or repaired.

Slab-on-grade

The house sits on a concrete slab poured on the ground. Many newer East Texas homes use post-tension slabs, with steel cables tightened inside the concrete.

• Pros: no crawl space to manage, fewer places for critters and moisture, and generally solid performance when drainage is good.
• What to watch: plumbing runs under the slab, so leaks there are harder to find and fix. Movement shows up as cracks in brick, drywall, doors that stick, and sloping floors.
• What I check: the visible edges of the slab, the brick and siding, interior cracks, door and window operation, and the grading and drainage around the house.

What my report tells you, and what it doesn't

Texas inspectors give an opinion on how the foundation is performing, based on what we can see. I'm not a structural engineer, and I don't take measurements with engineering equipment. If what I see suggests more than normal settling, I'll say so plainly and recommend a structural engineer during your option period.

Either way, the owner's job is the same

• Keep water moving away from the house: working gutters, downspouts that drain away, and ground that slopes away.
• Keep soil moisture even. Soaker hoses in a drought help more than people think.
• Don't let sprinklers spray the foundation.

More on this in the foundation section of the Education Center.