How a raised floor is held up
A pier-and-beam house does not touch the ground. Its floor is framed in wood — joists resting on beams, beams resting on piers — and the space underneath is the crawl space. Around the edge, the framing usually sits on a sill along the perimeter.
Published descriptions of raised foundations note that the perimeter is typically a stem wall of concrete or concrete block, with interior piers carrying the middle of the house. Because those parts are separate and reachable from the crawl space, they can be looked at — and dealt with — one at a time.
Three things that go wrong underneath
Piers that settle unevenly
When the soil under some piers gives more than under others, the floor follows. Published accounts of pier-and-beam problems tie uneven pier settlement to sagging floors, cracks in the walls, and doors and windows that stick.
Wood that rots
Beams, joists, and sills are wood, and wood under a house that stays damp will soften. The moisture can come from drainage that sends water under the house, from humid air trapped in the crawl space, or from a plumbing leak. Rot weakens the framing from the inside, so a floor can feel spongy before anything shows on the walls.
Framing that shifts
Beams and joists can also move out of line with the piers that carry them. The result is a floor that bounces or creaks when you walk across it, or rises and dips across a room.
How the repair is done from below
Because the framing is exposed, a raised house is repaired piece by piece. The published approach is to replace rotted beams and joists with treated lumber, realign and fasten beams that have shifted, and add piers where the existing support is too weak or too far apart. Once the supports are sound, the floor is brought back up and shimmed tight.
That last step — the leveling — is what most people notice, and it has its own page: house leveling in Shreveport. If new piers are part of the plan, foundation piering explains how a pier plan should be written.
The crawl space is half the job
The LSU AgCenter warns that moisture moving up from the ground can lead to decay and mold in the floor system, and notes that covering the crawl-space ground with plastic sheeting helps block that moisture. Repair guidance for raised houses adds drainage — including French drains — and ventilation to keep the space dry.
If the water is not dealt with, new lumber goes into the same damp conditions that ruined the old. A French drain is often part of that conversation; published Shreveport cost guides put a 60-foot run at about $1,440 to $2,220. More on that in drainage and crawl space work.
What to ask the specialist to show you
- Photos from the crawl space of each problem area, not just a description.
- Which piers are being reset, which are new, and where each one goes on a sketch.
- Which beams, joists, or sills are being replaced, and with what.
- What is being done about moisture, and whether it is included or separate.
- What the floor will be measured against when the job is finished.
The quote, line by line
- 1Evaluation findingsWhat was measured and found — elevation readings, crack locations, construction type, likely cause.
- 2Drainage / moisture correctionGutters, grading, downspouts, or crawlspace moisture work that addresses why the soil is moving.
- 3Structural repairPiers, shims, or sill and beam replacement — with counts, locations, and depths stated.
- 4Finish / cosmeticDrywall, brick, trim, and door adjustments after the house moves — priced on its own line.
On a raised house, the structural line should separate pier work from wood replacement. They are different kinds of work with different materials, and lumping them together hides both.
Published ranges for raised houses
| Job | Published range | Scope | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | $24–$37per linear foot | Shreveport | Length, depth, and where the water is sent. |
| Pier-and-beam repair | $1,500–$15,000per job | National | Rotted sills or beams, pier condition, crawl-space access. |
| Pier-and-beam leveling | $1,500–$10,000per job | National | Method, number of support points, and how far out of level. |
Rows marked “Shreveport” come from published Shreveport cost guides. Rows marked “National” come from published national cost guides, not Shreveport figures. These are published ranges, not quotes and not our prices — we do not price or perform work. A real number comes only from a specialist evaluating the house.
Permits. Ask your specialist who pulls the permit.
Pier and beam questions
What does pier and beam foundation repair cost?
Published national ranges put pier-and-beam repair at $1,500 to $15,000 and leveling alone at $1,500 to $10,000. These are national figures, not Shreveport prices; the scope found in the crawl space sets the real number.
Is shimming a real repair?
Shims are a normal part of leveling a raised house — they take up the small gaps once the supports underneath are sound. They are not a repair on their own if the pier beneath them is still sinking or the beam above them is rotted. Ask what is being done about the support, not just the gap.
Should the crawl space moisture be fixed at the same time?
Usually it should at least be addressed on the same quote. Wet soil and damp air under the house are what rot sills and joists and soften the ground under piers, so leveling without dealing with the water tends to need doing again.
Can a raised house be repaired without going into the crawl space?
Rarely. Nearly all of the work — and all of the evaluation — happens under the floor. If the crawl space is tight or blocked, mention it when you call, because access affects both the method and the price.