Concrete slab homes are the norm in most Shreveport subdivisions built over the last several decades, and in nearly all new construction around Bossier City and Haughton. A slab doesn’t flex, so when the soil underneath shrinks away from one side, the whole section tips with it.
What usually goes wrong
The perimeter of the slab is where the soil dries out first in a hot, dry stretch and gets soaked first when gutters overflow. That’s why slab problems tend to show up near exterior corners: a stair-step crack in the brick outside, a gap where the baseboard meets the floor, a sticking back door. Large trees close to the house make it worse by pulling moisture out of the soil around them.
Less often, the middle of the slab heaves up instead. That can come from water collecting under the house, sometimes from a leaking pipe. Lifting the edges won’t fix a heave, which is one reason a proper inspection matters.
Pier options
| Pier type | How it goes in | Worth asking |
|---|---|---|
| Pressed concrete | Short concrete cylinders stacked and pressed down with a hydraulic jack | How deep do they typically reach here? |
| Steel push piers | Steel tube sections driven down using the house’s weight | Are they coated against rust? |
| Helical piers | Steel shafts with screw plates turned into the ground | Is the house light enough for them? |
| Drilled concrete piers | Holes drilled and filled with reinforced concrete | How long before the slab can be lifted? |
The work, start to finish
The crew digs small access holes along the foundation where the plan calls for piers. Piers go in until they hit resistance, the slab gets lifted with jacks in stages while someone watches elevation readings, and then the house is set on the piers with shims or caps. The holes get backfilled. Most companies take a final set of elevation readings and give you a diagram showing where each pier went. Keep that paper. A future buyer will want it.
If the inspection turned up a drainage problem, plan to fix it after the lift. See drainage correction. For cracks that remain, the crack repair page covers sealing options.