THE DOUGLAS SMART PIER SYSTEM®

Superior Concrete Foundation Piers for the Austin Community

At Douglas Foundation Solutions, we believe in providing the best quality foundation repair at a reasonable price. We have developed the exclusive Douglas Smart Pier System® to correct some of the serious flaws inherent in traditional concrete pressed pier repair options

The Problem with Traditional Concrete Piers

To understand the benefits of our concrete Smart Pier System®, we first need to understand the weaknesses of the traditional concrete pier system.

Most concrete pier systems drive a single concrete pier into the ground, topped by a jacking block. This jacking block bears the weight of the house above it, and is topped in turn by two concrete top cap cylinders. The problem arises because the two cap cylinders at the top of the pier are not concentrically aligned with the concrete pier below, introducing a significant point of stress within the jacking block. This can cause the block to crack or tilt, allowing the foundation to slip off the pier.

 

Traditional concrete piers have a fatal flaw because they depend upon the strength of the jacking block. The jacking block is actually the weakest part of the system, only able to absorb 3,500 pounds per spare inch, whereas the concrete piles that make up the pier below have approximately 8,000 pounds per square inch of strength.

Douglas Foundation Solutions has created a smarter solution with our Smart Pier System®.

A Smarter, Better Concrete Pier Foundation System

• Our exclusive concrete pressed pile pier innovation eliminates the jacking block, significantly increasing pier strength while providing improved, concentric support over the pressed pier below.
• Our innovative Smart Pier System® improves an ordinary press pile and makes it into an extra-ordinary press pile system, often at little or no cost compared to ordinary piers.
• Pier can land on shallow bedrock or provide excellent foundation support in clay soil.
• Best value for home owners, commercial buildings & multi-family structures when bedrock is uncertain.
• One hole is dug with two piers installed per hole, meaning we dig less holes but place more piers around your foundation.
• Very low occurrence of warranty adjustments in most cases.

The Douglas Difference

Instead of installing one pier per hole, we install two piers per hole, eliminating the need for a jacking block altogether and reducing the total number of holes that we need to dig.

Because each of our Smart Piers are directly aligned with the pier column, we significantly reduce the potential of pier cap tilt and slippage. This concentric alignment allows our piers to be shimmed very tightly to the foundation.

The result is a much stronger, more stable foundation repair that requires less disturbance to your landscape to install.