You’ve heard from other foundation repair companies that bell-bottom piers are *old school* or *antiquated*, and that newer methods are better. It’s confusing, and you’re wondering why any company would stick with something when many other contractors say it’s outdated.
Good question. Glad you asked, because there’s a whole story behind it.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we’ve been fixin’ Brazos Valley foundations since 1985. That’s 40+ years in the business. Our reputation in the community didn’t get to be what it is by providing repairs that are past their prime. We can tell you about how this all came about because we’ve had a front row seat to the action.
In this article, we’ll offer some historical insight into the foundation repair industry, the history of this company, and fill you in on why drilled bell-bottom piers continue to be our choice for your repairs.
Brief History of Foundation Repair Methods
Let’s get a little perspective on slab foundations and foundation repairs real quick. It was only in the 1950s and 60s that slab-on-grade foundations started being widely built. It sounds like a loooong time ago, but it wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things.
After a while of this foundation type being around in an expansive clay soil environment like we have in Texas, a problem developed with this new type of foundation. It was settlement. These shallow foundations were sinking and moving because the soil pushed them around, and ultimately, foundation settlement caused undesirable damage to home structures.
So a remedy was created to add better (deeper) support to slab foundation homes and other buildings that were already constructed. Enter *foundation repair* stage right. . . or you might also hear the term *foundation underpinning* in industry settings . . .
Back in the day, one slab foundation repair method rose up as the solution to this issue, and that was drilled bell-bottom piers. We can only assume there was a lot of trial and error to make this determination (didn’t have a front row seat for that part). This method was eventually accepted and backed by the government through the Housing and Urban Development (i.e. HUD) department. There were requirements and regulations that went with this government endorsement.
In the 80s, some legislation was introduced and adopted to “deregulate” this industry (and others, I believe). This freed up companies to innovate and evolve to meet the needs of this expanding (pun intended)market. So other methods of foundation repair began to be developed and introduced for public availability. This was also not that long ago – just 50 years of essentially experimenting with other methods.
A Crossroads for The Founder
Ken Tripp got his training and experience at a big, established foundation repair company in the Houston area (rhymes with Smolshan 😉). He learned this older method, which they were using at the time.
Then Ken started his own company in Houston (Atlas – still in existence today). Then, he sold it when he moved to the area to raise a family and started Anchor here in BCS. It was around this time that the deregulation of the industry was well in progress, and a newer method using concrete pressed pilings was being heavily adopted into the trade.
So here’s where the founder of our company found himself at a crossroads.
Many foundation repair companies were jumping to this newer method because it was faster and cheaper. But the real question was . . . was it really *better*. . .
Ken Tripp wanted to find out with some due diligence before possibly making the switch, so he consulted with some expert engineers. Where did he find them? Well, at Texas A&M University, of course. A&M is one of the top engineering schools in the country, so who better to ask than the reputable faculty readily available in the area?
The engineers were asked to evaluate the methodologies of drilled bell-bottom piers compared to concrete pressed pilings. Here’s where the Coody-Kruhl report was born.
Summary and Conclusions of the Coody-Kruhl Report
We have a copy of this report addressed to Anchor Foundation Repair directly. It’s hard to read because it’s in engineering-speak and rather academic. However, underneath all that *smarty sounding stuff* is the conclusion that drilled bell-bottom piers were the better choice for longevity and effectiveness.
You can totally read the original report right here – no need to hide it from you. But you might get bored and confused after the first paragraph . . . I’m not gonna lie, it’s a dry, dry read made by engineers for other engineers to admire.
SO, with the help of AI, we’ve translated it into *normal people speak* for easy understanding.
What the Engineers Were Asked to Do
In April 1991, two professional engineers reviewed the pressed pile system that was gaining popularity. They compared it to the drilled bell-bottom pier method.
Both engineers made it clear they had no money involved in either system. They were just looking at the facts.
The Big Problems with Pressed Piles
The engineers found several major issues with pressed concrete piles in Texas clay:
Problem #1: They Can’t Handle the Full Weight
Building codes say foundation supports must handle the house’s weight plus everything inside it. Furniture, people, all your stuff.
The pressed pile system was only designed to handle what was there at installation time. That’s usually way less than the code requires.
If you add more weight later (and you will), there’s no safety cushion. Your foundation could settle.
Problem #2: Texas Clay Changes All the Time
Our clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Pressed piles react differently depending on the soil moisture.
In wet clay: The pile depends on clay gripping its sides to hold it in place. But when clay dries out (hello, Texas summer), it shrinks away from the pile. The grip is gone and your foundation settles.
Then, when clay gets wet again, it swells and pushes the foundation up. This up-and-down cycle damages your home.
In dry clay: The pile sits on its tip, which sounds better. But pressed piles have straight sides and small tips. Not much surface area to hold weight.
When moisture changes happen underground, that support can disappear.
Problem #3: No One Knows What’s Happening Down There
Pressed pile sections aren’t connected together. There’s no way to know if they’re straight or deep enough.
If a section hits a rock or tree root, it can skew sideways. The installer might think it’s going deep, but the pile could be crooked or not where it needs to be.
Problem #4: The Top Doesn’t Hold During Uplift
The sections aren’t connected, and the concrete cap on top isn’t part of the pile structure. This means the system can’t stop uplift forces.
Uplift is when swelling clay pushes your foundation upward. It damages homes just as much as settling does.
Why Drilled Bell-Bottom Piers Work Better
Drilled piers solve all these problems.
The bell-shaped bottom creates a big “foot” deep in stable soil. Moisture doesn’t change much down there. This big base spreads out the weight and stays put no matter what the surface clay does.
The pier shaft and bell bottom work as one piece. It’s all poured at the same time and includes steel reinforcement, so everything is strong and connected.
The bell bottom acts like an anchor (Did you just figure out why the company name makes sense?). It stops the pier from lifting when clay swells. And it provides a much larger area to bear weight, so it helps to prevent settling.
Because the bell sits deep where moisture stays steady, these piers don’t get affected by our crazy Texas weather.
What the Engineers Concluded
The report said pressed piles have “several inherent disadvantages” compared to drilled bell-bottom piers.
Settlement can happen because pressed piles lose their grip when soil dries out. They can also settle when dry clay gets wet and loses strength.
The disconnected sections can’t resist uplift. More potential for foundation damage.
The drilled bell-bottom pier design has “definite advantages over the pressed pile system for eliminating long term settlement and uplift on expansive clay soils.”
In engineering-speak, that’s pretty much a mic drop.
Now Do You Get Why We Still Choose Drilled Bell-Bottom Piers?
So there you have it. The foundation repair industry has been experimenting with newer, faster methods for 40+ years now. And yes, some of those methods are faster and easier to install.
But here’s the thing: we don’t choose our repair method based on what’s fastest or easiest for us. We choose it based on what works best for your home.
Installing drilled bell-bottom piers takes more time, more equipment, and more expertise to install correctly. But after 40+ years in this business and watching how different methods perform in our expansive clay soils, we’re confident this is still the right choice.
When other companies call our method “old school” or “antiquated,” what they’re really saying is it’s been tested and proven for decades. We’ll take that over being someone’s science experiment any day.
Our reputation in the Brazos Valley didn’t come from taking shortcuts. It came from doing repairs that last. Even though Ken has now handed the reins over to his son, Craig, we’re still doing bell-bottom piers; and that’s exactly what we plan to keep doing.
What’s the Bell-Bottom Really Doing Down There?
Now that you know why we use drilled bell-bottom piers, you might be wondering exactly how that bell-shaped bottom actually works to support your foundation. What makes that design so effective at resisting both settlement and uplift?
We break down the engineering and physics some more (in plain English, of course) in our next article about how the bell-bottom design keeps your foundation stable for the long haul.
Or if you’re already convinced that the bell is the way to go, then you might be wondering what the whole process looks like that you would experience at your home. Check out our article on the drilled pier installation process to see exactly what happens from start to finish.
