Close-up of cracked, weathered gray concrete surface with rough texture and small debris.

Helical Piers & Foundation Repair, Engineered and Installed

The Engineer who diagnoses it signs off on the fix.

Most foundation repair in Florida is sold by contractors. We're a licensed engineering firm that designs the repair, installs it through BTR Foundation Services, and issues the certification letter at the end.

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What you're probably seeing

Any one of these can be cosmetic. Several together usually aren't.

Stair-step cracks in block or brick

Following the mortar joints diagonally, a classic differential settlement pattern.

Doors and windows sticking

Frames going out of square as the structure moves beneath them.

Sloping or bouncy floors

Measurable slope across a room, often worse toward one corner.

Separation at joints

Gaps opening where the porch, garage, or addition meets the main structure.

Ground depressions

Soft or sunken areas in the yard, especially near downspouts, a karst warning sign.

Cracks that keep growing

Movement that hasn't stabilized. Photograph and date them before you call.

Engineered, installed, and certified by one firm

The distinction shows up on the day you sell the house and someone asks for documentation.

  Typical repair contractor Bechtol / BTR
Who diagnoses Typical repair contractorA salesperson, often free Bechtol / BTRA licensed professional Engineer
Basis for pier count Typical repair contractorVisual assessment and experience Bechtol / BTRSoil borings and load calculations
Sealed design drawings Typical repair contractorRarely Bechtol / BTRStandard
Certification letter Typical repair contractorCannot issue one Bechtol / BTRIssued by the Engineer of record
If the cause is a sinkhole Typical repair contractorRefers you out Bechtol / BTRWe do the subsurface investigation ourselves
Insurance & permitting support Typical repair contractorLimited Bechtol / BTRReports written for carriers and building departments

Why the certification letter matters

When you sell, refinance, or file a claim, someone will ask for proof the repair was engineered. A letter from a licensed PE answers that. An invoice from a contractor does not.

Helical piers

Torque verified at every pier

A helical pier is a steel shaft with helix plates that gets screwed into the ground until it reaches soil that can actually carry the load. The structure's weight transfers from the failing soil to the pier.

The advantage over other methods is verification: installation torque is measured continuously and correlates directly to capacity. You know what each pier will hold as you install it, not as an estimate afterward.

Vertical soil core samples in metal boxes showing layers of different soil types and textures for analysis.

01  · 
Designed

Pier count, depth, and capacity calculated from soil borings and structural loads, on sealed drawings.

Construction site by the beach with workers, heavy machinery, sand, and a multi-story building in the background.

02  · 
Installed

BTR crews install to the design, logging torque at every pier. Compact equipment reaches side yards and interiors.

Aerial view of a large building under construction surrounded by forest and roads on a sunny day.

03  · 
Certified

The Engineer of record reviews the installation record and issues the certification letter.

Repair methods

The soil decides, not the sales sheet.

  • Helical piers
    Screw piles to competent bearing soil, with torque-verified capacity. The workhorse for residential settlement.
  • Foundation underpinning
    Extending support beneath an existing footing where the original bearing has failed.
  • Tieback anchors
    Lateral restraint for bowing walls and earth-retaining structures.
  • Compaction grouting
    Injected grout densifying loose soil and filling voids, the standard response to confirmed sinkhole activity.
  • Chemical grouting
    Permeation grouting where soil conditions call for chemical rather than cement-based stabilization.
  • Soil mixing & stabilization
    Improving weak soil in place where excavation and replacement isn't practical.

Before you call anyone

Photograph the cracks with a ruler or coin for scale and date the photos. If they widen over the next few weeks that is the single most useful piece of evidence you can hand an Engineer, and it changes the diagnosis.

How a repair actually goes

Five steps. Nothing gets installed before step three.

Beachfront house elevated on a sandy dune with a reinforced seawall under a clear blue sky.

About BTR Foundation Services

Logo of BTR Foundation Services with shield, drill bit, and Florida map for Bechtel Engineering division.

BTR Foundation Services is the installation arm of Bechtol Engineering and Testing. Same company, same Engineers, operating under its own name for foundation repair work.

The arrangement exists for a practical reason. Foundation repair needs both an Engineer to design it and a crew to build it. Splitting those across two companies is where accountability gets lost. Here, the Engineer who calculated the pier layout is in the same building as the crew installing it.

Where we use helical piers and anchors

Helical piers are not only for repair.

  • Existing homes and commercial buildings
    Underpinning to stop settlement and, where the structure allows, lift it back toward level. Piers carry the load past the soft or loose soil to the depth the borings show can hold it.
  • Additions and new construction
    Where borings show soft or organic soil, helical piles and uplift anchors can carry a new structure or an addition without deep excavation or driven piles.
  • Retaining walls, seawalls, and sheet pile anchors
    Soil screw retention walls and tieback tension anchors for new walls, and for existing seawalls and retaining walls that have started to lean.
  • Specialty applications
    Helical anchors also support light and sign bases, docks, pipelines and storage tanks, walkway supports, CATV stations, communication towers, and solar panel arrays.

A.B. Chance

Certified by the original helical anchor manufacturer, combined with PE licensure. Design, installation, and certification from one source.

Foundation repair FAQ

What is a helical pier?

A steel shaft with helix plates screwed into the ground until it reaches soil that can carry the load. Installation torque is measured continuously and correlates to capacity, so each pier is verified as it goes in.

How much does foundation repair cost in Florida?

It depends on pier count, depth to competent soil, and access around the building. Pricing follows the engineering evaluation, because pier count is a design output. Be cautious of any quote issued before someone investigates the soil.

Do I need an Engineer for foundation repair?

For most permitted repairs in Florida, yes. A licensed PE designs the repair and issues the certification letter afterward. We're an engineering firm, so design, installation, and certification come from one licensed source.

How long does helical pier installation take?

Most residential installations finish in a few days once design and permitting are complete. The equipment is compact enough for side yards and interior work.

Will insurance cover sinkhole-related damage?

It depends on your policy and whether sinkhole activity is confirmed. Insurers generally require a subsurface investigation by a licensed Engineer with borings and an opinion on cause, which is what our sinkhole evaluation produces. Sinkhole evaluation →