Helical Piers in Colorado Springs, CO
When the clay under your house won’t stop moving, piers go past it.
Helical and steel push piers carry your house down past the swelling clay to stable ground, so a settling corner or sinking wall stops moving. They’re the right fix for some Colorado Springs homes and an expensive mistake for others, so we’ll help you work out which one yours is before anyone quotes you.
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Last updated 5 October 2026
Signs you might need piers
- The floor slopes toward one corner or wall. A marble rolls the same way every time. Contractors call this differential settlement.
- Stair-step cracks run through brick or block, usually wider at the top than the bottom.
- Doors and windows on one side stop closing and stay that way through every season, rather than only after a wet week.
- Gaps open where walls meet the ceiling or floor, or a chimney starts leaning away from the house.
- Cracks keep coming back after they’ve been patched, which usually means the house is still moving underneath.
If it’s a floor sloping in the middle of the house rather than at an outside wall, that’s often a crawl space support problem instead. See crawl space repair in Colorado Springs.
What a pier job involves
- Find the cause first. A good contractor measures how far the house has moved (an elevation survey) and checks drainage outside before recommending piers. An independent structural engineer can do this assessment without selling the fix.
- Permit and engineering. Structural foundation work in El Paso County goes through the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Larger jobs may need an engineer’s design.
- Dig beside the footing. Crews excavate a small pit at each pier spot, usually outside. Interior piers mean cutting through the slab.
- Install each pier to depth. Helical piers are screwed in and push piers are driven down using the weight of the house. Each one goes until it hits load-bearing ground, and the crew should record the depth and the torque or pressure for every pier.
- Stabilize, and lift only if it’s safe. Piers are there to stop the movement. Lifting the house back toward level is sometimes possible, but lifting too far can crack drywall or strain pipes.
- Backfill and regrade. The soil goes back sloping away from the house, then PPRBD does its final inspection.
What you’ll need to do: clear a path along the affected walls, move anything stored against them, and expect a few days of noise and equipment in the yard. Most families stay home.
Cost
| Item | Priced by | Typical published range |
|---|---|---|
| Helical or push pier | Per pier | $1,500 to $4,000 |
Pier count is the biggest line on most quotes, and it’s where two quotes for the same house split apart. Ask each contractor how they arrived at their number. Full breakdown, including permits and engineering: Foundation repair cost in Colorado Springs.
Timeline and what to expect
Most pier jobs take two to four days once work starts. The permit and any engineering design can add a week or more before that. Late summer and fall are usually the easiest months to dig here, before the ground freezes.
Before you sign, get the warranty in writing: what it covers, what it excludes, whether it transfers when you sell, and what happens if the company closes or changes owners.
When you don’t need piers
Plenty of houses that get a pier quote don’t need one. A single old crack that hasn’t grown in a year is usually just a record of movement that already stopped. Doors that stick for a week after a big storm and then free up are the clay breathing, not the house failing. And if a downspout has been dumping water beside the wall that’s moving, fix that first and give it a season. Mark your cracks with a pencil and a date, then check them in three months.
Why Colorado Springs houses end up needing piers
Much of Colorado Springs sits on expansive clay and Pierre Shale. The Colorado Geological Survey calls expansive soil Colorado’s most significant geologic hazard, because it swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it dries. A footing sitting in that active layer rides up and down with it, and one corner rarely moves the same as the others. Piers work by skipping past the active layer entirely. That’s also why depth matters so much here: a pier that stops inside the moving clay hasn’t fixed anything. If your house is in Rockrimmon, Cragmoor or near other old mine workings, check whether the ground movement is mine subsidence before paying for piers (FAQ hub answer).
Helical pier questions
Which is better, helical piers or steel push piers?
Neither is better everywhere. Push piers are driven down using the weight of the house, so they suit heavier homes where there’s plenty of load to push against. Helical piers screw in and don’t need that weight, which makes them a good fit for lighter structures, porches and additions. Ask each contractor why they picked one over the other for your house specifically.
Can piers lift my house back to level?
Sometimes partly, but that isn’t their main job. Piers are there to stop the movement. A contractor may be able to lift a settled corner back toward level, but pushing too far can crack drywall, tile and pipes. A good quote says how much lift they’re aiming for and what they’ll do if the house resists.
How deep do helical piers go in Colorado Springs?
As deep as it takes to reach ground that doesn’t swell, and that changes from lot to lot. Ask the contractor what depth they expect, then ask for a written log showing the actual depth and torque for every pier once it’s installed. A contractor who won’t give you that log is a contractor to skip.
Nearby areas and links
We help homeowners with pier work across Colorado Springs, Monument, Black Forest, Falcon, Peyton, Fountain, Security-Widefield and Manitou Springs.
Find out if your house actually needs piers
Call or text (719) 645-7643 and tell us what you’re seeing. If it sounds like drainage or normal settling, we’ll say so. If piers make sense, we’ll connect you with a vetted Colorado Springs contractor for a written quote.