# Pier-and-Beam Leveling: Objectives and Limits > What pier-and-beam leveling can and cannot achieve: shimming and jack-post adjustment, realistic tolerances, and crawlspace access. URL: https://austinfoundationrepair.net/guide/pier-and-beam-leveling-objectives-and-limitations/ Last-Modified: 2026-09-16 Decision guide # Pier-and-Beam Leveling: Objectives and Limitations What pier-and-beam leveling can and cannot achieve: shimming and jack-post adjustment, realistic tolerances, and access. Published September 16, 2026 · 5 min read ![Steel shims and a screw-jack post supporting a wood floor beam in a crawlspace](/images/featured/steel-shims-and-a-screw-jack-post-supporting-a-woo.webp) ## What leveling means on this foundation type Adjusting a pier-and-beam [/pier-and-beam-repair/ →](/pier-and-beam-repair/) home is mechanical work in an accessible space, which makes it fundamentally different from adjusting a slab. You are changing the height of supports you can see and reach, rather than transferring load through concrete to something deep underground. That accessibility is the great advantage of this foundation type. It also creates an expectation problem, because the ease of adjustment makes people assume a flat floor is available on request. It is not, and this guide explains why. ## How the adjustment is made **Shimming.** Steel or hardwood shims are placed between a pier cap and the girder above, raising that point by a controlled amount. Simple, precise and reversible. **Adjustable posts.** Screw-jack posts allow fine adjustment by turning a threaded mechanism. They provide ongoing adjustability, which is useful where some future movement is anticipated. **Temporary support.** Cribbing and hydraulic jacks carry the load while permanent support is set or replaced. This is what allows a girder section to be worked on without the floor above losing support. **Additional support.** Sometimes the answer is not raising what is there but adding support where spans are excessive, which reduces deflection rather than correcting elevation. ![Worker adjusting an adjustable support post in a low crawlspace](/images/content/worker-adjusting-an-adjustable-support-post-in-a-l.webp) ## Why perfectly level is the wrong target Three reasons, all practical. **The house has adapted.** Plaster, tile, trim, cabinetry, plumbing connections and door and window frames have settled into the current geometry, sometimes over a century. Moving the structure back stresses every one of those adaptations. **Original construction was not flat.** Pre-war homes were built to tolerances that would not pass today. Some of what reads as deviation on a manometer has been there since the house was built. Chasing it is chasing something that never existed. **Wood moves.** It responds to humidity and load continuously. A framed floor is not a rigid plane and will never behave like one. The realistic objective is bringing the structure within a reasonable tolerance, reducing noticeable slope, restoring function to doors and windows, and leaving the support in sound condition. > **Ask what target is being worked to** > > A proposal should describe the intended outcome in terms you can check afterwards. If the answer is just “level”, ask what that means in practice and how it will be verified. ## What has to happen first Adjustment assumes the framing can carry load through the process. Where **fungal decay**, termite damage or excessive deflection has reduced capacity, structural repair comes first: sistering, replacement, or correcting failed posts and footings. Where crawlspace moisture caused the damage, addressing the water source belongs in the plan too. Otherwise the same decay continues under newly adjusted framing. ## Access constraints Crawlspace clearance determines what is practical. A generous crawlspace with a clear hatch allows straightforward work. Low clearance, ductwork running through the space, standing water, stored belongings, or a hatch under a deck all slow things down and occasionally limit what can be reached at all. A proposal should reflect the actual access conditions rather than assuming ideal ones. If nobody has been under your house before quoting, the quote is speculative. ## What to expect afterwards ![Hairline plaster crack above a doorway in an older home after a leveling adjustment](/images/content/hairline-plaster-crack-above-a-doorway-in-an-older.webp) | Outcome | Typical | | --- | --- | | Reduced noticeable slope | Yes, within the agreed tolerance | | Doors and windows working better | Often | | Bounce reduced | Yes, where support or framing was the cause | | Hairline cosmetic cracks | Normal, expected | | Perfectly flat floors | No | | Need to wait before cosmetic repair | Yes, a few weeks | Post-adjustment elevation readings should document where the structure finished. That gives you a record of what changed rather than an assurance that it did. For how leveling relates to foundation repair more broadly, including on slab homes, see our house leveling [/house-leveling/ →](/house-leveling/) page. Where adjustment alone is not enough, what pier-and-beam repair involves [/guide/what-pier-and-beam-repair-involves/ →](/guide/what-pier-and-beam-repair-involves/) covers the framing and support work that usually accompanies it. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can you make my floors perfectly level? No. The objective is a realistic tolerance and a stable, properly supported structure. Forcing an older house back to a flat plane risks cracking plaster and tile, stressing plumbing connections, and damaging framing that has settled into its current position over decades. ### How is leveling done on a pier-and-beam home? Through shimming at pier caps and adjustment of screw-jack or adjustable support posts in the crawlspace, with temporary cribbing and jacks carrying load while permanent support is set. It is incremental, checkable and reversible, which is a real advantage of this foundation type. ### Will I get cracks afterwards? Some cosmetic movement is normal and should be expected. Hairline cracks in plaster and drywall, small gaps at trim, and doors needing rehanging are all common. Whether patching is included in the scope should be stated in the proposal rather than assumed. ## Related Guides ### Crawl Space Moisture, Wood Rot, and Sagging Joists How crawlspace humidity leads to wood rot and sagging joists in Austin pier-and-beam homes, and why moisture ties to structure. [Crawl Space Moisture, Wood Rot, and Sagging Joists →](/guide/crawl-space-moisture-wood-rot-sagging-joists/) ### Signs Your Pier-and-Beam Foundation Needs Work Recognise pier-and-beam warning signs: sagging and bouncy floors, gaps, and crawlspace moisture cues, plus what to document. [Signs Your Pier-and-Beam Foundation Needs Work →](/guide/signs-your-pier-and-beam-foundation-needs-work/) ### What Affects the Cost and Scope of Pier-and-Beam Repair Cost and scope drivers for pier-and-beam repair: number of supports, girder and joist condition, moisture work and access. [What Affects the Cost and Scope of Pier-and-Beam Repair →](/guide/what-affects-pier-and-beam-repair-cost-and-scope/) ### What Pier-and-Beam Repair Involves Pier-and-beam repair explained: piers, beams, joists, crawlspace clearance, and what repair addresses in older homes. [What Pier-and-Beam Repair Involves →](/guide/what-pier-and-beam-repair-involves/) ## Learn more about Pier-and-Beam Repair If this guide raised a question about your own property, the pier-and-beam repair page explains what we look at and what happens after an enquiry. Pier-and-Beam Repair [/pier-and-beam-repair/ →](/pier-and-beam-repair/) Request a Quote [/request-quote/ →](/request-quote/)