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Foundation Repair Baton Rouge is a foundation repair company with 20 years of industry experience, serving Baton Rouge and the Capital Region, and pressed concrete pilings are the method we use under most settling slabs. They’re the standard foundation repair method across south Louisiana and Texas for one reason: every piling is tested by the house itself as it goes in.
Pressed pilings typically cost $550–$650 each on the exterior and $1,000–$1,500 each inside, where the slab has to be opened.
How pressed pilings work
A small pit is dug under the perimeter beam. A precast concrete cylinder — usually 6 inches in diameter and about a foot long — is set under the beam, and a hydraulic jack pushes it into the ground using the weight of the house as the reaction. Another segment is stacked on top and pressed, then another, until the piling won’t go any deeper without lifting the house. That point is called refusal, and it proves the piling has reached soil that can carry the load. A concrete cap and steel shims then transfer the beam’s weight onto the piling, and the slab is raised back toward level.
Why they suit Baton Rouge
The active clay in the top several feet of Baton Rouge soil swells and shrinks with the seasons. Pressing below that zone to firmer soil takes the beam out of the cycle. Because the segments are precast, there’s no curing time — the piling can carry load the moment it’s capped. And concrete doesn’t corrode in wet soil.
What to ask for
Every piling’s depth should be logged and given to you. The quote should list the number of pilings and the price each. Pilings should be spaced along the beam where the elevation survey shows settlement — typically 6 to 8 feet apart — not in a round-number pattern. For heavier houses or very soft ground, helical piers may be the better choice; see the comparison guide.
What's included
- Laser elevation survey to set piling locations
- Piling map with count and unit price
- Excavation at the beam, exterior or interior
- Segments pressed to refusal using the house as reaction
- Depth recorded for each piling
- Cap and steel shims set; slab lifted toward level
- Backfill, tamping and cleanup
- After-repair elevation readings
Piling types compared
| DIY / patch it | Cheapest crew | Done properly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | — | Poured-in-place bell bottom | Precast pressed segments |
| Tested as installed | — | No — depth fixed | Yes — pressed to refusal |
| Cure time before load | — | Days | None — precast |
| Typical cost each | — | Varies | $550–$650 ext. / $1,000–$1,500 int. |
