The Foot of the Bell Bottom Pier - Houston Foundation Repair

Dawson Foundation Repair
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The foot or footprint of the Bell Bottom Pier is the most unique aspect of the pier. It requires a special cutting tool to excavate a bell shaped cavity at the bottom of the pier that measures 22 inches in diameter. The purpose of this enlarged foot (bell bottom) is to provide a greater area of support for the pier and for the pier to be able to support greater weight.
When comparing a Bell Bottom Pier to a standard 6 inch diameter concrete pushed pile, the Bell Bottom has a footprint that is 13 times greater in surface area. Or to state it another way, the concrete pushed pile has less than 8% of the footprint are as compared to a Bell Bottom Pier.
In addition, a structural engineer calculated that the Bell Bottom Pier has a load capacity of 5.8 times greater than a column of concrete pushed piles.