What piers do
Piers are the vertical supports that carry the beams of a raised house to the ground. In older New Orleans houses they are often brick or masonry. The City’s historic-district guidelines describe raised center-hall cottages as typically sitting on piers five feet or more above grade, and a National Register survey of the Bywater district says virtually all of that district’s buildings are raised well above grade.
5. Piers and bearing pointsVertical supports, commonly brick or masonry in older New Orleans homes, that pass the load to the footing and soil.
Piers are the layer this guide is about.
Simplified, not to scale, and not a diagnosis. Lattice skirting is cut away to show the piers. Select a layer to read what it does.
What to look for, and photograph
| What you see | What it can raise questions about | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| A pier that leans or is out of line with its neighbors | Movement of the pier or the ground under it | Photos from the same spot each time, with a ruler or level in view |
| Crumbling, cracked or missing brick or mortar | Deterioration of the pier itself | Close and wide photos; note how many piers show it |
| A gap between the top of a pier and the beam above | A support that has settled away from what it holds up | Photo with a ruler in the frame |
| Wood resting directly on masonry or soil | A place where moisture and termites can reach the wood | Photo showing the contact point |
| Standing water or damp soil at the base | A drainage or moisture problem | Where the water is and where it seems to come from |
Signs overlap and none proves a cause. Wood on or next to a masonry pier is more likely to absorb moisture and rot and to attract termites, so inspect the wood as well as the brick. See structural wood rot and termite damage.
What replacement means
Replacing a pier generally means supporting the weight it carries, removing a failed support, and building a new one on a footing that can carry the load. The key questions are what footing is proposed, how many piers are involved, and what happens to the beam above each one, because a new pier under a decayed beam leaves the beam weak. Our pier and beam foundation repair guide compares the common approaches and lists documentation worth asking for.
Permits, licensing and cost
The City requires a Structural Renovation permit for changes to a foundation, but its public pages do not say whether replacing individual piers falls under it, so ask the Building Division at (504) 658-7130. See structural repair permits. National cost estimates and the factors that move a quote are on pier and beam repair cost.
Sources (5)
- City of New Orleans, HDLC Design Guidelines (combined)Read October 7, 2026
- National Park Service, National Register nomination: Bywater Historic District (1985)Read October 7, 2026
- City of New Orleans, Hazard Mitigation Plan: SubsidenceRead October 7, 2026
- City of New Orleans: Renovation (Structural) / Elevation PermitRead October 7, 2026
- City of New Orleans: Guide to Building PermitsRead October 7, 2026
Next step
If you have photographed a problem pier
Describe what you saw: leaning, crumbling, gaps, or damp, and where.
Your request comes to NOLA Raised Home first. If it looks like a fit, we share it with one independent local provider, which decides whether it can help. Not every request is a match. We are not the contractor. How it works.