McKinney

Helical piles in McKinney, Texas

McKinney, in Collin County north of Dallas, is also on clay that moves. The state soil, Houston Black, is a classic shrink-swell clay of the Blackland Prairie, and it can crack several feet deep in a dry summer, according to the Soil Science Society of America's Texas state soil guide. The wet-dry cycles are why slabs lift and drop here.

Because they are screwed in with hydraulic equipment rather than poured, helical piers also suit tight backyards and existing homes. The permit comes from the city or county, and an engineer normally sets the required depth and the installation torque that correlates to the design load. Check the local table before assuming frost depth rules apply the same way everywhere in Texas.

Helical pile companies serving McKinney

One company is based in McKinney, but its listing is thin.

• Tella Firma Foundations: a pile driving contractor listed with a patented process for elevating slab foundations above expansive soils; ask which foundation systems it installs before booking.

Costs and what to ask

HomeGuide puts typical installed cost at roughly $2,000 to $4,000 per helical pier nationally. Texas jobs can land anywhere in that range depending on how deep the stable layer is, how many piers the slab needs, and site access. Read our helical pier cost guide for what a quote should include.

Questions to put to any installer:

• Will a licensed engineer design the piles for shrink-swell clay, and can you see the calculations?
• What installation torque will be logged for each pile, and will you receive the torque records?
• What shaft diameter and wall thickness are proposed, and is the steel galvanized in clay soil?
• Who pulls the permit with the City of McKinney, and what does the written warranty cover?

For the wider picture, see our page on Texas helical pile installers.