Pier and Beam Foundation Issues

[Jennifer Moreno]

I found out that my pier and beam foundation needs leveling. Seems like a simple matter but this house has one continuous concrete beam underneath the exterior walls. The exterior walls are brick outside and wood frame inside. Leveling the house means adding concrete blocks underneath the concrete beam supporting the exterior walls. The piers inside the wood frame have to be leveled at the same time. Its turning out to be a huge job! I've received several bids, all of which are very high. There are some drainage issues that allowed water to seep under the house. These are being taken care of by a new gutter drainage system. If I just resolve the drainage issues, perhaps I can just keep an eye on the settling and not level the foundation. Its an old house that's been there for 80 years. Here are some photos of the concrete beam, brick wall, and base plate, cracks in the beam foundation, and a photo of a crack in the wall.  Any thoughts?