Can my contractor drill through a concrete foundation beam?

We live in central Texas in a house built in the early 1980s and we have a slab foundation with concrete beams. We're in the process of doing remodeling to our master bath which includes moving ALL of the plumbing fixtures to different locations (luckily the bathroom is not that big). Our contractor and his crew started jackhammering the concrete floor to re-route the plumbing and it's taken longer than expected (2 full days with more jackhammering to be done tomorrow) and today my contractor told me that there's a concrete pier running through the middle of the bathroom that they didn't expect. He told me that they're going drill a hole through the beam and run the plumbing through that way.

So basically my question is...is that ok???? Can concrete beams be drilled through to reroute plumbing lines or does that compromise the integrity of the concrete beam? If that's legit then is there any kind of barrier that needs to be placed between the concrete and the new plumbing pipes?

I hired my contractor based on recommendations from friends and he is licensed. But after seeing the floor, having him tell me that it's taking longer than usual and that he'll have to drill through a concrete beam has made me concerned.

Also, the team he's using to do this work is the same team who'll be framing the room and laying the tile. I'm also wondering if he should have brought in someone specialized in foundation cutting and repair as well as a certified plumbing to be involved with this aspect of the remodel.

I'd be interested to hear what you think. Thanks for your help.
-Staci

While I am not familiar with them my first thought would be NO...drilling a hole will compromise the integrity of the beam...that said I would contact the building inspector and see what they say...

I am sure others will post later on this question..

When I lived in Texas I had a home built in the 80's that had tension cables running through the concrete ... that would be my concern. If I understand the piers, they are vertical and go deep into the earth and are like pads to support the slab. Why can't he divert the plumbing around the pier? I like Cass' suggestion to get the inspector involved before he goes any farther.

beam

It is probably a "grade beam" to support a bearing wall. They are cut all the time to make space for plumbing, because a drain line cannot dip or rise to go under or over them, and often they are under the bathroom's "wet wall". Their support depends on the ground they are resting on, NOT the integrity of the entire beam. Breaking concrete is not rocket science, but hard concrete can take longer to break than anticipated, especially if it is reinforced with fiberglass fibers.