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Foundation repair

Foundation repair: costs, inspections and how to hire without getting taken.

Cracks, sticking doors, sloping floors and sunken concrete — what's actually wrong, what the fix costs, and how to tell a real structural contractor from a scare-tactic salesman. Then get matched free with up to three licensed foundation contractors near you.

Enter your ZIP and Henry will line up up to three local foundation contractors. Free, no obligation.

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Foundation work is the most expensive home repair most people will ever be talked into, and it's also the one where homeowners have the least ability to check the work. A pier is buried. A soil condition is invisible. The person telling you the house is failing is usually the same person selling the fix.

That's why this page starts with diagnosis, not with a quote form. If you understand what your symptoms usually mean, what each repair method actually does, and roughly what it should cost, you can sit through three sales visits and know which one is describing your house and which one is describing a template.

Below: how a foundation inspection works, the repair methods in plain language, national price ranges by method, the warning signs that matter versus the ones that don't, and a hiring checklist. When you're ready for local numbers and local contractors, jump to your city — prices swing widely by soil type and metro labor rates.

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The work

What foundation repair actually covers

01

Foundation inspection

A visual and measured assessment: elevation readings across the floor, crack mapping, door and window operation, grading and drainage around the perimeter. Most repair companies offer this free because it's a sales call. A structural engineer's inspection is paid — typically a few hundred dollars — and produces an independent report that says what's wrong and what repair is warranted, without selling you the repair. On any job quoted above roughly $8,000, that report is the cheapest insurance you can buy.

02

Piers and underpinning

When part of the house has settled, piers transfer its weight down to stable soil or bedrock. Steel push piers are driven hydraulically using the house's own weight; helical piers are screwed in and are common where soil is weak or the load is light; concrete pressed pilings are a lower-cost regional option. Quotes are usually per pier, so the number of piers — not just the unit price — is what drives your total. Ask why each pier is where it is.

03

Slab jacking and concrete leveling

For concrete that has sunk but is otherwise sound — driveways, walkways, patios, garage and basement slabs — a contractor drills small ports and injects material underneath to lift it back to grade. Mudjacking uses a cement slurry and costs less; polyurethane foam injection is lighter, cures in minutes, and resists washing out. Neither fixes the reason the soil moved, so pair it with drainage correction or you'll be lifting the same slab again.

04

Foundation wall repair and bracing

Bowing or cracked basement and block walls are usually a lateral soil-pressure problem, not a settlement problem. Fixes range from epoxy or polyurethane crack injection on a non-structural crack, to carbon fiber straps on a wall with minor deflection, to steel I-beams or wall anchors when the wall has moved significantly. The right answer depends on how far the wall has actually moved — get that measured, in inches, in writing.

05

Drainage, grading and waterproofing

Most foundation movement is a water story. Gutters dumping at the corner, soil sloped toward the house, a clogged footing drain, or a decade of drought-then-deluge cycles in clay soil all move a foundation. Interior or exterior French drains, sump systems, downspout extensions and regrading are often the cheapest meaningful work you can do, and a repair quote that ignores water is incomplete.

06

Crawl space and pier-and-beam repair

Houses on pier-and-beam or crawl space foundations settle differently: rotted or crushed shims, failing interior piers, sagging girders and joists, and moisture that softens everything under the floor. This work overlaps heavily with crawl space repair, and the two are often quoted together.

Plan the budget

What foundation repair costs

These are national ranges for planning, not quotes. Foundation pricing varies more by geography than almost any other trade — expansive clay markets like Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City and Kansas City price piers very differently than glacial-soil markets in the Upper Midwest. Use these to sanity-check a bid, then check your city page for local numbers.

ScopePlanning rangeWhat changes it
Structural engineer inspection report$400 – $900Independent, not tied to selling the repair
Crack injection (single non-structural crack)$400 – $1,200Epoxy or polyurethane; per crack
Steel push pier (per pier, installed)$1,200 – $2,600Most settlement jobs use 6–14 piers
Helical pier (per pier, installed)$1,400 – $3,000Weak soil, light loads, additions
Typical partial-settlement pier job$9,000 – $30,000Driven by pier count and access
Mudjacking / slab jacking$600 – $2,200Per slab area; driveways and walks
Polyurethane foam concrete leveling$900 – $3,500Faster cure, lighter, higher unit cost
Carbon fiber straps (per strap)$450 – $1,000Bowing walls with minor deflection
Steel I-beam or wall anchor (per unit)$700 – $1,600Larger wall movement
Interior French drain with sump$5,000 – $15,000Per linear foot; sump pump extra
Exterior excavation and waterproofing$12,000 – $35,000Highest-cost water fix
Full foundation replacement / lift$40,000 – $120,000+Rare; older homes, severe failure

Soil: expansive clay moves seasonally and drives up pier depth and count. Sandy or rocky soil often needs fewer, shallower piers.

Access: piers under an interior load-bearing wall mean cutting and repouring floor slab, and cost several times a perimeter pier.

Pier count: this is the single biggest line item. Two contractors can quote the same unit price and be $12,000 apart on total.

Depth to bearing: piers are priced to a stable stratum. In deep-fill or coastal soils that can be 25 feet or more.

What's on top: brick veneer, stone, a second story, or an attached garage all change the load and the method.

Permits and engineering: many jurisdictions require a permit and a stamped engineer's design for structural underpinning.

Restoration: regrading, drywall patching, repouring concrete and re-landscaping are often quoted separately. Ask.

Enter your ZIP and Henry will line up up to three local foundation contractors. Free, no obligation.

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Know the signs

Warning signs, ranked by how much they should worry you

Not every crack is structural. Concrete shrinks as it cures and hairline cracks in a slab or a block joint are extremely common. What matters is pattern, width, and whether it's changing.

Stair-step cracks in brick or block, especially wider at one end — classic differential settlement.

Cracks wider than about 1/4 inch, or any crack you can slide a coin into.

Doors and windows that stick or won't latch, in more than one room, appearing over a season.

Floors that slope noticeably, or a ball that rolls consistently to one side of a room.

Gaps opening between walls and ceiling, crown molding pulling away, or a fireplace separating from the wall.

A basement or block wall that bows inward, or a horizontal crack running the length of the wall — treat this as urgent.

Sunken driveway, patio or garage slab, or a step that has dropped away from the house.

Standing water at the foundation after rain, gutters overflowing at a corner, or soil pulling away from the slab in drought.

Newly appearing gaps around exterior trim, or a visible dip in the roofline over one side of the house.

No pressure

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Hire with confidence

How to hire a foundation contractor without getting burned

Foundation repair is a high-pressure sales category. The good companies are boring: they measure, they show you the numbers, and they leave you the report. Here's what to require.

1

Get a structural engineer's report before you sign anything over roughly $8,000 — hire the engineer yourself, not through the repair company.

2

Collect three quotes and make sure each one lists pier count, pier type, depth to bearing, and lift expectation in writing.

3

Ask directly: is the goal to stabilize, or to lift back to level? They are different scopes and different prices.

4

Verify the contractor's state license or registration and ask for a current certificate of general liability and workers' comp — call the insurer, don't just take the PDF.

5

Confirm who pulls the permit. Structural underpinning is permitted work in most jurisdictions and the contractor should handle it.

6

Read the warranty: is it transferable to the next owner, does it cover the repaired area only, and is it backed by the manufacturer or only by this company?

7

Ask for three addresses of jobs they did in your area more than two years ago, and call those owners.

8

Insist the quote addresses drainage. If nobody mentions water, they aren't solving the cause.

9

Cap the deposit. A third down at most, progress payments tied to milestones, final payment after inspection.

10

Photograph and date every crack before work starts, and keep the engineer's elevation readings for comparison afterward.

Walk away when you see these

A free inspection that produces an immediate, discounted-if-you-sign-today price.

A quote with a lump sum and no pier count, depth, or method.

"Your house is about to fall down" language without measured elevation data.

Refusal to work alongside an independent engineer.

Large upfront deposits, cash-only pricing, or no written contract.

A lifetime warranty that quietly excludes any area not repaired, plus an annual fee to keep it valid.

Enter your ZIP and Henry will line up up to three local foundation contractors. Free, no obligation.

Licensed, insured and background-checked — the Henry Standard.

Related work

Crawl space repair

If your house sits on a crawl space, the moisture, sagging floors and pier problems under it are usually part of the same conversation.

Read the crawl space repair guide

Questions homeowners ask

Foundation repair, answered plainly.

How much does a foundation inspection cost?

Repair companies typically offer a free inspection, which is a sales visit. An independent structural engineer's inspection and written report generally runs $400 to $900 depending on the market and the size of the home, and it's money well spent on any significant repair because the engineer has no financial stake in the fix.

Is a crack in my foundation always a problem?

No. Thin vertical shrinkage cracks in poured concrete are extremely common and often cosmetic. Cracks that are stair-stepped in masonry, wider than about a quarter inch, horizontal across a basement wall, or actively growing are the ones that need a professional look.

How much does concrete leveling cost?

Mudjacking a sunken driveway section, walkway or patio commonly runs about $600 to $2,200, while polyurethane foam injection typically runs about $900 to $3,500 for comparable work. Foam costs more per job but cures in minutes and doesn't wash out, which matters where water is the underlying cause.

How long does foundation repair take?

A crack injection or a slab leveling job is usually a single day. A typical pier job on one side of a house runs two to five days, plus time for backfill, cleanup and any concrete or landscaping restoration. Full underpinning or a lift can take several weeks.

Does homeowners insurance cover foundation repair?

Usually not. Standard policies exclude settlement, soil movement and long-term water intrusion. Damage from a sudden covered event — a burst supply line under the slab, for example — may be covered. Read your policy's earth movement exclusion and ask your adjuster before you assume either way.

Should I fix the foundation before I sell?

In most markets, unrepaired structural issues cost more in price reductions and failed inspections than the repair does. A transferable warranty and an engineer's letter clearing the work is a strong asset at closing. If you're selling as-is, get the engineer's report anyway so you can price the house honestly.

Do piers permanently fix the problem?

Piers stop the supported section from settling further, and they last decades when installed to a proper bearing stratum. They don't stop the soil around the rest of the house from moving, which is why drainage correction matters and why partial repairs sometimes lead to movement elsewhere.

How many piers will I need?

It depends entirely on how much of the perimeter has moved and how the load is distributed — typical partial-settlement jobs use somewhere between 6 and 14 piers, spaced roughly 6 to 8 feet apart. Any quote should show pier locations on a drawing.

Can I do anything myself to prevent foundation problems?

Yes, and it's the highest-return maintenance in the house: keep gutters clear, extend downspouts at least 5 to 10 feet from the wall, slope soil away from the foundation, keep large trees away from the slab, and water the perimeter evenly during long droughts in clay soil markets.

Is foundation repair worth getting three quotes?

Absolutely. On the same house, three licensed contractors routinely propose different pier counts and different methods, with totals varying by tens of thousands of dollars. The spread is the reason to compare, and the engineer's report is what lets you compare fairly.

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Local market guides

Find your city and see what the work costs there.

Each city page covers local labor pricing, weather, permits, licensing, neighborhoods and the contractors Henry can match in that market.

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

Mississippi

Jackson, MS

Nebraska

Omaha, NE

North Carolina

Charlotte, NC

Washington

Seattle, WA

West Virginia

Charleston, WV

Ready to talk to a local foundation contractor?

Tell Henry what you need. We’ll send your project to no more than three vetted local pros — and you decide whether any of them earns your business.

Enter your ZIP and Henry will line up up to three local foundation contractors. Free, no obligation.

Licensed, insured and background-checked — the Henry Standard.

Sources: Angi — foundation repair cost data · HomeAdvisor — true cost guides · This Old House — foundation repair basics · International Code Council — residential code

The Henry Standard

Every foundation contractor in our network agrees to three things.

Show up

Call back. Keep appointments. And if something changes, communicate it.

Quote honestly

Clear scope, pier counts, and pricing in writing—so you know what you're agreeing to.

Finish the work

See the repair through, including the drainage and cleanup that was quoted.

Nothing revolutionary. Just the way we believe doing business should still be done.