Foundation Repair Cost & Symptom Checker
Tick the signs you have seen, pick your foundation and a repair method, and see how many piers it may take, what it may cost and who to call first. The 3D cutaway shows the piers, the clay soil and where the cracks show up.
- Symptom severity—
- Repair size—
- Typical cost—
- Engineer report—
Drag to turn · scroll or pinch to zoom · tick symptoms below to see crack markers appear · tilt is exaggerated for illustration
How the symptom score works
Each symptom adds points: sloping floors 3, diagonal cracks above doors or windows 2, stair-step brick cracks 2, gaps at windows 2, a sagging crawlspace floor 2, sticking doors 1 and slab cracks 1. A crack about 1/8 in wide adds 1 and a crack 1/4 in or wider adds 3. A total of 1 to 2 reads as low, 3 to 6 as moderate and 7 or more as high. This is a screening aid we made up from common warning signs. It is not a diagnosis, and only an engineer can tell what is going on in your house.
Many hairline cracks are cosmetic, and slabs and drywall crack as they cure and as the seasons change. What matters is crack width, whether it grows, and how many different signs show up together.
How the pier count is estimated
Repair piers are commonly placed every 6 to 8 ft along the walls that need lifting, closer together for taller houses or weak soil. This tool divides the affected wall length by your spacing and adds one pier for the end. For the whole perimeter it divides the perimeter by the spacing. Interior piers under beams are not included. The cost is the pier count times the per-pier price for the method you pick.
Pressed concrete piles are stacked concrete cylinders jacked down until they meet resistance. Steel piers are pushed deeper and carry more load, which helps on Houston clay. Helical piers are screwed in like giant bolts. Mudjacking and foam lift a slab by filling the void under it. Shimming re-levels a pier-and-beam floor by adding shims between the piers and beams.
Houston clay and the cutaway
The 3D cutaway shows a dry crust at the top, a band of seasonal moisture swings (roughly the top 5 to 15 ft in the Houston area, drawn at about 10 ft) and stable clay below. A tree near one side pulls water out of the soil there, which can drop that side of the house. The depth of each pier type in the model is for illustration only. The engineer sets real depths from the soil and loads.
The tilt of the house in the model is exaggerated so you can see it.
Houston permit note
The City of Houston asks for a permit for foundation repair, and the plans commonly include an engineer's report. In certain flood zones it also asks for a sealed cost estimate or a signed foundation contract. See our Houston Permit Checker and the City's Residential One-Stop Guide.
This tool is a planning aid, not an engineering evaluation. Do not decide on a repair from a web page, and get an independent engineer's report.
Sources
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? (steel push piers, helical piers)
- HomeGuide: How Much Do Helical Piers Cost?
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Polyjacking Cost? (foam lifting)
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a Structural Engineer Cost? and Angi's structural engineer cost
- HomeGuide: Pier and Beam Foundation Repair Cost (shimming and leveling)
- Ram Jack Houston: Foundation repair costs
- Two Bros: Foundation repair cost in Houston (pier ranges, typical job sizes)
- House Escort: Foundation repair cost in Texas (pressed concrete and steel pier ranges)
- Dalinghaus: How many helical piers do I need? (6 to 8 ft spacing)
- Texas Clay Soil and Your Foundation (expansive clay and the active zone)
- Houston root barrier pricing, about $65 to $75 per linear ft
- Houston French drain cost, about $23 to $36 per linear ft
Repair-company ranges are marketing-page figures, so treat them as typical, not guaranteed. The symptom weights and the shim price are our assumptions.
Estimates only — not engineering, legal or code advice. Check requirements with your local building department and a licensed professional before you build.
Common questions
Who do I call first for a foundation problem?
An independent structural engineer. They evaluate the foundation and write a report, and they have no repair job to sell you. HomeGuide puts a structural engineer inspection at about $300 to $900, and this tool uses $600 as the typical figure. Repair quotes that follow the engineer's plan are easier to compare. In Houston the engineer's report is also commonly needed for the repair permit.
How many piers does a foundation repair need?
Piers go in about 6 to 8 ft apart along the part of the foundation that needs lifting. This tool divides the affected length by your spacing and adds one. With its defaults (60 ft of affected wall at 7 ft spacing) that is 10 piers. If the whole 190 ft perimeter of a 55 by 40 ft house were done, 190 divided by 7 is 28 piers. Many Houston jobs run 8 to 20 piers, and the engineer sets the real number.
How much does each type of pier cost?
Published Houston-area ranges are about $450 to $900 per pressed concrete pile and $950 to $1,800 per steel pier. HomeGuide lists steel push piers at about $990 to $1,350 and helical piers at roughly $2,000 to $4,000 each. With the defaults (10 pressed concrete piers plus a $600 engineer report) the typical total is $7,100, with a likely range of $4,800 to $9,900. Houston jobs commonly land between $3,500 and $10,000.
What do diagonal cracks over doors and windows mean?
They are a common sign that part of the house has moved up or down relative to the rest, because doors and windows are weak points in a wall. One hairline crack is often cosmetic. Cracks that are 1/8 in or wider, keep growing, or show up with sticking doors, sloping floors or stair-step brick cracks deserve an engineer's evaluation.
Why are Houston foundations so prone to problems?
Most of the Houston area sits on expansive clay. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and the wet-dry zone that moves seasonally is roughly the top 5 to 15 ft. Drought, big trees near the house and poor drainage can all dry or soak one side more than the other. That is why root barriers and drainage work are often bundled with piers.
Is mudjacking or foam a fix for a sinking house slab?
They lift concrete by filling the void under it. HomeGuide lists mudjacking at about $4 to $9 per sq ft and polyurethane foam at about $8 to $25 per sq ft. They suit patios, driveways and some slabs on stable soil. They do not stop the soil from moving again, so for a house slab on clay an engineer will often prefer piers.