Foundation repair services

The single most useful thing to understand is that these services are not interchangeable. Piering lifts and holds a foundation that has moved. Crack sealing keeps water out. Carbon fiber straps resist a wall that is being pushed inward by soil. If a contractor quotes you one method for a problem that calls for another, the money is wasted whether or not the work is done well.

Almost every foundation repair company in the country will inspect your home for free. That free inspection is a sales call. It is performed by a person whose employer only earns money if you buy a repair, and who usually cannot recommend a competitor's method or recommend doing nothing. That is not automatically dishonest, but it is a conflict of interest, and you should treat the resulting report as a bid, not a diagnosis.

For anything being quoted in the tens of thousands, get an independent structural engineer first. A structural engineer works for you and sells no repairs. Today's Homeowner puts a foundation inspection by an engineer at $400 to $1,500, with hourly rates of roughly $70 to $250. On a $25,000 quote, that is a very cheap second opinion — and the engineer's written scope becomes the document you send to three contractors so you get three bids on the same work.

How to choose

Match the service to the cause, not the symptom

A crack is a symptom. Water intrusion, expansive soil, poor drainage and settlement all produce cracks and all need different work. Fixing the crack without fixing the cause means it comes back.

Get the scope written by someone who is not bidding

An independent engineer's report specifies what is needed. Contractors then bid on that scope. Without it, every bid is for a different job and you cannot compare them.

Ask what happens if the fix does not hold

Ask in writing: if the house moves again in this area, who pays, and for how long? Get the answer before you sign, not from the brochure.

Cheap drainage work is often the real fix

Regrading, gutter extensions and downspout runs are inexpensive next to piering. If moisture swings in the soil are driving the movement, stabilizing moisture is part of any real solution.

Three bids, same scope, no same-day signature

Discounts that expire when the salesperson leaves your kitchen are a pressure tactic. Any legitimate price is still available next week.