Home Equity How Much Should a Foundation Repair Cost? 2 people contribute to this content Written by Jonathon Jachura Written by Jonathon Jachura Expertise: Home improvement, HVAC systems, energy efficiency, plumbing, lawn care Jon Jachura is a home improvement enthusiast and engineer with more than a decade of experience in HVAC systems and hands-on home projects. He enjoys helping homeowners understand, plan, and budget for upgrades that make their homes more comfortable and efficient. Learn more about Jonathon Jachura Edited by Amanda Hankel Edited by Amanda Hankel Expertise: Writing, editing, digital publishing Amanda Hankel is a managing editor at LendEDU. She has more than seven years of experience covering various finance-related topics and has worked for more than 15 years overall in writing, editing, and publishing. Learn more about Amanda Hankel Written by Jonathon Jachura Written by Jonathon Jachura Expertise: Home improvement, HVAC systems, energy efficiency, plumbing, lawn care Jon Jachura is a home improvement enthusiast and engineer with more than a decade of experience in HVAC systems and hands-on home projects. He enjoys helping homeowners understand, plan, and budget for upgrades that make their homes more comfortable and efficient. Learn more about Jonathon Jachura Edited by Amanda Hankel Edited by Amanda Hankel Expertise: Writing, editing, digital publishing Amanda Hankel is a managing editor at LendEDU. She has more than seven years of experience covering various finance-related topics and has worked for more than 15 years overall in writing, editing, and publishing. Learn more about Amanda Hankel show more Jan 15, 2026 Got foundation problems? The average bill lands around $5,200. Most homeowners pay between $2,200 and $8,150 or more. It all depends on what’s wrong, whether you caught it early or late, and what kind of foundation you’re working with. This guide covers costs by problem type and repair method. We’ll also walk through financing options that won’t empty your bank account. Caught the issue early? Good news—you’re more likely to stay toward the cheaper end. Costs in this article are sourced from contractor estimates via Angi. Table of Contents Average foundation repair costs Foundation repair costs by problem type Cracks Leaks and water intrusion Settling and sinking Bowing or bulging walls Poor soil drainage Foundation repair costs by method Mud-jacking or slab-jacking Piering or underpinning Wall reinforcement Foundation lifting Full foundation replacement Costs by foundation type Basement foundations Concrete slab foundations Pier and beam foundations Cinder block and brick foundations What affects your foundation repair costs Home size and foundation footprint Severity and extent of damage Soil conditions Accessibility Geographic location Permits and inspections Signs you need foundation repair DIY vs. professional foundation repair What you can handle yourself When to call a professional Risks of DIY on structural issues How to pay for foundation repairs Home equity loans Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) Cash-out refinance Home improvement loans (personal loans) Contractor financing How to save on foundation repair costs Is foundation repair worth the cost? FAQs Does homeowners insurance cover foundation repair? How long does foundation repair take? How long do foundation repairs last? Can I sell a house with foundation problems? Average foundation repair costs The $5,200 average comes from jobs nationwide—everything from cheap crack fills to expensive pier work. Per-square-foot pricing lands somewhere between $1.50 and $12. Small cracks? A few hundred dollars. Full replacement—where crews lift your house, tear out the old foundation, and pour new concrete—can blow past $100,000. Foundation repair costs by problem type Below, you’ll find what each type of problem typically costs to fix. Cracks Fixing cracks runs $250 to $800 in most cases. A lot of foundation cracks aren’t structural at all—they’re hairline fractures from normal settling that look worse than they are. Start worrying when cracks grow wider than 1/4 inch. Horizontal cracks and stair-step patterns running through block or brick usually point to something bigger going on below grade. Leaks and water intrusion Fixing water intrusion runs $2,000 to $7,000. Most contractors tackle this with a combination of waterproofing and better drainage—you need both to keep water from coming back. I dealt with this firsthand when building my home in northern Indiana in 2022. My contractor wouldn’t stop talking about drainage. At the time, I thought he was overdoing it. Now I get it. Up here, clay soil holds water right against basement walls. Then winter comes—freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw—and every cycle grinds away at the concrete. Settling and sinking Settling repairs range from $5,000 to $25,000. The cause? Usually compacted soil, erosion, or a builder who rushed the job. North Dakota State University Extension research on soil behavior explains the clay problem well: dry weather makes it shrink, wet weather makes it swell. Your foundation loses consistent support and drops into the voids. Bowing or bulging walls Bowed wall repairs run $4,000 to $12,000. Have clay soil around your basement? That’s your likely culprit—clay expands when it gets wet and literally shoves your walls inward. West Virginia University Extension has studied this phenomenon. The shrink-swell pressure doesn’t let up. Every year adds more stress. Poor soil drainage Drainage work costs $800 to $15,000 depending on severity. Maybe you just need to regrade the soil and add longer downspouts. Others require French drains or complete drainage systems installed. A full drainage system runs $2,800 to $6,500. Foundation repair costs by method The repair method your contractor uses matters as much as the problem itself when it comes to price. Mud-jacking or slab-jacking Contractors pump concrete slurry under your sunken slab and lift it back where it belongs. The price ranges from $500 to $1,300. Minor settling under driveways, porches, and slab floors responds well to this method. Jobs go fast—a few hours, usually—and there’s minimal disruption to your property. Piering or underpinning Each pier costs $1,000 to $3,000 installed. The process involves driving steel push piers, helical piers, or concrete piers deep into stable soil, then connecting them to your foundation so the home’s weight transfers down to solid ground. Piering handles serious settling effectively. An average home needs eight to 10 piers. Do the math, and you’re looking at $8,000 to $30,000 all in. Wall reinforcement Carbon fiber strips go for $100 to $250 per linear foot installed. Steel reinforcement? That’s $4,000 to $12,000 to outfit a whole wall. Neither option will push bowed walls back where they started. What they do is stop the movement from continuing—basically freezing the problem in place before it gets worse. Foundation lifting House lifting costs $20,000 to $23,000. The crew brings in hydraulic jacks, raises your home, and works on the foundation while it’s up. Severe settling or full replacement requires lifting first. Full foundation replacement A complete foundation replacement runs $20,000 to $100,000—that covers lifting, tearing out the old foundation, and pouring new concrete. Nobody should jump straight to replacement. It’s a last resort after other repairs have failed to stabilize things. Many people never reach this point if they address problems early. Costs by foundation type Your foundation style affects both what can go wrong and what repairs will cost. Basement foundations Basement foundation repairs cost $2,300 to $7,600. Wall cracks, bowing walls, and water getting inside—those are the problems I see mentioned over and over. Any hairline cracks you ignore could start weeping moisture after you put up drywall. My neighbor had to tear out two walls and start fresh in his basement. Fix foundation issues before you finish the space—not after. Concrete slab foundations Slab repairs run $350 to $20,000. Slabs crack and settle like any foundation, but they can also heave upward when the soil underneath shifts. Pier and beam foundations Pier and beam repairs cost $750 to $25,000. You’re usually dealing with rotted beams, piers that have moved, or moisture damage in the crawl space. The good news? You can physically crawl under a pier and beam house to see what’s happening. Exposed wood components draw moisture and pests over time. Cinder block and brick foundations Cinder block and brick foundation repairs cost $350 to $25,000. The mortar between blocks breaks down over the years. Eventually, blocks can crack and shift out of alignment. What affects your foundation repair costs Home size and foundation footprint Your home’s footprint drives cost. At $1.50 to $12 per square foot, a 1,000-square-foot foundation runs $1,500 to $12,000. Got 2,000 square feet? That’s $3,000 to $24,000. Severity and extent of damage A single hairline crack in one wall costs nothing like structural failure affecting multiple walls. Single-area repairs stay affordable. Whole-foundation problems multiply the bill. Soil conditions Expansive clay creates ongoing pressure against foundation walls. Sandy or loose soil allows settling. Different soil types can interact negatively with foundations over time. A professional soil report costs $500 to $3,000. The investment makes sense when you’re trying to identify the root cause rather than just patching symptoms. Accessibility Crawl spaces are easier and cheaper to access than basements. Some repairs require removing landscaping first ($200 to $500) plus restoration afterward. Geographic location Regional costs vary based on labor rates, climate, and common soil types. In freeze-thaw zones like where I live in northern Indiana, the constant expansion and contraction cycle stresses foundations differently than in stable southern climates. A Denver homeowner dealing with expansive clay soil might face bills triple what someone in New York pays for a similar crack repair. Some examples by metro area: New York: $1,700 to $5,500 Denver: $3,500 to $14,000 Houston: $3,300 to $6,800 Permits and inspections Expect permits to run $100 to $150. A structural engineer’s report adds another $300 to $1,000. That engineering report is worth the money. It tells you exactly what repairs you actually need—and keeps contractors from upselling work you don’t. Signs you need foundation repair Your house will tell you when something’s wrong. Look for: Cracks in your walls, floors, or brick on the outside of your house Doors and windows that won’t shut right or stick when you try to open them Floors that dip, slope, or feel weird underfoot Gaps opening between walls and the ceiling or floor Water appearing in your basement or crawl space A chimney pulling away from your house or leaning to one side FEMA’s home structural inspection guidance says to check wall-to-foundation connections regularly. Do it after any flooding, and make it routine if you live where earthquakes happen. Acting early matters. Minor cracks at $250 to $800 can become major settling problems at $5,000 to $25,000 if ignored. DIY vs. professional foundation repair What you can handle yourself Hairline cracks? Grab some epoxy or sealant from the hardware store and fill them yourself. Regrading soil around your foundation or extending downspouts? Totally doable with basic tools. Minor basement moisture? Most people handle that on their own, too. When to call a professional Anything wider than 1/4 inch needs a pro. Same for horizontal cracks and stair-step patterns through mortar joints. If your house shows signs of structural movement, or water keeps coming back no matter what you do, make the call. Professional foundation work runs about $200 per hour for labor. Risks of DIY on structural issues Bad repairs void warranties. And you might address what you can see while the real problem continues underground. Lifting and stabilization work involves real safety hazards. When your home’s structure is at stake, professional experience pays for itself. How to pay for foundation repairs Foundation repairs rarely fall under homeowners insurance coverage. Most policies treat foundation problems as maintenance issues, not covered events. Home equity loans A home equity loan suits large repairs with known costs. You get a fixed rate and lump sum payment, making budgeting straightforward. Check out our top choices here. Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) A HELOC fits repairs with uncertain final costs or phased work. Draw funds as you need them during the repair process. Here are our lender recommendations. Cash-out refinance Got substantial equity and want a lower mortgage rate while you’re at it? Cash-out refinancing lets you tap both. Just know that closing costs run higher and approval takes longer compared to HELOCs or home equity loans. Home improvement loans (personal loans) Home improvement loans work for homeowners without sufficient equity. The loans are unsecured and approve faster, though rates typically run higher than home equity products. Contractor financing Some foundation companies offer payment plans. Compare terms carefully, since contractor financing sometimes carries higher rates than bank products. The FTC offers guidance on avoiding home improvement scams that applies to financing arrangements, too. How to save on foundation repair costs Call three contractors minimum—all licensed and insured. A lot of them will inspect your foundation for free—take them up on it. For complicated problems, pay for a structural engineer’s assessment first. Their opinion doesn’t come with a sales pitch, and it keeps you from paying for repairs you don’t actually need. Tight budget? Handle the urgent stuff now and schedule less critical repairs for later. Ask contractors about payment plans too. Address warning signs right away. Minor repairs stay minor only if you catch them in time. Is foundation repair worth the cost? Ignoring foundation problems can knock 10% to 20% off your home’s value. And the damage doesn’t stay static—it gets worse, and repair costs climb with it. When you eventually sell, buyers and lenders will require a stable foundation anyway. You’ll also avoid the secondary damage that foundation issues cause: cracked plumbing, damaged drywall, and doors that won’t close. One more thing: most foundation repairs come with warranties that transfer to the next owner. That’s a selling point when the time comes. FAQs Does homeowners insurance cover foundation repair? Rarely. Insurers treat foundation damage as a maintenance issue you’re responsible for. Your policy might pay out if a burst pipe or house fire caused the foundation damage. Gradual wear? Settling over time? Those claims usually get denied. How long does foundation repair take? Simple crack repairs wrap up in a day. Piering jobs take two to five days. Major work or full replacement takes several weeks. How long do foundation repairs last? A quality repair should hold up for decades. Poured concrete foundations can go 200 years with proper care. Pier foundations typically last 75-plus years. Can I sell a house with foundation problems? You can sell, but it won’t be simple. State laws usually require you to tell buyers about foundation problems upfront. Count on them asking for money off or repairs before they’ll close. And lenders? Many refuse to approve mortgages on houses with documented foundation problems. Article sources At LendEDU, our writers and editors rely on primary sources, such as government data and websites, industry reports and whitepapers, and interviews with experts and company representatives. We also reference reputable company websites and research from established publishers. This approach allows us to produce content that is accurate, unbiased, and supported by reliable evidence. Read more about our editorial standards. Angi, How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? [2025 Data] North Dakota State University Extension, Soil shrinkage and foundation movement, recommended in soil conditions section West Virginia University Extension, Conduct a soil/site review, recommended in bowing walls section FEMA (fema.gov), Wall-to-foundation anchorage inspection guidance, recommended in warning signs section Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov), HELOC guidance booklet, recommended in financing section FTC Consumer Advice (consumer.ftc.gov), Home improvement scam prevention, recommended in contractor financing section About our contributors Written by Jonathon Jachura Jon Jachura is a home improvement enthusiast and engineer with more than a decade of experience in HVAC systems and hands-on home projects. He enjoys helping homeowners understand, plan, and budget for upgrades that make their homes more comfortable and efficient. Edited by Amanda Hankel Amanda Hankel is a managing editor at LendEDU. She has more than seven years of experience covering various finance-related topics and has worked for more than 15 years overall in writing, editing, and publishing.