How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?
“How much does foundation repair cost?” Before you ask this question, there are several things to determine—how extreme is the cracking? What area of your flooring or cellar is affected—a corner, or more? What factors brought about the need for repairs—poor soil, flood or fire, earthquake?
The Average Cost Of Foundation Repair
Once you’ve determined the size, the location and the causes of the foundational disrepair, it’s much easier to estimate the average foundation repair cost. Be warned however—foundation repair pricing can reveal an extremely expensive service.
A simple crack in the concrete is usually $400 to $800 on average to repair while foundational repair of major damage to a structure can run $25K to $30K, depending on the size of the repair, the location, and the extent to which the entire structure rests upon that damaged spot. Home foundation repair is also less expensive than commercial foundation repair, its lower prices running in the hundreds ($300 to $600) and its higher average prices in the thousands ($10,000 and up), but not at as prohibitively large a price as repairs to business and corporate structures.
Commercial vs. Home Foundation Repair Cost
Home foundation repair cost can be quite specific, depending on the kind of residential foundation repair needed. For instance, horizontal cracks in the foundation mean that your structure tends towards lateral pressure. The ground upon which your house rests is literally expanding and contracting with the seasons, and this can be quite expensive to repair (see underpinning). On the other hand, vertical cracks (usually much smaller) are nowhere near as serious, as they are evidence of the house “settling”, requiring a patching repair that is much less expensive to do (the latex pour).
Commercial foundation repair takes a number of factors into consideration that residential repair does not. In addition to repairs, most commercial buildings must meet higher level natural disaster codes, such as earthquake and fire safety codes. At the very least, a commercial foundation repair will add $3000 to $5000 to the overall foundation repair cost, even with the addition of a simple item such as anchor bolts to meet safety specifications.
Pier And Beam Foundation Repair Cost
The most extreme kind of repair needed for a foundation is horizontal cracking and buckling of the flooring, which usually occurs as the result of a large displacement of earth (as in an earthquake), a fire (where the heat literally buckles the floor), or flooding (where the foundation is undermined by seepage).
In this instance, pier and beam foundation repair is necessary. This is a process that sinks concrete posts (called “piers”) into the earth at points of support. An interlocking wooden beam system joins the posts. Even more stability is achieved with the addition of anchor bolts, but all of these processes are quite expensive.
As noted in the previous foundation repair pricing, a single corner thus fortified will run $3500 to $5000 and more. Anchor bolts add another $1500 to $3500 to the project’s total cost.
Slab Foundation Repair Costs
If the flooring of the house is an interlocking set of concrete slabs, or a single concrete slab, the cost of foundation repair may actually be somewhat less, in that a single slab that develops cracks and signs of displacement can be repaired with a simple concrete and latex application, costing perhaps $400 to $500 for a single slab. If it is more extensive, and the concrete slab is a solid single piece, it may run between $5000 and $7000.
DIY Foundation Repair
Finally, if it bothers you to spend all that money and you want a do-it-yourself repair kit, they are available at such companies as RadonSeal, and these allow you to attempt a home repair job on your own. They are polyurethane and epoxy injection kits, priced beginning at $145.
Foundation Crack Repair Cost
Cracks indicate a displacement in the foundation’s structure, which could be from shifting ground, the emergence of roots from trees, sudden traumas (a minor earthquake) or just plain faulty construction. The actual price “scale” of a crack repair depends on the severity of the crack, its direction (whether it’s on the edge or going under the structure) and the total area that has concussed. A concrete pour to cover and stabilize a cracked surface will run between $400 and $800; if a section of floor is to be replaced because of cracking, add at least $200 to $400 more to the estimate.
Foundation Leak Repair Cost
If there is a plumbing leak or evidence of seepage of water from outside the house (indicating a displacement of soil that has cracked the basement foundations), you may need, in addition to the concrete pour (and of course the plumber bill), to add the cost of foundational underpinnings and earthquake bolts. At the very least, the concrete pour may need to use a latex chemical compound, which will expand and withstand the seepage of water. If there is a persistent leak, no foundational repair will last forever; a replacement latex pour or some form of caulking reinforcement will be needed within two years. For foundation leak repair cost estimate between $3000 and $5000 for major repairs and close to $1000 for caulking and latex.
Sinking Foundation Repair Costs
A sinking foundation (which usually manifests itself in two or three “low spots” in the foundation), indicates uneven soil that is displacing itself. You can add stability to the foundation by underpinning it, at a cost of between $3500 and $5000 for a corner of the house. Underpinning a sinking spot is accomplished by the addition of piers and beams to the foundation.
Foundation Repair Companies
The foundational repair contractors who perform these services are listed on the internet, and the foundation repair cost as outlined in this reading was an average of the prices listed by these same contractors. They include businesses such asfoundationsupportworks.com, foundationrepairnetwork.com and concretenetwork.com. The best favor you as a home or business owner can do for yourself is to select a trusted contractor who is located close to the location you need repaired, thus saving you a great deal of money in transportation costs.
Typically, a foundation repair contractor will charge you for an inspection ($300-800), a possible soil test by a geotechnical engineer ($500-$2000), and then the actual cost of foundation repair, from the $200-$400 concrete pour to the underpinning at $3500 and more. Labor will add at least $1000 to the overall foundation repair cost, no matter what contractor you select.
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