How to Choose a Foundation Repair Company: A 10-Point Checklist

Quick Facts

How Do I Choose a Foundation Repair Company?

You've noticed a crack that is getting wider, a door that no longer latches, or a floor you can feel slope under your feet. Three companies offer a free inspection, and each one will leave you with a different number. The difference between those numbers is rarely the price per pier — it is how many piers each salesperson decided you need.

That is why the order of operations matters more than the company name. The homeowners who overpay are almost always the ones who let the first contractor define the problem.

The 10-Point Checklist

1. Get the diagnosis from someone who doesn't sell the repair. A structural engineer's evaluation costs $340–$780 (HomeAdvisor, Jun 2026) and produces a pier plan: how many, where, how deep. Every quote should be priced against that plan.
2. Ask for the per-pier price and pier count in writing. Settling repairs are priced per pier — $1,000–$3,000 each (HomeAdvisor, Jun 2026). Two quotes with the same total can hide very different scopes.
3. Check who pulls the permit. Houston lists foundation repair as a permit type with engineer plans for slab jobs; San Antonio requires engineering guidance by a Texas PE; Austin exempts only repairs under 128 sq ft. A contractor who says "no permit needed" in those cities is a red flag.
4. Verify insurance on paper. Ask for the certificate of liability insurance naming you as certificate holder.
5. Read the warranty, not the brochure. "Lifetime" often means the life of the company, covers only re-adjusting the piers, and may not transfer. Ask: what is covered, who pays for re-leveling, and is it transferable — and for what fee.
6. Look at complaints, not stars. Search the company on the BBB and your state attorney general's site. Warranty disputes, abandoned work and unnecessary repairs are the most common foundation complaints.
7. Ask what happens to your plumbing. Lifting a slab can stress pipes. Ask whether they test the plumbing before and after, and who pays if a line breaks.
8. Get before-and-after elevation readings. A written floor-elevation survey is your proof the job worked and the baseline for any warranty claim.
9. Refuse same-day pressure. "Today-only" discounts and deposits taken at the kitchen table are the pattern behind refund disputes. A legitimate company will hold its price for a week.
10. Compare at least three quotes on the same scope. Quotes for identical work commonly vary widely; the engineer's plan is what makes them comparable.

Why This Happens

• Commission-based selling: many salespeople are paid on job size, so the incentive is more piers.
• No licensing floor: most states, including Texas, have no foundation repair license to screen companies.
• One-time purchase: homeowners rarely buy this twice, so they can't judge a quote from experience.
• Hidden scope: the work happens under the slab, so pier count and depth are hard to check without a plan.

Foundation repair is sold, not shopped. Most homeowners need it once, can't see under the slab, and are frightened by the word "foundation". Commissioned salespeople are paid on the size of the job, so the incentive is to piece the whole house when only one side has moved — "overcharging / unnecessary repairs" ranks among the top BBB complaint categories for foundation companies. An independent pier plan removes that incentive from the diagnosis.

When You Don't Need Repair

You don't need a foundation company at all if the crack is hairline, hasn't changed in six months, and doors and floors are normal — that is cosmetic shrinkage. Save your money: mark the crack ends, date them, and re-check monthly. If anything changes, start with an engineer, not a salesperson.

Related Issues to Check

• Free inspections and what they really include. A free inspection is a sales visit; knowing what it does and doesn't measure tells you how much weight to give its pier count.
• Warranty terms before you sign. The warranty is the part of the contract you'll use years later, often when you sell, so its transfer terms affect resale.
• Whether the house needs an engineer first. Some symptoms point to drainage or plumbing, not settlement, and an engineer will say so before anyone digs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many foundation repair quotes should I get? Get three, all priced against the same engineer's pier plan. Without a shared scope, quotes aren't comparable — one company may price 8 piers and another 20 for the same house.

Do foundation repair companies need a license? It depends on the state. California has a dedicated foundation repair license (C-61/D30); Texas has no state license for foundation repair, so check insurance, permits and an engineer's involvement instead.

Is a free foundation inspection trustworthy? It is useful but not independent. The inspector usually earns more if you buy more piers, so treat the pier count as a sales proposal and confirm it with an engineer's report ($340–$780, HomeAdvisor, Jun 2026).

What should a foundation repair warranty include? It should name what is covered (pier failure, re-leveling), who pays labor, how long it lasts, and whether it transfers to a buyer and for what fee. Get it in the contract, not the brochure.

What are the biggest red flags with foundation repair companies? Same-day signing pressure, a quote without measurements or a pier plan, no permit, no proof of insurance and a vague "lifetime" warranty. Those match the most common BBB complaint categories.

Get a Professional Assessment

The fastest way to compare companies is to give them the same scope. Start with a free inspection and an engineer's plan, then compare quotes line by line.

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Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources verified against current industry data