Foundation repair cost calculator

How foundation repair is priced

Foundation repair bids are built from a few countable items, so the cost follows the size of the problem: how many piers or anchors, how many feet of crack, and the professional fees around them. There is no national survey of repair prices to lean on; the Census Bureau's home improvement survey does not report foundation work as its own category.^[4] That makes it more important to break each bid into units you can compare.

For perspective on scale, foundations made up 10.5% of the construction cost of the average new home in the National Association of Home Builders' 2024 survey, about $44,963 on a $428,215 build.^[3] That is the price of building a foundation, not repairing one, but it shows why replacing a foundation is rarely the first option.

Counting piers: the worked example

Piers are counted along the length of wall that needs support, with one at each end. The spacing is an engineering decision for your house and soil; the calculator only does the counting.

1. Wall to support: 30 ft. Spacing in the plan: 6 ft.
2. 30 ÷ 6 = 5, rounded up, plus 1 = 6 piers.
3. Crack repair: 12 linear ft × your price per foot.
4. Add the engineer's report, the permit and any drainage or landscaping work from the bid.

Two bids with the same price per pier can differ by thousands of dollars if one contractor spaces piers closer or supports a longer stretch of wall. Ask each bidder for the count and the spacing, and enter them here to compare.

Which cracks need a professional

Not every crack is a structural problem; the age, width and pattern of a crack say a lot. HUD's inspection guide for older homes lists common causes, from "differential settlement of foundations" to "drying shrinkage (particularly in concrete block)", and gives these clues:^[1]

• "A clean crack indicates recent movement; a dirty or previously filled crack may be inactive."
• "A one-half-inch crack in a new building may be a sign of rapid settlement."
• "When there are masonry problems, it is advisable to procure the services of a structural engineer." Where settlement is the cause, it adds that a soils engineer may also be needed.

NDSU Extension advises homeowners to judge basement wall cracks by their size, sight along the wall to see whether it is still straight, and repair cracks to keep water out, noting that dry soil can shrink and let foundations move.^[2] Water that gets in through cracks can also feed mold; the mold remediation cost calculator sizes that cleanup by EPA's categories. An engineer's report costs money up front but tells every bidder what to price, which makes the bids comparable.

Paying for foundation repair

Because foundation work is often urgent and hard to schedule around savings, many owners borrow for it. The CFPB notes that home equity is commonly used for repairs and warns that a loan secured by the house can put it at risk if payments are missed.^[6]

• Line of credit. A HELOC lets you draw for the engineer, then the piers, then the cleanup, paying interest only on what you have used; see the HELOC payment calculator and how large a line your equity supports on the HELOC LTV page.
• Tax angle. HELOC interest is deductible only for money used to buy, build or substantially improve the home. The IRS treats work that prolongs the home's useful life as an improvement but ordinary repairs as not,^[5] so ask a tax professional how your project is classified.
• Compare loans. The home improvement loan calculator puts a HELOC, a home equity loan and a personal loan side by side.