I’m a wholesaler and I wanted to get some ideas of some common types of repairs here in North Texas to assist me in estimating repair costs. Last week I called several foundation repair services and didn’t get very far. Basically they said each instance is unique and they don’t generalize repair costs.
So, I’d like to hear from other folks’ experience who have actually paid for these services, if you don’t mind sharing. I’m looking for costs of repairing a foundation on a ~1,000 sf house for both concrete and pier & beam. Also, if you have the age of the house that would be really great too.
I had to have about 30’ of the foundation replaced about 4’ tall in concrete and it cost $2,200 about ayear ago. I would have to agree that it would be difficult to estimate without seeing, but I am not a concrete guy.
My WAG on a 1000 sq.ft. house to replace old wood (cedar stump) piers with concrete and replace some (maybe 20 linear ft.) of the beams would be $8 to $10K.
I’ve been quoted from $300 to $350 per pier. On most foundations, piers are spaced about 6 feet apart. The number and length of beams that need replacing just depend on the condition of the existing beams.
That’s been my experience in Austin, not too far from where you are. But the market is probably hotter here, so your prices may be lower.
I had an estimate to go through out the house and level where needed and run a 32 ft beam across the back of my home. This included any piers where needed. Total, the estimate was around $5k, $1700 for the beam and $3300-3500 for the rest. My house is about 1800 sq ft and about 3 ft off the ground which helps in the price. Thats by what he said, I could be wrong or it could varie by company. He said it helps when they can maneuver their equipment easier under a house, it cuts down on labor and they don’t have to cut thru any subfloor to get to where they need. I put the beam in myself with the help of my brother for about $200 in materials, I used a series of 6"x8"x8’, supporting them at the ends and in the center. I also did some work to the front of my house repairing a rotted sill and a couple of joists. I did not go throughout the house leveling every thing because I was told by another foundation repair contractor that my house was fine, it was old and that it had done all the settling that it was going to do for a while, just to call him if I notice any new cracks or such. That is also an example of two types of contractors, the type that will scare you into thinking you need your whole house leveled and the “honest” one that will not waist your time or his own with minor crap that can be better left alone. By the way, the guy that tried to scare me into leveling my whole house was with olshan. The other contractor said that olshan was a waist of time, that they liked to use scare tactics to get their work. Any foundation work can and most likely WILL run into a lot of money, the key is to learn what repairs are needed and what the best way to address them might be. “Do I need to rip out all the old joists or just repair them and add additional support?” There are several ways to repair different things and some may cost more than others, require more materials or more labor, and etc. A lot of contractors will suggest what will make them the most money, not necessarily the fastest and cheapest. It helps to know what you are getting into. I am lucky that I have a little back ground in construction and most of my family are either contractors or handymen. Well, I hope this helps and good luck.
Oh yea, my house is a 1955 pier and beam with a brick veneer exterior. I also live in Louisiana where the soil is terrible, you may not have the same problems in Texas where the climate is more dry.
