How Much Does It Cost to Raise a House? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $3,550 - $11,828
The cost of raising a house varies from $3,550 to $11,828 and costs around $7,639 for the average-sized home.
If you need to lift up and move your house—whether to save it from future floodwater risks, make a large update to its foundation, or even transport it down the street to a new location—a team of pros will come in to help raise it. Most people pay $7,639 to raise a house. However, this can vary from $3,550 to $11,828, depending on various factors. Raising a house is a big repair project that often means swapping out foundations. Before you start on this project, learn all the costs associated with raising a house and what factors go into the price.
- Average
- $7,639
- Low end
- $950
- high end
- $25,000
Factors That Affect the Cost to Raise a House
It takes a village of professionals to raise a house safely, but that's not all. You'll also need the usual suspects like insurance and permits, and possibly pillars and a new foundation. Let's go over some of the other costs of raising a home besides expertise and labor.
Home Size
The bigger the house, the more it costs to raise. Here’s what you can expect to pay depending on the size of your home:
| House Size | Average Raising Cost |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq. ft. | $10,000–$30,000 |
| 1,500 sq. ft. | $15,000–$44,000 |
| 2,000 sq. ft. | $20,000–$55,000 |
| 2,500 sq. ft. | $25,000–$60,000 |
Insurance
You'll need to have adequate coverage on your homeowner policy before beginning this project. Your contractor will also need proper insurance to cover a project of this scope.
Permits
Like most home improvement projects, raising a house requires permits. Getting proper permits can cost between $1,200 and $2,000. Talk to your contractor to see if they include permits in their estimate.
Plumbing and Electric
During a house raising, a licensed plumber and electrician will need to disconnect all your utility hookups. Electricians charge between $50 and $100 per hour, while plumbers charge between $45 and $100 per hour.
Replacing Foundation
Replacing a damaged foundation while a home is lifted can add $20,000 to $100,000 to the total cost depending on square footage.
Pillars
Pillars can be embedded into bedrock to fasten your foundation if soil or ground movement has caused damage. Pillar costs range from $1,400 to $2,100 each. This is essential to keep the same issue from happening again.
Type of Foundation
The type of foundation that a home is built on will impact the cost to raise the house, as certain foundation types are easier to work with than others. For example, a house that is on a pier or beam foundation, and has a crawlspace, is easier to lift–which usually translates to less labor and a lower cost.
Location
The location of a home will also affect the cost to raise it. The type of climate you live in, as well as ease of access to the area, will impact the labor cost for raising a house.
Cleanup
Positioning large equipment, excavating dirt, and relocating trees during the lifting process can all wreak havoc on your lawn and landscaping. You may need to budget for landscaping fixes after the project.
Labor
In all cases, the biggest cost factor of raising a house is expertise—you’ll need to budget for the architect, structural engineer, and more. It takes a team to successfully lift a house. Here's a look at who and what you can expect to pay:
| Type of Professional | Average Cost Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Structural engineer | $100–$200 |
| Architect | $125–$250 |
| Plumbing | $45–$200 |
| Electrician | $50–$100 |
| Excavation | $40–$150 |
| Laborer(s) | $16 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | $22 |
Cost to Raise a House by Reason
The cost to raise a house depends on if you want to get out of town, lift the house up from water, or put it on solid ground again. Here are the top three reasons to raise a house and how much they add to the total cost.
Raising to Transport Your Home
Costs for lifting a home for relocation are based on:
The home's dimensions
The home's "fitness" for transport
Relocation distance
Terrain and topography of the relocation route
You'll also need to have a foundation ready and waiting at the relocation site. All these factors mean that the cost to raise and move a house ranges from $15,000 to $200,000.
Raising From a Flood Zone
Raising a home to lower flood risk means planning on shelling out for piers, posts, and pilings, as well as. It also means extensive engineering work, planning, and permits. You can expect to shell out between $20,000 and $80,000 to keep your home from swimming with the fishes. The good news is that Flood Mitigation Assistance grants can cover some of this cost if your property is covered by the National Flood Insurance Program.
Raising to Replace Foundation
If foundation repairs just won’t cut it, you probably need to raise your house and replace the entire foundation. This is a major project that costs between $20,000 and $100,000. The final cost will depend on the type of foundation.
Building a Basement
If you're lifting your home to add a basement, digging out a basement can cost between $10,000 and $175,000 based on square footage, drainage and plumbing, and finishing work.
Common House Lifting Add-Ons
If you're already going through the trouble of lifting your home, you may want to also consider:
Adding a basement
Adding a crawl space
Adding more structural support
Doing foundation repairs
Installing a new foundation
How to Save on House Lifting Costs
The cost of lifting a house has an intimidating price tag considering the scope of the project. That being said, you may be able to save on costs by doing certain aspects of the project yourself. For instance, if you have the tools and knowledge to safely do so, you can disconnect the plumbing and electricity to save on the cost of the plumber and electrician.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may be thinking of raising your home to correct structural issues, move it, or prevent flood damage. However, the only way to know if it's even possible is to contact a structural engineer for an assessment.
In order to raise your home to make foundation repairs, you'll need to bring in a structural engineer to help you design the project. You'll also need to see if you're eligible for the permits needed, and contact a foundation repair company near you.
If your home's foundation was damaged due to shifting soil, the same problem will reoccur unless you stabilize the structure by adding posts in the bedrock.
It's important to consider your home's condition to see if it's fit for the extreme stress of being lifted. There are two different methods typically used during lifting a house: raising or underpinning. While both are tried-and-true ways to lift a house, your home will likely withstand some disruption to walls, floors, and ceilings like cracking drywall.
Raising a house requires securing the necessary permits and doing prep work. The entire process can take several weeks, but the actual lifting (not including all the preparation) usually takes about a week.