Underpinning a foundation costs around $25,000, on average, and most homeowners pay somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000, depending on their location, soil quality, and foundation condition.
Underpinning a foundation costs an average of $25,000, and prices typically range from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on a few factors. The cost to install one support under a single foundation pier is between $1,000 and $3,000. Structural issues with foundations often stem from soil problems, and underpinning is one of the only permanent solutions. In this guide, we’ll explain how to get a good idea of what foundation underpinning will cost for your home.
Underpinning a foundation can cost anywhere from $1,000 up to $50,000. The price range is so wide because of a few important factors that play into your total costs.
There are three types of underpinning your foundation contractor might use, depending on your soil quality and how deep the bedrock is in your area: push piers, helical piers, and concrete piers.
| Type of Pier | Cost Per Pier |
|---|---|
| Concrete | $1,000 |
| Push/steel | $2,000 |
| Helical | $3,000 |
Concrete piers—known as poured concrete piers if the contractor pours them in place or stacked concrete piers if they stack precast concrete to create the pier—are the most affordable, typically totaling around $1,000 each. They’re often used to distribute loads from small structures, like sheds and detached garages, to a shallow depth of five to ten feet beneath the surface. In some cases, they might be appropriate for standard homes.
Push piers, also called steel piers, are long supports made out of steel that distribute the load from your structure down to bedrock to avoid uneven settlement in the future from soil expansion and contraction. These piers are most popular in areas where the bedrock is at a shallow depth, usually fewer than 40 feet beneath the surface.
Push piers cost around $2,000 each, putting them in the middle in terms of price.
Helical piers look like large screws, and your contractor will screw them deep into the ground—usually up to around 20 feet—before attaching them to your home for support. The weight of your structure is distributed over a wider area thanks to the helices.
Helical piers aren’t as supportive as steel piers because they don’t reach down to bedrock and instead rely on the soil for support. However, they’re more suitable in areas where the bedrock is prohibitively deep to use push piers.
Helical piers are the most expensive, usually costing around $3,000 per pier.
In cases where you have a pier and beam foundation and just one pier is experiencing issues, you might just need a single pin below it to provide adequate support. That would mean a total cost of between $1,000 and $3,000, depending on which type of pier is right for your situation.
If you have multiple areas of your foundation that need added support, you could be looking at 15 or more piers, which would push your total to between $15,000 and $45,000, depending on the type of piers you need.
The average number of piers a contractor will use when underpinning a home is around 10, which puts the typical all-in foundation underpinning cost between $10,000 and $30,000.
Most municipalities will require building permits for foundation repair, which means your contractor will need to pull and pay for permits before they can start the work. Building permits for underpinning cost between $200 and $1,000, and the total will depend on what your local building department charges.
Labor will account for around 80% of your total foundation underpinning cost, which puts this line item between $8,000 and $24,000. The total labor costs will depend on the number of piers you need, the quality of your soil and how hard it is to excavate, the type of foundation you have, how easily accessible the damaged portion of your foundation is, and the contractors you hire.
Here are some common rates for repair pros:
Hourly rate for foundation repair contractor: $100–$200
Structural engineer cost: $200–$800 per inspection
There are a few different foundation types, and the cost of underpinning a foundation depends on the type you have and how accessible the damaged portion is.
Pier and beam foundations tend to be the most affordable to underpin because the crawl space area is easily accessible, and the necessary excavation often only needs to be around individual piers.
Concrete slab foundations, basements, and crawl spaces are a bit more challenging to access and require more excavation, so they’re usually more expensive when it comes to underpinning.
If you’re carrying out underpinning to prevent excess soil movement, you’ll pay less than if your home has suffered from structural damage already. If foundations are damaged, it can affect the amount of labor needed, and thus the cost, to complete the underpinning project safely and without causing additional damage.
Your contractor might need to use additional jacks to support the structure during the work, which will drive up labor costs, and you also might need to pay for repairs after the underpinning is complete.
The accessibility of the unstable portion of your foundation will depend largely on the type of foundation you have, but there are some other concerns to consider, too. Landscaping features or trees that make it more challenging to maneuver heavy equipment and materials to your foundation can drive up labor costs, especially if they require manual excavation rather than the use of heavy machinery.
Soil can be sandy, loamy, or clayey, depending on where you live. The type of soil around your foundation can also play a part in your underpinning costs.
Sandy soil is lighter and easier to excavate, so labor costs will usually be lower than they would be for heavy, dense clay soil, especially true if you have limited accessibility and require manual excavation.
Soil type is also related to the cost of underpinning a foundation because the consistency determines the likelihood of structural instability in the first place. Clayey soil expands and contracts in the presence of moisture, so you’re more likely to see higher underpinning costs if you live somewhere with clay-based soil that can require more piers for proper stabilization and support.
Foundation underpinning costs can already be quite high, but you might want to consider some additional repairs and services alongside the primary repair. The following options can help restore structural stability to your home or help prevent ongoing problems that might require future repairs.
Foundation drainage: Many foundation problems that require underpinning stem from poor drainage, so installing a drainage system could help prevent ongoing stability issues. Expect to pay somewhere between $2,000 and $20,000 for this service, depending on what type of foundation drainage you choose.
Gutter system: Installing a gutter system is a great way to keep excess runoff from creating the problems that necessitate underpinning in the first place. Gutter system installation costs between $800 and $8,000 in most cases.
Sinkhole repair. Sinkhole repair costs between $10,000 and $20,000 in most cases, and, unfortunately, is rarely a permanent fix because the dissolving bedrock is often the problem. However, it could help prolong the frequency of stabilization.
Soil gradation. Soil gradation can help avoid ongoing foundation sinking by using gravity to pull excess runoff away from your structure. Expect to pay between $500 and $1,000 for this service, but note that it generally won’t solve major drainage problems.
If your home is suffering from structural damage, you might be wondering if underpinning or total replacement is a better option. In most cases, underpinning will be far more affordable and less invasive.
Underpinning costs an average of $25,000, while replacing a foundation under an existing structure can easily top $20,000 and is more likely to sit between $50,000 and $100,000. The most you’ll spend on underpinning is around $50,000, and the most you’ll spend on foundation replacement is about triple that.
You should speak with a structural engineer if you’re experiencing major structural damage, as they can help you decide which option is better, but underpinning is likely going to be the recommended route.
Foundation underpinning is not a DIYable job. Not only does it require specialized heavy equipment and materials, but excavating under and around your foundation yourself is extremely dangerous and could easily lead to injury, death, and even more structural damage to your home.
Additionally, most municipalities will only let licensed contractors pull permits for structural repairs, so you likely won’t be able to complete the work even if you wanted to. Your homeowners insurance might also not cover related damages if you attempt a foundation repair yourself, and you could end up negatively affecting your home value by DIYing a solution.
Overall, you should never attempt to stabilize your own foundation. Always call a professional foundation repair contractor near you to complete the underpinning job for you.
"Safety is key when working around foundations, crawlspaces, and basements. Always wear protective gear like gloves, masks, and goggles, and ensure proper ventilation. Minor tasks like filling small cracks and basic inspections can be DIY projects, but leave structural repairs, extensive waterproofing, and significant drainage work to the pros."
— Tim O'Shea, The Build Pros
While DIYing your structural repairs isn’t an option, there are a few things you can do to cut the cost underpinning a foundation:
Get Multiple Quotes: Shop around and browse available foundation repair contractors and structural engineers to find the best price that aligns with your needs.
Be Prepared: While underpinning is a significant task to take on without a trained professional, you can do preparatory DIY work to limit the labor you need. Things like cleaning out or around your foundation to provide easier access can bring down your labor costs.
Hire a structural engineer: It’s a good idea to hire a structural engineer for an unbiased foundation inspection to determine what work you need done. The repair protocol they come up with can then guide repair contractors toward a sufficient and permanent solution rather than having to address ongoing issues from insufficient repairs down the road.
Address the underlying issue: Structural damage always happens for a reason, so you should have your structural engineer determine the underlying problem and have your repair contractor address it. This will cost more upfront but could save you in the long run on future repairs.
Avoid alternative living: You can often live in a home during foundation repair, so you can avoid having to pay for a temporary living space to save money. Just keep in mind that the noises can be distracting and unsettling, so it’s not always a good idea.
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Underpinning a foundation is when a contractor installs deep piers under your foundation to provide support. Professionals often use this foundation repair method when the soil underneath the foundation is no longer strong enough to support the house evenly. Underpinning a foundation often comes with other repairs to tackle the source of the problem. For example, a contractor may regrade your yard around your home’s foundation to make sure water drains away from your house.
As long as the home inspection reveals no problems with the property’s structure, it shouldn’t be an issue buying an underpinned home. In fact, a properly underpinned property can be more stable than houses that have never had structural issues. However, you could face a higher insurance premium if the property has a history of structural problems. You should always request a structural engineer’s report before making a final decision.
There is no real alternative to underpinning, although mudjacking and polyjacking are other repair methods that can add support from underneath your foundation. Rather than placing supportive piers under your structure, these involve pumping a material under your slab to lift a sunken section back into its original position. Polyjacking, in particular, is sometimes a suitable solution for stabilization issues under slab foundations, but underpinning is often accepted as the best and most permanent solution.
