Why nobody should quote you a price on the phone
The first question almost everybody asks is what this is going to cost. It is a fair question. The honest answer is that the number depends on things nobody can see from a phone call, and any company that gives you a firm price before measuring is either guessing or planning to change it later.
What we can do is tell you exactly what the price is built from, so when you get a proposal you can read it instead of squinting at it.
The four things that move the number most
Almost every residential foundation repair bill in Arlington comes down to the same short list.
- Pier count. How many placements the house needs, which comes from the elevation survey, not from a wall crack.
- Depth. How far down load-bearing soil sits at your address. Deeper means more material and more labor per pier.
- Access. An open side yard is cheap to work in. A pier under an interior load-bearing wall, a patio, or a pool deck is not.
- Pier type. Steel costs more than concrete, and it is the right call when depth or load demands it.
Tunneling is the line item people do not expect
When a placement falls under the middle of the house, we either come up through the slab inside or tunnel in from outside. Tunneling keeps your floors and finishes untouched, which most homeowners want, but it is hand digging under a house and it adds real cost.
If a proposal is dramatically cheaper than the others, look for what it does to your interior. Breaking through slab inside is faster and cheaper for the contractor, and it is your tile that pays for it.
The cheapest repair is often not a repair at all
A meaningful share of the houses we evaluate in Arlington do not need piers yet. They need water managed. Downspouts extended away from the slab, a low spot regraded, a French drain on the elevation that stays wet for four days after a storm.
That work costs a fraction of a pier line and it addresses the thing actually moving the house. When the readings support it, that is the recommendation you will get from us, and you are welcome to take our elevation numbers to another company for a second opinion.
What a good proposal looks like
You should be able to see the placement count, the pier type, the access method, and what happens to your yard when the crew leaves. You should also see the elevation readings the plan is based on.
If a proposal has a total and nothing else, ask for the measurements. A company that took them will hand them over.
Common questions
People Ask Us This
- Is foundation repair covered by homeowners insurance in Texas?
- Long-term soil movement generally is not covered. Damage from a sudden plumbing leak under the slab sometimes is. Read your policy, and we will document what we find either way.
- Do you charge for an evaluation?
- Homeowner evaluations are free. You get the elevation readings and a straight recommendation whether you hire us or not.
- Does repair cost more on an older home?
- Not automatically. Age matters less than access and depth. A 1960s house with an open perimeter can be cheaper to repair than a newer home with a pool deck in the way.
Written by
Taylor Yates
Co-owner of Imperial Foundation Repair in Arlington. Spends most of his week on job sites and in front of homeowners.
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