The main drivers
Seven things that move the price
How many supports
Most structural repairs are priced by the pier, post or anchor. The count follows the length of foundation that has moved and the spacing the designer chooses.
Depth to something solid
Each pier is driven or turned until it reaches rock or firm soil. Around Murfreesboro limestone is often only a few feet down, which can keep piers short, but its depth changes from one end of a house to the other. Proposals usually state an assumed depth and a charge for going beyond it.
Getting to the work
Piers under an open side yard are simple. Piers behind a deck, under an air conditioning pad, beneath a stoop or inside the house through the floor take longer. So does a crawl space with barely room to lie down.
The kind of foundation
A crawl space repair is mostly posts, pads and lumber. A slab may need interior piers or lifting. A bowed basement wall needs braces, anchors or excavation. They are priced on different scales.
Holding or lifting
Stopping movement costs less than recovering lost height, which adds jacking time and risk to finishes.
Engineering and permits
A structural engineer's inspection, drawings or letter is a separate fee when one is needed. The City of Murfreesboro bases its permit fee for alterations on the construction cost of the job.
Putting things back
Brick repointing, drywall, flooring, landscaping, a plumbing test under a raised slab, gutter and grading corrections. Check which of these are inside the price and which are left to you.
Like with like
Comparing two proposals fairly
Lay them side by side and check that they are solving the same problem. One company may propose piers along a whole wall and another along half of it. One may include lifting and the other only stabilising. The cheaper sheet is not cheaper if it does less.
Then look at the conditions. What depth is assumed, and what is the extra charge per foot? Is rock excavation or breaking out concrete listed as an extra? Is the warranty the same length, and does it pass to a buyer if you sell?
If the two proposals disagree about what is wrong, and not only about price, that is the moment an independent engineer earns the fee.
Money matters
Deposits, payment and insurance
Deposits and payment
Get the payment schedule in the contract. Rutherford County's building department advises homeowners to have a written agreement and to avoid paying a deposit of more than a third of the contract. Some companies arrange financing; the terms are theirs, so read them as you would any loan.
Homeowner's insurance
Many homeowner policies exclude settling, earth movement and gradual damage. Whether yours covers anything depends on its wording and on the cause. Read the policy or ask your agent. This service does not deal with insurance claims.
Questions
About the cost of foundation repair
Why won't anyone give me a price over the phone?
Because the count of piers, the depth and the access are unknown until someone has measured the house and looked underneath. A figure given before that is a guess.
Is the inspection charged for?
That is up to the company, and practice differs. Some make no charge to a homeowner for a visit and proposal, and some charge when the inspection is for a house sale. Ask when you book. A structural engineer charges a fee.
Does shallow rock make the job cheaper?
Sometimes. Shorter piers use less steel. But rock at uneven depths, or rock that has to be broken out to reach a footing, can add cost. It depends on the lot.
One phone call
Speak with a foundation repair company near Murfreesboro
Mention the crack, the dip or the lean, name the room, and give the month you first spotted it. Whoever picks up belongs to a Middle Tennessee foundation outfit whose only tie to this website is the referral. They can pencil in an inspection and follow it with a written price.
A house that is cracking as you listen, a wall on the point of failing, gas in the air: everybody outside first, then 911 and the gas company.
Expect the call to be recorded. Two short pages cover the rest: who pays for referrals and what becomes of call details.