You are wondering if foundation repair comes with any other costs. Or maybe you weren’t even thinking about any other possible costs until you stumbled upon this article, ack! Either way, you should know that there is some potential for other bills to pay along with your foundation repair bill.
Alright, alright . . . don’t shoot the messenger here, but we are trying to be honest and forthcoming to help you out. To be truthful, other costs could come up DURING the foundation repair process or AFTER the foundation repair process. Some of these costs you might have NO CHOICE on paying for and handling, while others are completely UP TO YOU.
Before we get too much farther, you are probably wondering about this messenger. Well, we are Anchor Foundation Repair. We have been inspecting and repairing thousands of foundations in the Brazos Valley area for 35+ years and two generations.
Sometimes the foundation repair is the only event happening and when we are done the homeowners don’t do another thing at all. Other times we are kicking off the start of a huge remodel and many other costs come after us. Occasionally, unexpected situations come up during the process resulting in extra costs too.
We can tell you about these situations so that you can factor in these costs (or not) when you are thinking about foundation repairs for your home.
We will cover areas where other potential costs can come up both inside and outside of the home. We will review potential costs that come up during and after the repair process, as well as what might be a repair that you have no choice but to do and those that are optional.
Every foundation repair contractor is different, so we will review what we take care of on a foundation repair project. That way, you can check and see if your contractor of choice does the same thing or something else.
What extra costs come up DURING the foundation repair project?
We are around for this part of the process so we know that a few common situations come up during the foundation repair project that can add extra costs. This comes in the form of plumbing-related costs and common scenarios with interior pier work.
Plumbing Situations
A slab-on-grade foundation has plumbing supply lines and plumbing drain lines running through the slab. When it comes time to lift your foundation back to its original elevation, there is a chance that plumbing lines can break or separate. In some cases, you might have already had a plumbing line problem necessitating the foundation repair in the first place.
If plumbing lines were already broken or became compromised during the repair process, they need to be repaired. This is an extra cost for the homeowner. The plumber will have their own bill that will need to be paid separately. This expense is not covered by the foundation repair contractor.
You really can’t leave broken plumbing lines unrepaired, so you have no choice but to get the repairs completed. This is one of those situations where a problem is already known or develops during the repair process that you really have no choice about doing.
Around 35 to 40% of the home foundations we repair have plumbing issues that also need attention during the process. This percentage includes both homes where the plumbing was already an issue and ones where the problem arises during the repair. So, there is a real chance that this could come up for your home.
Repairing plumbing under a slab-on-grade foundation can have a wide range of costs, depending on the number of breaks or lines needing repair. Cost also depends upon the ease of access to the repair location.
For a simple under-slab repair of one fixture’s drain line, it could be around $1,000 for the repair. A whole home re-pipe (3 bedroom 2.5 bath home) would cost around $10,000. So a median cost would fall somewhere in between those two numbers. Our plumbing contacts estimate a normal price near $4,500 for a typical under-slab repair scenario on an average sized home.
Tunneling
One way to handle plumbing repairs under your slab is by tunneling under your slab to reach the repair location. Tunneling is an alternative to jackhammering or breaking through the slab from above.
The biggest advantage to tunneling is that it keeps all the dirt, debris, and mess (and people!) outside of your home and you can continue to use your home as usual even while a repair team is working on your home.
Tunneling does add more cost a homeowner would then be responsible for besides the foundation repair bill.
Tunneling is a choice for the homeowner. It can add extra cost, but you could also be paying a plumber extra for breaking through the slab from the top as well. So it’s one of those things that can happen during the repair process but you have a choice on how to handle it.
Expect the price of tunneling to be in the $200-$500 per foot range. This price point will vary from company to company and location to location. A typical example might be a traditional hall bathroom, needing about 8 to 10 feet of tunneling. The cost of the tunneling and backfilling in this scenario and our area would fall somewhere between $3,000-$5,000.
The longer the tunnel, the higher the cost. Even an average house could need 20 or so feet of tunneling. It all depends on where the leaks are located under the home.
Interior Pier Work Situations
Many foundation repairs involve only adding extra support to the perimeter of a home. Some foundation repairs need support added underneath the interior of your home.
Interior area foundation work can add extra costs for the homeowner with the possible need for new flooring or flooring repairs. Another interior pier situation arises when you might need to move out of the home temporarily or store your belongings while the work is done.
We have an article that gives much more detail on the interior pier work process and things to expect from this type of foundation repair project as it is quite different from a standard perimeter pier project.
It’s a *rather thorough* article so it might be too much info for you right now, but if you need interior support you will want to check it out sometime.
Flooring
When a foundation repair contractor needs to add support under the interior of the home, they have to break through your foundation from above. If you have carpet, this is not as big of a deal because the carpet can be rolled up and put back easily.
Tile or wood flooring or something that is not easy to move out of the way is going to get cut into. The flooring will need patching or full replacement after the foundation repair work is complete. Flooring replacement can be a significant cost, and depending on how many rooms are affected it can be a big expense.
Only 10% of homes that we work on need interior pier work. You would find out the exact locations where support piers are needed during an in-home inspection. The foundation repair contractor would assess the problem, create a repair plan diagram showing the support locations, and quote you a price for repairing it.
Depending on whether you need interior pier work and what type of flooring you have or want will determine if this possible extra cost is a concern for you or not. New flooring for a home can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 or much more. This extra cost is impossible to predict for you, so getting a bid from a flooring contractor is needed for an accurate estimate.
Temporary Storage or Housing
In the majority of cases, interior pier work also means that you will have to move out of your property for 2 to 3 months while the work is being done. Now, you might have a kind friend or relative that will let you stay with them for free, but depending on the time it takes for the repair process that may or may not work for you and your friends/relatives.
So alternative paid housing is something that might be needed during the process but it all depends on your situation and options.
Storage of your belongings away from the work area might also be needed. Sometimes your household items can be stored in other rooms of the home, but that doesn’t always work. You might just want to get a mobile storage unit or put your stuff in offsite storage of some kind.
This is a personal choice and decision, but it could result in more costs to you and you will want to get some pricing for temporary storage if your situation requires it. We offer ideas on handling both temporary housing and storage in that same interior pier article as well.
What extra costs can come up AFTER the foundation repair process?
Many optional things can come up for a homeowner after foundation repair is completed. Some of these are optional in that you may choose not to do them, do them in a DIY manner, or hire out another professional to complete the work. Some extra costs are optional because they are just more home improvement projects that you are doing afterward.
A wide spectrum of extra costs can come up for homeowners and it’s hard to know what every client does, thinks, and wants after we have completed a foundation repair project for them. But we do get the opportunity to talk with enough people to know some general ideas of what homeowners do.
Sometimes we are even the ones making recommendations for other types of repair contractors to call in for the other work.
Other Contractors or Work You Might Need After Foundation Repair
These are things that you might not need at all. Or if you do need/want them you can either handle these repairs yourself or choose to bring in another contractor afterward to handle them for you. Extra costs can come in the form of DIY supplies you need or a bill from the other specialized contractor.
These are in order from more to less common homeowner needs:
- Repairing cracks on interior drywall and repainting if desired
- Rehanging or replacing doors if needed/desired
- Irrigation repairs if the system was already broken
Here’s a bit more detail on these three situations where you might need/want further repairs from another contractor.
1. Repairing cracks on interior drywall and repainting if desired
By far, the most common extra cost would come from repairing cracks on interior drywall and possibly repainting just that repaired section or the whole room. Cracks will come back together during foundation repairs, but you will still be able to see the evidence of them.
This is when homeowners usually want to have someone come in and make that crack go away completely with some spackling, sanding, and repainting. You might even choose to repaint the room with a whole new color. All this work would come from a separate drywall/paint contractor and be an extra cost that you would want to get estimated.
2. Rehanging or replacing doors if needed/desired
Doors that don’t latch or stay closed properly are one of the signs that foundation repair is needed. Most of the time, existing old doors will return to proper functionality when foundation repair is completed.
But if you had a door rehung or replaced before the foundation repair in an attempt to make it work right, you might have to get it rehung again because it won’t return to functionality. It can get skewed out of working order because the foundation wasn’t level when it was installed.
3. Irrigation repairs if the system was already broken
During the foundation repair process, it might be discovered that your irrigation system had an issue before the repair. After the foundation repair, homeowners often decide that it is a good time to handle that irrigation repair too.
Remodeling Costs After Foundation Repair
As mentioned earlier, sometimes foundation repair is the first step in a long line of home remodeling projects. If you do plan on some extensive remodeling of your home, we always recommend completing needed foundation repairs first before a full remodel.
There are so many extra costs and variables with remodeling choices that it would be impossible for us to list all the options. But these are all going to be optional and additional costs from other contractors. Hoping this one is not a surprise to you . . .
What is INCLUDED in the foundation repair process/bill?
What about things we haven’t mentioned yet, like landscaping, brick mortar, or painting and wall repair? Good question. We only know what we do in these cases. We don’t know for sure what other contractors do and don’t do or charge and don’t charge for.
We will go over these so that you know what is included in our work and also what you might need to ask about if you are using a different contractor. We are happy to share this information with you even if you don’t use our services so that you are armed with knowledge no matter what.
There are quite a few things that Anchor Foundation Repair does as part of the repair project that don’t add extra costs, they are services included in our quoted price. Here is a list of common exterior and interior finishing repairs that could be included in any foundation repair project (but we know for sure they are included in ours):
Exterior Finishing Repairs Typically Included
- Reapply mortar to the cracks in the exterior brick walls that don’t close all the way
- Reinstall new caulk that had to be removed to close a gap around a window
- Move and replant shrubs and landscaping we moved during the repair project
- Reconnect properly configured and functional irrigation we had to disconnect
- Patch holes made in exterior concrete surfaces like sidewalks and porches
- Thorough clean-up and return to the original condition of the exterior areas
Interior Finishing Repairs Typically Included
- Roll carpet back out and return to its original position
- Check doors for functionality and make minor adjustments
- Thorough clean up if work was done inside
Extra Costs Are Less Common or Optional with Foundation Repair
To sum things up, there are a couple of scenarios you should be aware of where extra costs come up during the process with plumbing repairs and interior pier work. But, about two-thirds of homes we repair don’t need plumbing work. Nine out of ten homes we repair don’t need interior piers. So there are more times that these things are NOT happening.
Many finishing services are included in the scope of work for a foundation repair project too, like patching concrete, re-mortaring brick, and returning landscaping.
The majority of the other extra costs that could come afterward are typically optional and in your control on when or if they get done, from a full remodel to fixing some irrigation lines.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we are here to help talk you through this. We have worked with thousands of homeowners in the Bryan, College Station, and surrounding Brazos Valley communities for 35+ years. We provide foundation repair, as well as tunneling services.
Since you are taking in info about costs, your next thoughts might be on how you can pay for it all. We have an article about how to pay for foundation repair that you might want to check out next.
