What can you realistically expect from slab foundation repair?

The answer surprises many people

This question is rarely raised by most foundation repair sales reps or pier salesmen as they are known in the trade. There is a good reason why. They simply do not make any specific, quantitative, verifiable claim regarding how much better your foundation will work after the repair is completed.

What foundation repair contractors actually promise

All they warrant is that, after the foundation repair work is completed, the underpinned area will not settle more than a specified amount, usually an inch of settlement for every 30-feet of underpinned span. The repair work is almost always done without any definitive evidence that the foundation has settled more than an inch for every 30-feet of span. Most homeowners who underpin their foundation have no way of knowing if their foundation has settled more than an inch for every 30-feet of span. Nor do they normally have a rational basis for believing that the foundation will or will not settle more than the warranted amount in the future absent any underpinning.

What improvement is realistic to expect from slab foundation repair

In our experience, foundation underpinning will usually reduce the future settlement by about half. Foundation repair has no effect on future uplift.

In terms that the lay person can relate to, that generally means that the number of drywall and stucco cracks will be cut in about half. The number of brick veneer cracks will usually not change but the average width of the brick veneer crack will usually be cut in half. The number of sticking doors may also be cut in half.