How to Choose a Foundation Repair Company

Start here: you have more time than it feels like

Finding a crack or a door that suddenly won't close is unsettling. But most foundation movement happens over months or years, and a few weeks spent comparing estimates rarely changes the outcome. The exceptions are signs like a door or window that has jammed shut overnight, a crack you can watch growing week to week, or water coming in. If you see those, get someone out soon.

For everything else, the goal is simple: understand what is wrong, what the fix is, and what it costs, before you sign anything. If you are not sure yet whether you have a foundation problem at all, start with the symptom checker.

What Oklahoma requires (and doesn't)

This surprises many homeowners: Oklahoma does not have a state license for general or foundation repair contractors. The Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), which licenses trades like plumbing, electrical, mechanical and roofing, says plainly that "General Contractors are not currently required to have a state license in Oklahoma." The CIB adds that local jurisdictions may have their own licensing, registration and permit rules.

Inside Oklahoma City limits, the city says residential building contractors (along with electrical, plumbing, mechanical and several other trades) must be registered with the City of Oklahoma City. The city also says permits are required when you "construct, alter, repair, enlarge, move or demolish" a structure. So two good questions for any contractor working in OKC are:

• Are you registered with the City of Oklahoma City?
• Will this job need a permit, and will you pull it?

Edmond, Moore, Norman, Yukon, Mustang and the other suburbs run their own permit offices. Ask the contractor whether a permit is required where you live, and if you want to be sure, call your city's permit office yourself. The CIB's own consumer tips say to ask to see the building permit before work starts.

If the job touches plumbing (for example, a leak under the slab), that part must be done by a plumber who holds a CIB plumbing license, and you can verify a license by calling the CIB at 405-521-6550. This is general information, not legal advice.

Questions to ask every contractor

Ask each company the same list and write down the answers. The differences tell you a lot.

About the diagnosis

• What do you think is causing the movement? A good answer names a cause (drought shrinkage, a leak, poor drainage, a tree) and explains how they know.
• Did you take elevation readings? Many contractors use a level to measure how far different parts of the floor are from level. Ask for a copy.
• Should an engineer look at this first? A contractor who welcomes a second opinion is a good sign.

About the repair

• What type of pier, and why? Pressed concrete, steel push or helical. Each has different costs and depths; see our cost guide.
• How deep will the piers go, and what decides the depth? A fixed depth, or driven until they hit a set resistance?
• How many piers, and where? Ask for a drawing showing each one.
• Will you lift the house, and how far? Full return to level is not always possible or wise. Ask what they expect.
• What about drainage? On Oklahoma City clay, water is often part of the cause. A plan that ignores it may not hold.
• Will you test the plumbing? Lifting a slab can stress pipes underneath. Ask whether a plumbing test before and after is included.

About the job itself

• How long will it take, and when can you start?
• What gets dug up, and how will you clean up? Landscaping, flower beds, patio or flooring near pier locations.
• Who repairs interior cracks after the lift? Drywall and trim are often excluded.
• What is the payment schedule?

Before the first visit, it can help to get a quick read on what you are dealing with. A photo of your worst crack is a good start.

Red flags

The Federal Trade Commission and the Oklahoma CIB both publish home repair warnings. The ones that matter most for foundation work:

• Pressure to sign today. "This price is only good if you sign now" is a sales tactic, not an engineering opinion. The FTC lists pressure to sign as a warning sign.
• No written scope. The CIB says to always get a written contract before work begins, covering start date, detailed scope and completion date.
• A quote by phone without an inspection. No one can count piers without measuring your house.
• A large deposit up front. The FTC says not to pay the full amount up front and never to make the final payment until the work is done and you are satisfied.
• Door-to-door offers, especially after a storm. The CIB specifically warns about these.
• Blank spaces in the contract. The FTC says never sign a document with blanks.
• Financing pushed hard. The FTC warns against contractor-arranged financing you haven't compared with other lenders.
• No interest in the cause. If a plan adds piers but never mentions water, ask why.

How to read a foundation repair warranty

Warranties are where estimates that look alike start to differ. Read the actual document, not the brochure, and look for these points:

1. What is covered. Usually only the piers installed and the areas they support. Movement in an un-piered part of the house is often excluded.
2. What "lifetime" means. The life of the house, the life of the company, or the life of your ownership? Each is very different.
3. What they will do. Most warranties promise to re-adjust (re-level) the piers they installed, not to pay for new damage. Ask whether interior repairs are ever included.
4. Transferability. Can it pass to a buyer if you sell? Is there a fee, paperwork or a deadline? A transferable warranty can matter when you sell a house with past foundation work.
5. Exclusions. Common ones are plumbing leaks, poor drainage, tree roots, cosmetic cracks and "acts of God" like earthquakes. Our page on earthquakes and foundations covers that risk.
6. Your obligations. Some warranties require you to maintain drainage or water the soil. If you don't, coverage may be void.
7. Who backs it. If the company closes, does anyone honor the warranty?

Get every promise made in your kitchen written into the contract or warranty. If it is not on paper, assume it does not exist.

When you are ready for someone to look in person and put a scope in writing that you can compare against others, you can request an inspection here.

A structural engineer as a second opinion

A structural engineer (a professional engineer) works for you, not for the company selling piers. They can tell you whether repair is needed at all, how many piers make sense, and whether drainage alone might do. Published cost guides put a structural engineer's report at about $300 to $1,000 (Angi) or $500 to $3,000 (HomeGuide). On a job that could reach five figures, that is often worth it.

Good times to bring one in:

• Two estimates disagree sharply on pier count or method.
• You are buying or selling the house.
• The house has been repaired before and is moving again.
• You simply want an answer from someone with nothing to sell.

Professional engineers in Oklahoma hold licenses from the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, and you can check a license there. Ask the engineer to review the contractor's plan, and ask the contractor whether they will build to the engineer's recommendations.

Comparing estimates fairly

The CIB suggests getting at least three estimates and warns that the lowest may not reflect the quality of materials. Put them side by side and match pier type, pier count, depth, drainage, plumbing test, permit, cleanup and warranty line by line. If one estimate is far cheaper, the answer is usually in what it leaves out. Our cost guide has a full checklist, and the risk map shows how much your ZIP's soil tends to move.

Want to see how your soil compares before the first visit?