Messages and Online Forum Q&A

Re: Costs to Replace Partial Foundation

From: info@builderswebsource.com
Category: Foundations and Basements
Remote Name: 63.198.181.43
Date: 14 Aug 2001
Time: 11:02 PM

Comments

You have a long section of foundation showing signs of structural failure, possibly due to expansive soils. We would need to see the extent of the damage and type of structure to determine the approximate cost of replacing this section of foundation. Depending on the accessibility to the failed area, this would likely cost $10,000 - 20,000 or more to repair, but this is just a guess. You should also check with your insurance company to see if this might be covered.

The biggest issue, here, is to determine the cause of the failure. If it is expansive soils, then this will influence the entire structure and you should see other signs of differential settlement. Typically a pier and grade beam foundation is best for expansive soils, implying total foundation replacement -- which is probably not feasible or cost-effective depending on the value of the home.

If you have any digital photos, please email them to info@builderswebsource.com so we can have a better look. Often foundation cracks due to differential settlement are vertical, not horizontal. Your situation sounds more unusual and will likely require a structural engineer to provide a suitable design or repair recommendation for the failed section.

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