The short answer
National cost guides put the average foundation repair at $5,166 (HomeAdvisor) to $5,200 (Fixr). Around Fort Worth, most jobs are pier jobs on expansive clay, which This Old House says makes a house more likely to need piering, so local totals often run higher: one contractor, Olshan, reports a 2026 average of $8,379 across its Dallas–Fort Worth work.
Nobody publishes a Fort Worth average from a neutral source. The figures below are the closest sourced numbers, line by line.
Line by line: what a Fort Worth quote can include
| Line on the quote | Published figure | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete pier (pressed or poured) | $1,000 per pier | each, typical | Angi |
| Drilled concrete pier | $765–$1,100 per pier | each | Olshan (contractor figure) |
| Steel push pier | $2,000 per pier | each, typical | Angi |
| Steel push pier, Texas contractor price | $990–$1,350 per pier | each | Olshan (contractor figure) |
| Helical pier | $2,000–$4,000 per pier | each | HomeGuide |
| Pier and beam: adding a pier | $800–$4,000 per pier | each | Angi |
| Pier and beam: re-shimming | $1,600 | job average | Angi |
| Pier and beam: replacing a beam | $400–$1,200 per beam | each | Angi |
| Structural engineer’s report | $300–$2,000 | per report | Fixr |
| City permit | $75–$150 | per permit | This Old House |
| Slab leak repair, if one is found | $2,500 | average | Fixr |
| Drainage system | $2,800–$6,500 | per job | Angi |
Fort Worth doesn’t publish a flat foundation repair permit fee on the pages we found. Nearby cities do: Mansfield lists $150 plus a $100 plan review fee, and Arlington $150.00. Keller bases its fees on construction value and square footage.
No cost guide prices the hydrostatic plumbing test some plans include, or a standalone engineer’s letter for a permit. Ask for both as separate lines.
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Why advertised pier prices are so far apart
Shop around Fort Worth and you’ll find per-pier prices that differ several times over. Four things explain most of it.
Pier type. A pressed concrete pier is a stack of precast cylinders pushed into the ground until it resists. A drilled pier is a hole filled with reinforced concrete. A steel push pier is pipe driven down using the weight of the house. A helical pier is a steel shaft screwed in like an auger. Each costs a different amount to buy and install.
Depth. The Foundation Performance Association warns that shallow piling not driven far enough below the soil’s moisture zone can continue to settle as the seasons change. A cheap pier that stops in the clay that’s doing the moving is not the same product as one that reaches firmer ground.
The soil itself. Angi notes that soil changes the bill: it prices three to five steel piers at $6,000–$10,000 in dense clay over shallow bedrock, and more in loose or sandy soil. Fort Worth has both. The Grand Prairie side of the city has shallow clay over limestone, while the Cross Timbers side has sandy soils.
What’s bundled. Some quotes include the engineer’s plans and letter, the permit, a plumbing test, the final report and cleanup; others list the piers alone. A low per-pier price with everything else extra can end up the dearer job.
How many piers you’ll need
The pier count should come from the area that moved, measured on a floor elevation survey, not from the house’s square footage. The usual method:
- Mark the low areas on the elevation survey.
- Measure the length of beam along those areas.
- Divide by the pier spacing in the plan, and add a pier at each end and at corners.
Example: a hypothetical plan that finds one back wall dropped along its whole length, with piers every few feet, could need 8 to 10 exterior piers; a plan that also finds a low spot in the middle of the slab adds interior piers on top.
Olshan, a contractor, says most slab jobs need 5–15 piers. If two plans for the same house disagree by several piers, ask each contractor to show you which readings put a pier where.
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Slab and pier and beam houses cost differently
34% of Fort Worth’s homes date from before 1980, and many of the older ones stand on piers and beams. Those repairs are often cheaper per visit and messier to predict:
| Compared | Slab house | Pier and beam house |
|---|---|---|
| Typical fix | Piers under the dropped beams, then a lift | Re-shim, add piers, replace rotted or sagging beams |
| Published cost | Piers at $1,000–$3,000 per pier | $1,500–$15,000 overall (HomeGuide) |
| Hidden extras | Interior piers, slab patching, plumbing under the slab | Rot found once the crawl space is opened, sill and joist repair |
Angi’s pier and beam average is $10,000. The gap between the two guides shows how much the bill depends on what turns up under the floor. The pier and beam page explains each fix.
Insurance and paying for it
The Texas Department of Insurance says that under all-risk policies, foundation repair is usually not covered, so plan to pay for settling yourself. The exception is damage from a sudden plumbing leak; the insurance guide explains when that applies.
Many contractors offer payment plans. Compare the total cost, not the monthly figure, and arrange your own financing if it’s cheaper. For a homestead improvement costing more than $5,000, the Texas Attorney General says the contractor must deposit your payments in a construction account.
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How to compare two quotes
- Same pier type, same count, same target depth? If not, the totals aren’t comparable.
- Interior piers included, with slab breakouts and patching priced?
- Engineer’s plans, structural letter and permit included, or extra?
- Plumbing test before and after the lift, and who runs it?
- Warranty: what it covers, for how long, and whether a buyer can take it over.
- Cleanup, landscaping and flatwork: in or out?
The Texas Department of Insurance suggests at least three bids. If two plans disagree badly, a licensed professional engineer who doesn’t sell repairs can settle it; HomeAdvisor says a general structural report averages $550.
Where these figures come from
Every price here is a published figure from a cost-guide site (Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, Fixr, This Old House) or a contractor’s own page, labelled as such, and each links to its source at the bottom of the page. Cost guides survey national prices; contractor figures reflect one company’s jobs. Neither knows your house. The written plan from the contractor who inspects it does.