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Slab Foundation Repair in Texas

Most Texas homes built since the 1960s sit on a slab-on-grade foundation — a single pour of reinforced concrete resting directly on the soil. That works beautifully until the soil moves, and across the state's expansive-clay belts the soil moves every year. When part of a slab settles or heaves relative to the rest, the frame above it racks: brick cracks, doors stick, floors slope.

Slab repair is almost always underpinning: transferring the weight of the settled sections from unstable near-surface soil onto piers that reach deeper, more stable material. The pier type, count and placement are the whole game — and the right answers depend on your soil region, your home's weight, and where the movement actually is.

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Slab Foundation Repair — free estimate

Tell us what you're seeing and a local foundation specialist will follow up — usually the same business day. Prefer to talk now? Call (800) 555-0100.

When this is the right repair

  • Perimeter settlement — a corner or wall line visibly lower, with stair-step brick cracks above it
  • Movement confirmed by elevation readings, not just a single cosmetic crack
  • Differential movement on mixed soil profiles (part rock, part clay or fill)
  • Pre-sale repairs where a transferable warranty resolves inspection findings

When it isn't

  • Uniform, minor seasonal movement a moisture-management program could handle
  • Interior-only dips where slab injection/leveling is the actual fix
  • A drainage problem nobody has corrected yet — piers won't stop water

How the work goes

  1. Elevation survey

    A floor-level map of the slab establishes where movement is and how much, and becomes the baseline for the lift.

  2. Pier plan

    Piers are specified where the readings and structure demand them — a plan should show each pier location and the expected depth for your soil.

  3. Excavation and installation

    Crews dig at each pier location, then press, drive or screw piers to refusal or torque spec beneath the grade beam.

  4. Lift and shim

    Hydraulic jacks raise the settled sections toward the baseline; steel shims lock in the recovered elevation.

  5. Plumbing test and cleanup

    A hydrostatic plumbing test after any lift is cheap insurance — lifting a slab can stress old drain lines.

Across Texas: Region matters: in deep Blackland or Gulf Coast clays, piers must pass below the seasonal moisture-change zone, which favors deeper steel or pressed-pile installations. In Hill Country limestone, piers often reach refusal fast and the plan is about which sections need support at all. See your city page for the local read.

Slab Foundation Repair FAQs

Pressed concrete vs steel piers — which is better?

Steel typically drives deeper and carries the strongest warranties; pressed concrete pilings cost less and perform well in many profiles. The honest answer is soil-dependent — get both priced with expected depths, and weigh warranty terms rather than marketing.

Will the cracks close when the slab is lifted?

Often they narrow substantially; sometimes they close completely. The goal of a lift is maximum practical recovery without damaging the structure — a good crew stops short of forcing it.

How long does slab underpinning take?

Most residential jobs run one to three days of site work, plus the evaluation and any engineering beforehand.

Does homeowners insurance cover it?

Usually not for soil movement, which most Texas policies exclude. Slab damage from a covered plumbing leak is sometimes an exception — read our insurance guide before assuming either way.

Local slab foundation repair guides

Not listed? Every Texas community has a local page — find your city.

What to expect — and what to ask

How the process works

  1. 1. Tell us what you're seeing. Call or send the form — cracks, sticking doors, slopes, timelines.
  2. 2. A local specialist evaluates on-site. Elevation readings across the slab, drainage walk-around, crawl-space inspection where applicable.
  3. 3. You get a written scope. Pier locations and count, method, drainage recommendations, warranty terms, price.
  4. 4. You decide — without pressure. For a five-figure structural repair, comparing bids is reasonable and any good contractor knows it.

Questions worth asking any bidder

  • Which pier type, and to what expected depth in this soil?
  • Is an independent structural engineer's report included or recommended?
  • What exactly does the warranty cover — and does it transfer when I sell?
  • How will you address the drainage or root cause, not just the symptom?
  • What happens to my plumbing during the lift (hydrostatic test after)?

More in the guide: how to choose a foundation repair contractor.

Bedrock Texas is an independent referral network, not a contractor. We connect you with a vetted local foundation repair company and may be compensated for the referral — details in our disclosure. We never publish fabricated reviews or credentials.