Questions to ask before hiring a foundation repair contractor
Posted September 9, 2026A foundation repair is a large, largely unverifiable purchase, you can't easily check the work once it's buried underground. Asking the right questions upfront is most of the protection you actually have.
What to ask before anyone measures your house
Is the inspection actually free?
Most reputable contractors offer a free inspection. Confirm this upfront, and ask what it includes, specifically whether they take elevation readings or just do a visual walkthrough.
Are you licensed or registered locally?
Texas has no state-level foundation repair license, but many cities require contractor registration to pull permits. Ask whether the job will be permitted and who's responsible for that.
How long have you worked in this specific area?
Soil conditions vary meaningfully across Texas, and even within a single metro. A contractor familiar with your specific neighborhood's soil has a real advantage over one working from general assumptions.
Can I see recent work nearby?
Ask for two or three references from jobs in your ZIP code within the last year or two, and actually call them.
What a real quote should include
The single most important question in this entire process: how did you arrive at this number? A contractor who measured your house properly can walk you through it. One who didn't usually can't, because there's nothing behind the number but a guess.
Pier count and placement
Ask exactly how many piers, where they're going, and how that number was determined. It should trace back to specific elevation readings, not a flat per-square-foot estimate.
Depth
Ask how deep the piers will go and why. Depth to stable soil varies by lot, sometimes significantly within the same neighborhood, and it's one of the biggest cost drivers.
What's excluded
Ask what isn't covered: cosmetic crack repair, landscaping restoration, plumbing testing. A fixed price should specify what it fixes, not just a total number.
Timeline and payment schedule
Ask when work starts, how long it takes, and what the payment schedule looks like. Tie final payment to completed, inspected work rather than paying in full upfront.
If two contractors give you significantly different pier counts for the same house, that's specifically when a second opinion or an independent structural engineer's report earns its cost.
What to actually ask about the warranty
Most reputable foundation contractors offer some form of warranty, but the terms vary enough that "we offer a warranty" tells you almost nothing on its own.
What does it cover?
Ask whether it covers only the piers installed, or the broader repair. Some warranties are narrower than homeowners assume.
What voids it?
Ask directly what actions or conditions would void the warranty. Get the answer in writing, not just verbally.
Does it transfer if you sell?
A transferable warranty is meaningfully more valuable, both to you at resale and to the next owner. Confirm this explicitly rather than assuming it.
Is it in writing before you sign?
A warranty promised verbally but not included in the written contract isn't a warranty you can actually enforce later.
Reasons to walk away
A price with no measurement
The single biggest red flag. If a number is given before elevation readings are taken, it's a guess, not a quote.
Pressure to sign the same day
A legitimate contractor should be comfortable with you taking a day or two to review the quote, especially for a job in the thousands of dollars.
Full payment requested upfront
Some deposit is normal. Being asked for the entire amount before any work begins is not.
No written contract
Scope, price, timeline, and warranty terms should all be in writing before work starts, not agreed to verbally and confirmed later.
Common questions
Do foundation repair contractors need a license in Texas?
Texas has no state-level license specific to foundation repair. Many cities, though, require contractors to register locally to pull building permits, so it's reasonable to ask whether the work will be permitted and who's pulling that permit.
What's the biggest red flag when getting a foundation repair quote?
A price given before the contractor has actually measured the house. A real quote comes from elevation readings taken room by room, not a walkthrough estimate. If someone can't explain why they landed on a specific number of piers, they likely didn't measure carefully enough to know.
Should I get a second opinion before a big foundation repair?
For any job likely to exceed a few thousand dollars, a second opinion or an independent structural engineer's report is generally worth the cost, especially if two contractors have given significantly different pier counts for the same house.
What should a foundation repair warranty actually cover?
Ask specifically what voids it, whether it covers only the piers installed or the whole repair, and whether it transfers to a new owner if you sell the house. A warranty that isn't in writing before you sign isn't a reliable warranty.
Is it normal for foundation contractors to require payment upfront?
Some deposit before work begins is common, but a contractor asking for full payment upfront, before any work is done, is worth questioning. It's reasonable to ask about the payment schedule and tie final payment to completed, inspected work.
Ready for an inspection?
We measure every house before quoting anything, and give you a fixed written price with the pier count and depth on it, not an estimate that moves later.