The main drivers
- How many supports
- Piers, anchors and posts are priced per unit. The count depends on how much of the house has moved and how the load is spread, which is why a floor-level survey comes first.
- How deep they have to go
- A pier stops when it reaches firm material. Around Chattanooga that depth varies widely, especially on the chert ridges. Ask whether the price assumes a depth and what happens if the piers run deeper.
- Access
- Work along an open side yard is simple. Work under a deck, behind a retaining wall, inside a finished basement or in a crawl space with eighteen inches of headroom takes longer and is done by hand.
- The type of foundation
- A crawl space with wood framing, a block basement and a concrete slab are repaired with different methods, equipment and crew sizes.
- Engineering
- A structural engineer's evaluation, drawings or a stamped letter may be required for the permit or advisable for the design. Find out whether that fee is inside the price.
- Permits and inspections
- Permit fees are modest next to the work, but the time to obtain one and to meet the inspector belongs in the schedule.
- What has to be removed and put back
- Shrubs, walks, driveway sections, porch slabs, interior flooring and drywall. Proposals differ on whether restoration is included.
- Follow-on repairs
- After a lift, plumbing may need adjusting, cracks need patching, doors need rehanging and brick may need repointing. These are often left out of the structural price.
Slope and water add their own line items
On a hillside lot, equipment may not reach the downhill wall at all, and spoil has to be carried out instead of piled nearby. If poor drainage contributed to the damage, correcting it is extra work: regrading, downspout lines, sometimes a drain along the uphill wall. Leaving it out lowers the price and raises the odds of seeing the same problem again.
Reading a proposal
A clear proposal lets you answer these without phoning anyone:
- Exactly which walls or areas are being repaired, shown on a sketch
- The method, the number of units and the assumed depth
- What is included in restoration and what is left to you
- Who obtains the permit and whether engineering is included
- The payment schedule, and what triggers each payment
- The warranty terms, in writing, attached to the proposal
When you compare two proposals, line them up item by item. A lower total often means fewer piers or nothing put back, not the same job for less.
Paying for it
Many homeowner insurance policies exclude settling, earth movement and gradual damage. Read your policy or ask your agent what it says before you count on it. Some repair companies arrange financing through a lender; treat that as a loan like any other and read its terms separately from the repair contract.