What it costs, up front: minor crack and drainage work runs roughly $1,500–$5,000. A typical slab pier job in this area lands around $4,500–$12,000. Major structural jobs with many piers, or pier-and-beam rework, run $12,000–$40,000+.
The number is driven almost entirely by how many piers you need and how deep they have to go to reach stable soil — not by the finish work you can see.
Crack repair, drainage correction, a pier or two.
Several piers along a settling section.
Full perimeter, pier-and-beam, or structural.
Plumbing test, drainage, engineer report.
Why foundations move so much here
Williamson County sits on some of the most expansive clay soil in the country. Much of the area is Houston Black clay and the weathered Austin Chalk underneath it — soils with a high plasticity index, which is the technical way of saying they swell when they get wet and shrink hard when they dry out.
That matters because Central Texas doesn’t get steady rain. It gets long droughts broken by heavy storms. The clay under your slab expands after a wet spell and contracts through a dry summer, and it does this in different amounts under different parts of the house — more at the edges, less in the protected center. The slab rides that movement until something cracks.
Where you sit in the county changes the story. Drive east of I-35 — through Hutto, Taylor, and the flatlands filling in around the new Samsung plant — and you’re on deep Houston Black clay that swells and shrinks the hardest. Head west toward Cedar Park and Leander and the ground turns to rocky Edwards limestone along the Balcones Escarpment, which behaves nothing like the prairie. A crew that reads your side of the county is worth more than one that just “does foundations” countywide.
The drought-heave cycle is the real culprit
A lot of foundation “damage” here is really seasonal movement. During the 2011 and 2022–2023 droughts, Central Texas homeowners saw doors that had worked for years suddenly stick, then partly correct after the rains returned. A good contractor will ask about the timing and watering around your foundation before recommending piers — because sometimes the answer is drainage and a soaker hose, not $15,000 of steel.
Slab vs. pier-and-beam — know which you have
Slab-on-grade
Most homes built here since the 1980s — Sun City, Wolf Ranch, most of Round Rock and Cedar Park. The house sits on a concrete slab poured on the ground. Repair means driving piers (concrete or steel) down to stable soil and lifting the settled section.
Pier-and-beam
Common in older central Georgetown and pre-1980 homes. The house sits on beams above a crawl space. Repair is different — shimming, replacing rotted wood, adding supports — and generally less expensive, but it needs a contractor who actually works on them.
How this works
Tell us what you’re seeing
Cracks, sticking doors, sloping floors — and whether you have a slab or pier-and-beam. That last detail routes you to the right kind of company.
We match you locally
We pass your request to independent foundation companies working in your city — not to everyone who’ll pay for it.
Up to three get in touch
They contact you directly, usually within a business day. Three is the cap, so your phone doesn’t ring for a month.
You choose and hire
Compare the quotes, check insurance, pick one. You contract with them and pay them directly — we never touch your money.
What happens after you hit submit
Foundation leads get resold harder than almost any home-service category — which is why your phone usually explodes. We run the opposite way, on three rules.
Your details stay put.
We don’t sell or resell your request to data brokers or lead aggregators. It goes to foundation crews working your part of the county, and nowhere else — and you can ask us to delete it anytime.
A cap of three, not a swarm.
The big directories sell one form to every buyer in the state, which is why nobody answers when you call back. We stop at three local crews. Want just one? Say so.
Homeowners pay nothing.
The contractor covers our referral fee. We hold no deposit, take no cut of your slab job, and sign nothing — you contract and pay the crew you pick, directly.
Two fair questions, answered up front. Every crew we pass you to has to show current general-liability and workers’-comp insurance first — a screen, not a guarantee, so confirm it yourself before work starts. And we publish honest pier-and-slab cost ranges, which this trade almost never does.
What drives the price
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of piers | The single biggest driver. A settling corner might need 4; a failing perimeter might need 20+. |
| Pier depth | Piers have to reach stable soil. Over the Austin Chalk that can be shallow; over deep clay it’s much further, and deeper means more cost per pier. |
| Interior vs. perimeter | Interior piers mean breaking through the slab inside the house — more labor, more disruption, higher cost than exterior work. |
| Plumbing under the slab | Slab movement can crack pipes. A pre-work plumbing test is cheap insurance; finding a leak after lifting is expensive. |
| Engineer’s report | Georgetown requires engineered plans and an inspection for foundation permits. Worth having regardless — it’s independent of the company selling the repair. |
Full cost breakdown and what a fair quote looks like →
Before you sign anything
Foundation repair is the trade with the widest gap between honest companies and high-pressure sales. Two protections: get an independent structural engineer’s assessment (they don’t sell repairs, so their recommendation is neutral), and understand the warranty — a “lifetime” warranty is only worth as much as the company standing behind it, so check how long they’ve actually operated locally.
Texas does not license foundation or general contractors, so insurance, references, and that engineer’s report are your real protection.
Common questions
Do I actually need piers, or is this just seasonal movement?
Both are real here. Central Texas clay swells and shrinks with drought and rain, and that causes genuine cracks and sticking doors that partly correct on their own. The way to know is an independent structural engineer — they don’t sell repairs, so their read is neutral. Sometimes the honest answer is drainage and consistent watering, not $12,000 of steel.
How long does foundation work take?
Most residential pier jobs run two to five days. Bigger structural jobs take longer. The house stays livable throughout in almost every case.
Will it hurt my home’s resale value?
A documented, warrantied repair is generally viewed better by buyers than an unrepaired foundation problem. Keep the engineer’s report, the invoice, and the warranty — and ask whether the warranty transfers to a future owner.
Will my homeowner’s insurance cover foundation repair in Texas?
Usually not for soil-movement settling — most Texas policies exclude earth movement — but they may cover foundation damage caused by a covered event, like a plumbing leak under the slab. Get a plumbing test to rule a leak in or out first; it can change who pays.
Is this really free?
Yes. Contractors pay us a fee for referrals. You are never charged, and there’s no obligation to hire anyone.
How many companies will call me?
Three at most. If you’d prefer one or two, say so in the notes and we’ll honor it. We’re deliberately not in the business of selling one request to ten companies.
Who actually does the work?
Independent local contractors. We are not a contractor and we don’t perform, supervise, or manage any work. You contract with the company you choose and pay them directly. We’re a referral service operated by Retort Labs LLC in Georgetown.
Get quotes from local foundation companies
Tell us what you’re seeing. We’ll pass it to independent contractors covering your city, and up to three will contact you directly. Free, no obligation.
Where we work
Local foundation quotes across Williamson County — pick your city for the soil, neighborhoods, and permit rundown: Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto, Pflugerville, and Taylor. See all areas →
Foundation guides
Straight answers on Central Texas clay, before anyone sells you piers:
Why Hutto & Taylor homes crack more →
The east-clay vs. west-limestone split that decides whether your slab moves.
7 foundation warning signs →
How to tell normal settling from real movement on WilCo clay.
Watering your foundation in a drought →
The $30 soaker-hose routine that can prevent movement — done right.
Soil-Risk ZIP checker →
Enter your ZIP to see if you’re on clay or limestone — and what it means.
Interactive WilCo soil map →
Zoom the county to see the clay-vs-limestone split by area.