Can a cracked home foundation be fixed?

Yes. Most cracked foundations can be fixed without tearing the house apart. The right repair depends on the crack, and most foundation crack repair runs $1,000 to $3,000. We seal seeping cracks, brace bowing walls, and pier sinking ones, all from inside.

What is actually cracking, and why

A foundation crack is more than one problem. A few different problems happen to look alike from your basement.

Some cracks just leak. Water finds the gap and seeps in. Some cracks are structural, where the wall is bowing in or the footing has settled and dropped. The fix is different for each, so the first thing we do on a free inspection is figure out which one you have.

Here in New Hampshire, the cause is usually the same story. The dirt around your foundation is disturbed backfill, the loose fill that got pushed back against the wall when the house was built. It drains slowly and holds water. Then winter shows up. Frost heave pushes on the wall, the soil swells, and that pressure works on the concrete year after year. A hairline becomes a real crack.

How we fix it

For a leaking crack with no movement, we use crack injection. Epoxy or polyurethane gets pumped into the gap, fills it top to bottom, and seals it. That carries a 10-year warranty. Crack injection starts around $1,000 to $3,000.

For a wall that is bowing in but not far gone, carbon-fiber straps hold it. The straps bond to the wall and stop it from moving any further. We back those with a 25-year warranty. Carbon-fiber straps run about $850 each.

When a wall needs more muscle, a power brace gives it adjustable steel support. Power braces run $1,300 per brace and carry a 10-year warranty.

For settling, where the foundation has dropped because the soil under it gave way, we go to helical piers. They are screwed deep down to solid ground, then the footing transfers its load onto them. We self-perform helical installs in-house. They carry a 25-year engineered warranty and run $2,700 per pier for the first three, then $2,200 per pier after that.

If the trouble is a sagging floor or a tired support post, that is lally columns and floor support. Those run $1,300 to $2,500 with a 10-year warranty. A failing sill or beam is sill and beam replacement at $7,000 to $40,000. A wall too far gone to stabilize may need an auxiliary wall, a sister wall built inside the old one, at about $1,350 per linear foot.

You do not need every one of these. Most homes need one. A hairline that does not leak and does not move may need nothing at all yet, and we will tell you that on the spot.

A few things we price only after we see them. A full foundation-wall rebuild, wall anchors, or steel I-beams. We price that after we look. And if you are asking about a brand-new foundation for new construction, that is not us. We repair foundations, we do not pour new ones.

What drives the cost

A short epoxy injection on a tight crack sits at the low end. A row of carbon-fiber straps, a power brace, or a set of helical piers climbs from there, because the labor and the steel go up. Depth matters too. Piers driven to bedrock take more than a few straps on a garage wall. The math is simple. The bigger the load and the deeper we go, the more it costs. We put it all on a written quote within 24 hours, no guessing.

We do not do exterior excavation to chase a leak. In our field experience that fix tends to fail in two or three years, and you have paid to dig up your yard for nothing. Sealing and supporting from inside lasts.

What it means for your home

A repaired foundation keeps your basement dry and your floors level. The Insurance Information Institute notes that most homeowners policies do not cover foundation settling or earth movement, so catching a crack early is cheaper than letting it run. Cracks rarely heal on their own. They get wider as the seasons cycle.

If the crack is also letting water in, the lasting fix is interior drainage, not just a patch. That is our Forever Dry System, and it is 100% guaranteed to be dry for life!

Get a free inspection

Send us a photo or let us come look. We will tell you what you have, what it needs, and what it costs, with no pressure. Call us at 603-610-1770 or book your free inspection. Every quote is backed by the 603 guarantee.

Learn more about our structural and foundation repair, helical piers, sill replacement, and supplemental support.

Related questions

Are foundation cracks always serious? No. Many hairline cracks just leak or do nothing. The serious ones are wide, growing, or paired with a bowing wall or a sloping floor. We sort that out on a free inspection so you are not guessing.

Will a foundation crack repair stop the water too? A crack injection seals that one crack. If water is coming in elsewhere or along the floor wall joint, you need full-perimeter interior drainage to stay dry for good.

Can you fix a bowing foundation wall without replacing it? Usually, yes. Carbon-fiber straps or a power brace can hold most bowing walls in place. Replacement only comes up when the wall is too far gone, and we tell you that plainly rather than overselling.

Does foundation repair come with a warranty? Yes. Crack injection carries 10 years, carbon-fiber stabilization and helical piers carry 25 years, and floor support carries 10. The transfer is conditional, so the work stays under warranty as long as no other contractor touches it.