Foundation & Structural costs

Foundation repair, underpinning, framing and the structural work nobody budgets for. Page 2 of 3.

• Radon mitigation cost$800 to $2,500per projectA radon system costs $800 to $2,500 installed and a test kit costs $15. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, which makes the test the cheapest health decision a homeowner makes.
• Crawl space repair cost$3 to $15per sq ftRepairing a crawl space costs $3 to $15 a square foot. The structural half decides the price, and it is the half nobody looks at until the floor sags.
• Carbon fiber strap cost$800 to $2,000per eachCarbon fibre straps cost $800 to $2,000 each, so a 30 foot bowing wall is $5,000 to $12,000. All the bracing methods stop a wall moving further; only wall anchors can straighten it.
• Basement dehumidifier cost$200 to $3,500per eachA basement dehumidifier costs $200 to $500 portable or $1,500 to $3,500 installed. It is the right answer to a musty basement with no visible water, and the wrong answer to water on the floor.
• Basement flooring cost$2 to $15per sq ftBasement flooring costs $2 to $15 a square foot. Concrete on the ground gives off moisture continuously even when dry to the touch, and choosing a material that does not mind is most of the decision.
• How long does a foundation last$5,000 to $30,000per projectA poured concrete foundation lasts 80 to 100 years or more. Foundations essentially do not wear out; what fails is everything that manages water around them.
• Does insurance cover foundation repair$5,000 to $30,000per projectHomeowners insurance generally does not. The standard policy excludes earth movement, settling and cracking, which is most of what causes foundation problems. The exceptions are worth knowing precisely.
• Selling a house with foundation problems$5,000 to $30,000per projectA house with visible foundation problems sells 10 to 25% below comparable properties. Buyers deduct two to three times the repair cost, because they are pricing the uncertainty as well as the work.
• Foundation repair cost$350 to $30,000per projectFoundation repair costs $350 for one injected crack and $7,000 to $30,000 for underpinning a settling house. The same visible crack can mean either, which is why the first $400 should buy an independent engineer.
• Foundation crack repair cost$350 to $1,000per eachInjecting a foundation crack costs $350 to $1,000, typically $600. The expensive question is not the injection: it is whether the crack is the problem or a symptom of something moving.