Foundation piers and leveling in Sugar Land

What piers do

Piers carry part of a house's weight down past the shallow clay that shrinks and swells, and they give a crew something to jack against when the low side needs raising. The Texas Section ASCE guidelines say an underpinning plan should give each pier's location, size, depth and material. They also point out that sections without piers get no benefit from them.

Prices

This Old House's March 2026 guide lists piering or underpinning at $1,000 to $3,000 per pier and lifting or leveling a whole house at $20,000 to $23,000. By our arithmetic, a plan with eight piers lands between $8,000 and $24,000 before engineering, plumbing tests and the permit. Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford and Richmond each charge their own permit fees; see costs.

Is lifting needed at all?

In the guidelines, a lift is for floors with excessive slope, or for a design that deliberately raises the house off swelling clay. They describe a tilt over 1 percent as usually noticeable, and they recognize that patching drywall and adjusting doors from time to time is a choice some owners make instead of a structural repair. An engineer's measured floor survey answers the question better than a level on the kitchen floor. See inspections.

Expectations for the lift

• A truly level floor is an unlikely outcome in the guidelines' view, and the crew decides how far to raise the house as it goes.
• Lifting a slab that is post-tensioned or tied to plumbing takes care. The guidelines want the water and sewer lines leak-tested once jacking is part of the job.
• Doors and drywall may need adjusting and patching afterward.

Trees and leveling

If a big tree is drying the clay under one side of the house, the ASCE guidelines caution that removing it can make the soil swell back, and that a waiting period may be recommended before repairs. Pruning may slow further settling but may not bring the foundation back up. Sort out the tree plan before the pier plan. See trees and foundations.

After the work

Ask for a new set of floor elevations, which the guidelines recommend giving the owner after any repair, and a completion letter from the engineer. File them with the permit number.

Sources for this page

• Texas Section, American Society of Civil Engineers: Guidelines for the Evaluation and Repair of Residential Foundations, Version 3 (adopted April 1, 2022)
• This Old House: How much does foundation repair cost? (Stephanie Minasian-Koncewicz, updated March 6, 2026)

Checked October 7, 2026. Rules, prices and contact details change; confirm with the source before acting.