Foundation repair in Ontario CA - a settling house held up on solid support

The two mainly differ in how they go into the ground, so the right one is whichever suits your house and the plan for it. Push piers are driven down by a hydraulic ram, a pump and cylinder that presses them in, and each one is tested under weight before the dirt at that spot is put back and packed. Helical piers are turned in by a drive motor until they reach the turning force they're meant to hit, and I'll tell you which I'd use at your house and why.

Expect the ground right beside the wall being repaired to get opened up, either as a hole at each pier or as a trench along the whole wall, both dug down to the footing, which are the two ways one pier maker's guide describes. Plants and landscaping along that wall get dug up, then the holes are filled back in with clean rock and topsoil. The same guide has installers call 811, the call-before-you-dig number, first so buried utilities get marked with paint or flags.

Foundation repair in the San Bernardino area usually runs about $600 to $2,200 per pier or repair point, so the number of piers your house needs drives most of the total. What's in the way at each spot, like a patio or a planter, also moves where you land in that range. My written estimate lists every pier and what it's for, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.

The state licensing board describes a building moving and demolition class for contractors who raise, lower and underpin structures, foundations included, and that class leaves out repairs to the parts of the house that stay in place. When you're comparing bids, it's fair to ask each contractor what license they hold for the work they're quoting.

Compare where each bid puts the piers, because one helical pier maker's guide says the layout should follow engineer or design drawings, and a bid with drawings shows you every spot. Ask how the crew handles drain tile, the buried pipe that carries water away, since the same guide says to inspect it and replace it as needed. Then check whether crack repair and waterproofing are included, because that guide lists both among the steps that close out pier work.

Once the piers are in, the crew checks that your doors and windows work correctly and takes final elevation readings, a measure of how level the house sits. Ask to see those readings, and try the doors that used to stick before the crew packs up.