Crawl Space Foundation Repair Cost: Piers and Beams

Crawl space foundation repair costs $6,000 to $30,000 for pier-based structural work, with individual piers at $700 to $3,000. Encapsulation at $3 to $8 per sq ft is a separate moisture job and does not support anything. Homeowners often get one quote that bundles both, which makes it hard to see what the structure actually costs.

Two Different Jobs in One Space

A crawl space foundation is a system of piers, girders, joists, and a perimeter stem wall that holds the floor above the soil. Structural repair addresses the piers and beams. Moisture work addresses the soil, the air, and the vapor barrier.

They are quoted together because they are done in the same cramped space, not because they are the same trade. A pier that has settled needs a new footing or a new pier. A vapor barrier that has torn needs replacement. Neither fixes the other.

Prices by Scope

The full-job band is wide because it combines two scopes that scale differently. A 1,200 sq ft crawl space with six piers and a full liner can land anywhere in that range depending on access and pier depth.

What Re-Shimming Costs and When It Works

Re-shimming is the cheapest structural option. A crew jacks the beam slightly, removes crushed or rotten shims, and installs new hardwood or steel shims to restore solid bearing. It typically runs $1,500 to $5,000 for a house with several loose piers.

It only works when the piers are sound and the movement is small. If a pier has settled into soft soil, new shims will crush within a season. If a girder has rotted, shimming it transfers load to decayed wood. The inspection has to separate a shim problem from a pier problem before the price means anything.

Piers: The Main Cost

New piers are the expensive part. A push pier runs $1,000 to $3,000 and a helical pier runs $700 to $2,500, and a crawl space house typically needs six to twelve of them. That arithmetic lands in the $6,000 to $30,000 band almost by default.

Interior access changes the labor. A crawl space with a 24-inch hatch and 18 inches of clearance is slow, cramped work, and crews charge for it. A house with a full basement and a crawl space addition is faster because the equipment can stage indoors.

Soil conditions change the steel. Expansive clay can require piers driven well past the active zone, while sandy soil may refuse at a shallower depth. Two houses on the same street can therefore need different pier lengths, and a per-pier price that assumes one depth will be adjusted at both of them.

There is also a demolition line that shows up on older houses. A pier that has crushed through a brick or block support, or a beam that has rotted at its bearing, has to be removed before the new support goes in. Removal and disposal of the old material usually adds $500 to $2,000 to the job and rarely appears in an advertised range.

A Costed Example

A 1,400 sq ft house has a sagging center girder supported by eight piers. The engineer specifies eight new push piers at $1,900 each:

8 × $1,900 = $15,200

Add engineering at $1,000 and a partial liner over the work area at $2,400:

$15,200 + $1,000 + $2,400 = $18,600

That is a mid-range job. If the same house needed a new girder as well, add $3,000 to $10,000, and the total moves toward the top of the band.

Structural Repair Versus Encapsulation

A homeowner with a musty crawl space and a level floor needs encapsulation, not piers. A homeowner with a sagging floor and dry air needs piers, not a liner. Getting this backwards is the most common expensive mistake in crawl space work.

What to Do Next

1. Look under the house with a bright light and photograph every pier and beam connection.
2. Note crushed shims, rot, rust, and any pier that is not touching its beam.
3. Check floors with a 4-foot level and record the low points.
4. Get an engineer’s report if any floor has dropped more than an inch.
5. Price structural work and moisture work as separate line items.
6. Fix the water source before encapsulating, or the liner will trap moisture.

Keeping the Price Honest

Ask for the pier count and the design depth. Ask whether the liner is included and what thickness it is. Ask what happens to the old vapor barrier and whether debris removal is in the price. Those three questions separate a real scope from a lump sum.

For the moisture side, read crawl space encapsulation cost and crawl space foundation. If the floor is bouncy rather than sloping, re-shimming pier and beam explains the cheaper repair before you price new piers.