Fort Worth, TX · Slab Foundation Repair
Slab Foundation Repair in Fort Worth
Most Fort Worth houses built since the 1950s rest on a concrete slab. When part of it settles, the repair means supporting the low area with piers that reach stable ground — and in this city, stable ground can be deep clay on the east side or limestone close to the surface in the west.
01 — What this covers
The work itself
- Elevation readings and a drawing of the slab's high and low areas
- Exterior piers where the edge beam has dropped
- Interior piers or tunnels for settlement under the house
- Pressed pilings in clay, steel piers where deeper support is needed
- Drilled piers into rock on lots where limestone is close to the surface
- Staged lifting with shimming at every pier
- Plumbing pressure test before and after
- Pier diagram, final readings and written warranty
02 — Detail
A slab on ground that doesn't hold still
A slab foundation is a concrete plate, thickened at the edges and often stiffened with beams underneath. It floats on whatever soil is there, so what happens to the soil happens to the house. Across much of Fort Worth that soil is clay, which swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and the slab rises and falls with it.
The edges of the house move most. After a hot, dry summer the soil near the perimeter pulls back and the edge drops; after a wet stretch it swells again. The pattern repeats year after year, and a slab that has been through decades of it often shows a corner or a side that has settled lower than the rest.
From inside the house this appears as cracks running up from the corners of doors and windows, doors that rub, a floor that slopes toward one wall and brick that cracks along the mortar. The elevation survey, not the cracks, tells you how much and where.
03 — Detail
Clay on one side of town, rock on the other
Fort Worth is unusual among Texas cities in how much its ground changes. Clay dominates many neighborhoods, and the piers there have to pass through it to firm soil. In parts of the west and southwest, limestone comes close to the surface, and the foundation may sit on thin soil over rock.
That changes the repair. In deep clay, pressed pilings or steel piers are driven or pushed down until the ground resists. Where rock is close, drilled piers can be bored to it, and a company has to know how to work through it. A lot that looks the same as its neighbor's on the surface may need a different design.
It also changes the cause. Over rock, soil is thin and water runs across and under it, which can wash out support on one side of a house or leave it unevenly supported. Good drainage matters even more on those lots.
04 — Detail
Fifty-year-old slabs
Much of the east and north side was built in the fifties, sixties and seventies, and those slabs were built to the standards of their time: thinner edge beams, less steel and no post-tensioning. Many have performed well. Many have settled a little at one corner and stayed there.
The question is whether yours is still moving. Elevation readings taken now give you a reference, and if the cracks keep growing, a second set a few months later shows how fast. A slab that settled long ago and stopped may need nothing at all.
Age also brings plumbing. Cast-iron drain lines under many of those slabs corrode, and a leak can saturate the soil and cause movement by itself. A pressure test is part of a sensible repair plan.
05 — Detail
Newer slabs and post-tension cables
Houses built in the last thirty years, from Alliance and the north to the southwest edge, are mostly on post-tensioned slabs: steel cables run through the concrete and are tightened after it cures. They tolerate soil movement better, and they come with rules. Nobody should cut or core into one without locating the cables first, and a repair plan has to place piers around them.
If your house has a small stamp or plate near the garage mentioning post-tensioning, tell the inspector. Many newer homes are still within a builder's structural warranty as well, which is worth checking before paying for any repair.
06 — Detail
Interior piering
When the low spot is under the middle of the house, piers go in through the floor or from tunnels dug under the slab. It's more disruptive and more costly than exterior piering, but a settlement under a hallway or a bathroom can't be reached from the edge. The estimate should say how finished flooring will be protected or restored, and whether plumbing runs in the work area.
07 — Detail
What a good estimate shows
A diagram with each pier's location, the type and depth, the planned lift, what happens to landscaping and flatwork, permits, a plumbing test, and the warranty in writing, including whether it transfers to a buyer. When two quotes differ, compare the pier counts before the prices: one company may be supporting a corner while another supports a whole side. An engineer can settle a disagreement for much less than the gap between the quotes.
How we work
Step by step
- 01
Free inspection: elevation readings, crack map, soil and slope notes, drainage and trees.
- 02
Written estimate with a pier diagram, pier type and count, and warranty.
- 03
Scheduling, utility locates, cable scans on post-tensioned slabs and permits.
- 04
Installation, lifting and shimming, then plumbing re-test.
- 05
Final readings, cleanup and the paperwork for a future sale.
What it costs
The pier count and type set the price, and on a lot with rock near the surface the drilling adds to it. The estimate should show exactly how many piers go where.
Questions
Slab Foundation Repair — asked and answered
Does rock under my lot change the repair?
It can. Where limestone is near the surface, piers are drilled to it instead of pushed through deep clay, and the design and price differ.
How long does a slab repair take?
Many jobs take one to three days of on-site work, after scheduling, cable scans and permits.
Will my cracked brick close up?
Often the cracks narrow or close, but some patching is normal and should be described in the estimate.
Is a small repair possible?
Yes. One dropped corner may need only a few piers. The readings decide.
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