Los Angeles & Orange County
Foundation Repair
Foundation repair fixes cracked, settled, or deteriorated concrete and rotted mud sills so your house has something solid to be anchored to.
Common in pre-war and mid-century homes across LA County. Sometimes it's found during a retrofit evaluation; sometimes it's the reason you called. Either way, the honest answer matters most here — not every crack is structural.
Do You Actually Need This?
You likely need it if…
- Cracks wider than about 1/4 inch, cracks that step through concrete blocks, or cracks that keep growing.
- Doors and windows that stick, sloping floors, or gaps between walls and ceilings — signs of settlement.
- A mud sill (the wood plate on the foundation) that is rotted, crushed, or termite-damaged.
- Crumbling or soft concrete in an older unreinforced foundation.
You likely do not need it if…
- Hairline shrinkage cracks — most concrete has them, and they are cosmetic. We'll show you the difference at the evaluation.
- A house that's simply old. Age alone doesn't condemn a foundation; condition does.
- Cases where a partial repair does the job. We don't quote full replacements when a section repair and new sill will hold.
If your house doesn’t need it, we’ll tell you that at the evaluation. That’s the whole point of doing one.
How the Work Goes
Duration: 1 day for sill repairs to 1–2 weeks for sectional replacement. Disruption: You stay home for almost all repair scopes. Sectional replacement is staged so the house is always supported.
1
Evaluate
We inspect the foundation inside and out, mark what's structural and what's cosmetic, and put it in writing with photos.
2
Scope
Repairs range from epoxy crack injection and sister footings to sectional replacement. Structural repairs get engineer-reviewed details.
3
Repair
We shore the affected section, replace or repair the concrete and mud sill, and re-anchor the framing.
4
Document
Full photo documentation of the repair, before and after, for your records.
What it costs
$2,500 – $30,000
The range is wide because the scopes are genuinely different: mud sill repairs start around $2,500; sectional foundation replacement on a larger home can reach $30,000. The evaluation narrows it to a firm number.
See the full cost guide →Get Your Free Evaluation
30–45 minutes on site. Written findings with photos. A firm quote if work is warranted — and a straight “you don’t need it” if it isn’t. No obligation either way.
Related
Do I Need a Retrofit? →Foundation Repair — Common Questions
Is a crack in my foundation an emergency?
Usually not. Hairline vertical cracks are normal concrete shrinkage. The ones to act on are cracks wider than 1/4 inch, horizontal cracks, stair-step cracks, or any crack that keeps growing. We'll tell you plainly which kind you have.
Can you bolt a house to a bad foundation?
No — and anyone who offers to should worry you. Bolts are only as strong as the concrete they sit in. If your foundation is deteriorated, the repair comes first, then the retrofit. Sometimes both happen in the same project.
What is a mud sill and why does it rot?
The mud sill is the wood plate that sits directly on the foundation and carries the house framing. Decades of ground moisture and termites can rot it. We jack the wall slightly, cut out the bad sill, and install pressure-treated replacement anchored to code.
Do you fix the cause of settlement or just the symptom?
We look at drainage and soil first. Pouring new concrete into the same wet, moving soil fails again. If the fix needs grading or drainage work, that goes in the scope — and if it doesn't, we won't add it.
Get a Straight Answer About Your House
A free 30–45 minute evaluation, written findings, and a firm quote — or an honest “you don't need it.” No pressure either way.
Free estimates. Cash, senior, and military discounts.