Short answer
Most cost guides put installed foundation piers at about $1,000 to $3,000 each, with helical piers often at the top of that range or above it. Most slab repairs need several piers, so totals of $6,000 to $25,000 are common. The pier count, not the per-pier price, drives most of the bill.
Key facts
- Piers cost $1,000 to $3,000 each, per This Old House using Angi data (March 2026).[1]
- Helical piers cost $2,000 to $4,000 each installed, per HomeGuide (November 2025).[4]
- Moderate settlement repairs use 5 to 8 piers and cost $6,000 to $25,000, per HomeGuide (2024).[3]
- FPA's prescriptive maximum spacing for exterior pressed concrete piles is 6 to 8 feet center to center, depending on the house.[6]
Price per pier by type
Per-pier prices from the sources we could check. Independent breakdowns by pier type are thin, so read this table as a rough guide.
| Pier type | Price per pier | Source (date) |
|---|---|---|
| Any type (steel or concrete) | $1,000 to $3,000 | This Old House, Angi data (Mar 2026)[1] |
| Any type | $1,000 to $3,000 | Fixr (Jan 2026)[2] |
| Single pier underpinning | $1,000 to $3,000 | HomeGuide (Nov 2024)[3] |
| Steel push pier | $1,500 to $2,500 | Today's Homeowner (Apr 2025)[5] |
| Helical pier | $2,500 to $3,500 | Today's Homeowner (Apr 2025)[5] |
| Helical pier | $2,000 to $4,000 | HomeGuide (Nov 2025)[4] |
| Concrete pier | $2,000 to $3,000 | Today's Homeowner (Apr 2025)[5] |
| Segmented (pressed) concrete pier | $1,000 to $1,500 | Today's Homeowner (Apr 2025)[5] |
| Steel pier replacing a wood pier (pier-and-beam house) | $1,000 to $1,600 | HomeGuide (Feb 2026)[8] |
A note on independence: Angi, HomeAdvisor and This Old House share one dataset, so we count them once[1]. HomeGuide is a separate dataset. Fixr and Today's Homeowner credit the same writer on these pages, so we treat them as related. That leaves about three independent price families, and they agree on the core range of $1,000 to $3,000 per pier.
We could not find an independent, dated source that prices drilled concrete piers separately from other concrete piers. Ask for that number in writing on any quote.
Total cost: the pier count matters most
| Job size | Piers | Typical total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor settlement | 2 to 4 | $2,000 to $12,000 | HomeGuide[3] |
| Moderate settlement | 5 to 8 | $6,000 to $25,000 | HomeGuide[3] |
| Severe settlement | 8 to 10+ | $10,000 to $30,000+ | HomeGuide[3] |
| Typical piering job | 7 to 10 | $7,000 to $30,000, about $16,000 average | Today's Homeowner[5] |
| Underpinning or piering | not stated | $10,000 to $40,000 | Fixr[2] |
This is why the "about $5,200 national average" for foundation repair does not fit pier jobs. That average blends crack sealing and small fixes with piering[2]. A five-pier job at the low end of the per-pier range already passes it.
How many piers will a slab need?
An engineer or contractor sets the count based on how much of the house moved and how heavy it is. As one reference point, the Foundation Performance Association's prescriptive spec for pressed concrete piles sets a maximum exterior spacing of 8 feet center to center for a one-story wood or brick house, 7 feet for a two-story with first-story brick, and 6 feet for a two-story brick house[6]. That spacing applies only to its prescriptive case, but it shows how fast the count climbs. Supporting 60 feet of perimeter at 7 feet apart takes about 9 piers.
Houses on expansive clay often need piers around more of the perimeter than a local settlement repair in the Midwest. That is one reason Texas pier jobs tend to run larger. See expansive clay soil.
Why the same pier costs more in one city than another
- Depth. Push piers and pressed piles are driven until they stop. Deeper firm soil means more pipe or more segments.
- Interior versus exterior. Interior piers mean cutting through floors, tile and sometimes cabinets, then patching.
- Labor rates and permits. These vary by region. Some cities require an engineer's plan with the pier layout before a permit issues.
- Engineering. An engineer's report runs about $500 to $3,000[8].
What to check on a pier quote
- Pier type, number of piers, and a drawing of where each one goes.
- Price per pier and how added piers are priced if more are needed mid-job.
- The target depth or stopping rule, and installation records for each pier (pressure for push piers, torque for helical piers).
- For pressed concrete piles, whether segments are reinforced or tied together. FPA notes that unreinforced segments can shift sideways[7].
- What the warranty covers. FPA notes that common Houston-area piers are not tied to the grade beam, so they cannot stop upward heave[7]. A "lifetime" warranty may cover only pier adjustment.
For how each type works and fails, see pier types compared.
When to call a pro
- Before you accept a pier count from a salesperson, have a structural engineer review the layout.
- If you see new cracks or sticking doors after a pier repair.
- If a quote lists piers without depth targets or installation records.
More questions
Is the cheapest pier type a bad choice?
Not by itself. The Foundation Performance Association lists failure modes for every common pier type, and most come from installation: not deep enough, wrong angle, poor caps or poor shimming [7]. A well-installed pier of any suitable type beats a badly installed premium pier.
Can I get a price per pier over the phone?
You can get a rough per-pier rate, but not a total. The count and layout come from an inspection, and ideally from an engineer's elevation survey.
Sources
- Foundation Repair Cost (updated March 6, 2026), This Old House. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? (updated January 27, 2026), Fixr. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Underpinning Foundation Cost (dated November 26, 2024), HomeGuide. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Sinking Foundation Repair Cost (dated November 21, 2025), HomeGuide. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- How Much Do Piers for a Foundation Cost? (updated April 9, 2025), Today's Homeowner. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- FPA-SC-08-1: Precast segmented concrete pile specification (2014), Foundation Performance Association. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- FPA-RC-01-0: Post Foundation Repair Performance (2004), Foundation Performance Association. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost? (dated February 6, 2026), HomeGuide. Accessed 2026-10-06.
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