Foundation repair in McAllen TX - the right repair, chosen after watching your house
Sloping floors, sticking doors or cracks in the brick? We find out what your house is doing, then repair it on a plan you understand.
- Service
- Foundation repair
- Call
- (956) 331-0202
How can you tell your foundation might be moving?
Floors that slope
You set a marble down and it rolls, or one room feels like you're walking downhill. That usually means part of the house has settled more than the rest, and the longer it goes, the more the walls and door frames get pulled out of square.
Doors that stick or won't latch
A door that used to close fine now drags at the top or won't catch, and windows start binding in their frames. Frames twist when the ground under them shifts, and waiting usually brings more doors and windows along with it.
Cracks in brick or drywall
Stair-step cracks run through the mortar outside, or drywall cracks open up over doorways inside. They usually point to movement underneath, and cracks left open in the brick let rain into the wall.
What does foundation repair in McAllen involve?
Foundation repair in McAllen, TX corrects a house that has settled or tilted, so the floors stop sloping and the doors and windows work the way they should. The repair itself is usually the shorter part, because most of the time goes into finding out what the house is actually doing before anyone picks a fix.
Most folks call me after they've noticed a slope or a crack and started wondering how bad it is, so here's what moves the job. The price turns on how much of the house needs support, how much digging it takes along the walls, what patios, walks or plantings are in the way and how much crack repair is left afterward. The schedule turns mostly on the looking, meaning the engineer's visit, any time spent watching the floors and the city's permit, and your own number comes from the estimate once I've seen the house.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rooms where the floor slopes
- Doors or windows that stick
- Cracks inside and in the brick
- Trees or big shrubs near walls
How we handle foundation repair
We start by finding out what your house is actually doing, so I like to get an engineer's look and some time watching the floors before anyone picks a repair. Once there's a plan, I'll walk you through the digging, whether that's a trench along the wall or a hole at each support, and what your yard and plantings will go through. My crew digs out, sets the supports the plan calls for and brings the house up as far as it should go, then we backfill, put the topsoil back and clean up. We finish by repairing the cracks, checking that doors and windows work and taking final level readings, and I take my time matching brick and mortar so the patch doesn't stand out from the old work.
A house that moves takes its masonry with it. If your chimney has cracked or started pulling away from the wall, chimney repair should wait until the foundation is settled so you're not paying to fix it twice. Stair-step cracks in the brick call for tuckpointing, which means raking out the damaged mortar joints and packing in fresh mortar, once the house has stopped moving.
Masonry work that often follows foundation repair
Chimney repair
A chimney rides on the same ground as the house, so settling can open cracks or pull it away from the wall and let water in.
Tuckpointing
Once the house stops moving, stair-step cracks in the mortar joints need fresh mortar packed in so rain stays out of the wall.
What happens when you call about your foundation?
Call or send a request
Call (956) 331-0202 or use the form, and we'll set a time that works for you. I come out myself, walk the house inside and out and ask a lot of questions.
Go over the estimate together
I'll talk through what I see, whether an engineer should look first and what the digging and cleanup will mean for your yard. You get an estimate for your house, so you know the cost before you decide anything.
Repair, clean up, walk through
My crew and I do the work, put the yard back and clean up after ourselves. Then we walk the finished job with you and open and close the doors and windows together.
Common questions about foundation repair
Do I need a permit for foundation repair in McAllen?
As a general rule, yes, because McAllen requires a permit when you build, alter, repair or improve a building, and the city's Building Permits and Inspections Department can tell you more about your house. State engineering law also counts investigating and evaluating a house for repair as engineering work, and the city's own rules can ask for more than the state does. When a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork with the city and set up the inspections.
What does a Level A foundation inspection cover?
A Level A inspection from an engineer is a report of first impressions, a quick look rather than a full study of the house. Homeowners have been caught off guard by that, so ask which level you're paying for before you book, so the report fits the repair decision you're facing. We're licensed and fully insured, and we build the repair around what a proper inspection finds.
How long does it take to know if a foundation is still moving?
Sometimes it takes months or longer, because a single floor-level survey only shows the shape of your house at one moment and may not be enough to draw a conclusion. Repeated surveys over time show whether it's still moving, so plan for some watching before you choose a repair.
Can we stay in the house during foundation repair?
Most families can when the repair uses helical piles. One maker's manual says they go in with portable equipment, even in tight spots indoors, and without vibration, so the house stays usable with little inconvenience while the work goes on.
How much does foundation repair cost in McAllen?
Full underpinning in McAllen usually costs about $4,000 to $24,000 per job, and that's the going rate around here, not a quote from us. Where your house lands in that range depends on what the engineer finds and what I see on site. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What causes a foundation to move near trees?
Trees and big shrubs close to a house can dry out and shrink the soil under the foundation, which can let part of it drop. Taking them out may stop the shrinking, but the soil can swell back afterward, especially under a tree older than the house, so an engineer may recommend waiting before the repair.
Get a foundation repair estimate from the person who'll do the work
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look over your house and talk through what I see, and you get a free on-site estimate with no obligation to go ahead.
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Book a look at your foundation
Call Cornerstone McAllen Concrete and Masonry at (956) 331-0202 or send the form, with a note of where floors slope or doors stick so I can start there.