What does an LA foundation replacement cost?

Raise-and-replace on a single-family typically runs $80K–$220K depending on size, soil, and access. Localized repairs and underpinning $15K–$60K.

How long does it take?

Repair: 2–4 weeks. Full raise-and-replace: 6–10 weeks. Hillside caissons: 4–8 weeks.

Do I need a soils report?

Usually yes — LADBS requires a soils report on most new foundation work and on most hillside lots.

Can I stay in the house during foundation work?

Localized repairs and underpinning often allow occupancy. Raise-and-replace requires vacancy because utilities are disconnected during the lift. We schedule MEP disconnect and reconnect around your move.

What are the signs my LA foundation needs work?

Sloped floors, sticking doors, stair-step cracks in stucco or brick, gaps between trim and walls, and standing water under the house. We do a structural walk-through before pricing.

Desk 02 · Los Angeles · Foundation

Los Angeles Foundation Repair & Replacement Contractor. everything else sits on this.

LA foundation work is structural engineering plus mud — and the engineering matters more than the mud. We repair, underpin, and replace foundations across LA County: hillside caissons in the Hollywood and Pacific Palisades hills, raise-and-replace under 1920s craftsmans, helical piers under settling additions, and engineered new pads under additions and ADUs.

Licensed California contractor · CSLB #1156772 · Los Angeles desk · LADBS

Begin a Los Angeles foundation repair & replacement brief →← Back to Los Angeles desk

Every LA foundation project starts with a structural engineer's drawings and a soils report. We don't pour concrete to a guess.

Los Angeles permit notes · Foundation

What we resolve before drawings begin.

01
LADBS + structural engineer
Every foundation repair or replacement project triggers LADBS permit + signed structural drawings + (usually) a soils report. We coordinate all three.
02
Caissons + hillside
Hillside foundations need engineered drilled caissons, often 15–40 ft deep, with grade beams. We work with hillside-experienced engineers.
03
Raise-and-replace logistics
Lifting an LA house off its foundation, replacing the perimeter, and setting back down is a 4–8 week project with coordinated MEP disconnects. We project-manage end to end.

Foundation intel · the hardware that holds the house · Los Angeles spec

Foundation work in LA is 80% geotechnical engineering, 20% concrete. The brand of structural hardware matters less than the soils report.

The manufacturers we actually specify.

4 brands · ordered by frequency on jobs

Simpson Strong-Tie
premium
Pleasanton, CA · founded 1956
Connectors, anchors, retrofit kits — the structural hardware monopoly for good reason
Every shear-wall hold-down, mudsill anchor, foundation strap, and seismic retrofit kit on our jobs is Simpson. Inspector recognition is universal.
Single-source hardware for IBC-compliant connections
Hilti / Powers
premium
Liechtenstein · USA
Adhesive anchors (HIT-RE 500, KB-TZ2 wedge anchors)
Required for retrofit anchor installations into existing concrete with passing pull-tests on inspection.
Ram Jack / Atlas Piers
specialty
USA · regional dealers
Helical and push-pier underpinning systems
Helical piers reach competent strata beyond expansive clay or fill. The right call for hillside settlement and additions over weak soils.
Quikrete / CalPortland
workhorse
USA · CA
Pre-mix bagged concrete + locally-batched ready-mix
We use CalPortland 3,500 PSI ready-mix on stem walls and footings; Quikrete 5000 only for small pours where a truck doesn't pencil.

Material tiers · what you're actually choosing between.

CA installed pricing · 2025

Material	Lifespan	Installed in CA	Best for	Trade-offs
Continuous concrete footing + stem wall	100+ years	$280–$550 / linear ft	New ADUs and additions.	Requires soils report + engineered design for CA code.
Slab-on-grade (post-tensioned or conventional)	100+ years	$14–$22 / sq ft	New construction on stable LA soils.	Post-tension repairs are specialty work — only crews with PT experience should cut.
Helical pier underpinning	50–75 years rated	$2,500–$5,500 per pier	Settlement remediation, hillside additions, expansive soils.	Need access to drive equipment to footing line; not always feasible in tight side yards.
Retrofit cripple-wall reinforcement	50+ years	$5,000–$12,000 per house	Pre-1978 LA homes — Brace + Bolt program eligible.	Crawl-space access required; can't be done from above.

Specification gotchas we resolve before contract.

01
Soils report (geotechnical) BEFORE design.
Expansive clay is everywhere in LA. We get a soils report on every foundation project — never trust the prior survey from the 1960s.
02
Title 24 + R-19 under slab in CZ8.
New ADU slabs in most LA climate zones need under-slab insulation. Place vapor barrier (10 mil) and rigid foam before pour, not as an afterthought.
03
Existing pier-and-post houses (pre-1939).
Many craftsman homes in Pasadena and Highland Park sit on brick piers. Retrofit to continuous foundation + bolts before adding any load.

Sources · Simpson Strong-Tie technical resources · CEA Brace + Bolt program

Other Los Angeles services.

All Los Angeles services →

Los Angeles city directory · 314 cities served

Foundation Repair & Replacement, written for your city.

Each link opens a dedicated page calibrated to the city's permit authority, lot conditions, and price band — not a generic regional landing.

Los Angeles · Foundation FAQ

Questions Los Angeles homeowners ask first.

Start an LA foundation brief. We'll arrange a structural assessment, soils review, and a fixed-scope contract for repair, underpinning, or replacement.

What does an LA foundation replacement cost?
Raise-and-replace on a single-family typically runs $80K–$220K depending on size, soil, and access. Localized repairs and underpinning $15K–$60K.
LA cost anatomy →
How long does it take?
Repair: 2–4 weeks. Full raise-and-replace: 6–10 weeks. Hillside caissons: 4–8 weeks.
LA permit timeline →
Do I need a soils report?
Usually yes — LADBS requires a soils report on most new foundation work and on most hillside lots.
Hillside soils & geotech →
Can I stay in the house during foundation work?
Localized repairs and underpinning often allow occupancy. Raise-and-replace requires vacancy because utilities are disconnected during the lift. We schedule MEP disconnect and reconnect around your move.
What are the signs my LA foundation needs work?
Sloped floors, sticking doors, stair-step cracks in stucco or brick, gaps between trim and walls, and standing water under the house. We do a structural walk-through before pricing.

Begin

Begin your projectin twenty minutes.

A short feasibility review of your lot — what you can build, roughly what it costs, and how long it will take. Free of charge. No sales call afterwards unless you ask for one.

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About Foundation Repair & Replacement in Los Angeles

What we resolve before drawings begin.

LADBS + structural engineer

Caissons + hillside

Raise-and-replace logistics

Foundation work in LA is 80% geotechnical engineering, 20% concrete. The brand of structural hardware matters less than the soils report.

Simpson Strong-Tie

Hilti / Powers

Ram Jack / Atlas Piers

Quikrete / CalPortland

Soils report (geotechnical) BEFORE design.

Title 24 + R-19 under slab in CZ8.

Existing pier-and-post houses (pre-1939).

Other Los Angeles services.

Foundation Repair & Replacement, written for your city.

Questions Los Angeles homeowners ask first.

Begin your projectin twenty minutes.

Foundation in Los Angeles. Tell us the parcel.