Footing repairs Adelaide
Footing repairs Adelaide: help for homes where sticking doors, cracked walls or sloping floors may start at the foundations.
We find the cause, fix the footings, then fix the cracks.
Finding what is moving beneath your home
- Where the cracks are and how they run
- Doors and windows that stick
- Floors that slope
- The ground and access around the house
Why Adelaide homes move
Adelaide's older inner, eastern and north-eastern suburbs sit on highly reactive clay.
In the eastern suburbs, it is known locally as Bay of Biscay soil. It shrinks a lot in dry spells and swells after heavy rain.
Many Adelaide homes are solid masonry, meaning stone or brick, on dwarf wall footings or raft slabs. Older homes are more affected.
The ways a footing can be underpinned
Common methods are mini bored piers, screw piles and mass concrete pads.
Which one suits depends on your soil, your house, access and the engineer design.
Guide prices
Underpinning
From around $1,500 per pier
Guide only, inc GST. Your fixed written price comes after we take a look.
Partial underpinning, typical home
From around $15,000
Guide only, inc GST. Your fixed written price comes after we take a look.
Engineering assessment
Quoted after a look
Guide only, inc GST. Your fixed written price comes after we take a look.
What affects the cost
Every home sits on different ground, so the price is worked out for yours.
- How many piers your home needs
- The soil under the house
- Access around the footings
- Engineering design
- Approvals, where needed
Here's how it goes
- Share a few crack photos, about 2 minutes.
- You'll hear from us within 30 minutes.
- Often, a quick photo check shows if it looks cosmetic or needs a closer look.
- An engineer if needed, then a clear price in writing.
- We book a time that suits your plans and get the work done.
One team, start to finish
You deal with us from your first enquiry through the agreed work.
We take a look, talk through what is needed and give you a clear written price.
More help with your next step
Questions homeowners ask
Why do so many Adelaide homes crack?
Adelaide's older inner, eastern and north-eastern suburbs sit on highly reactive clay.
In the eastern suburbs, it is known locally as Bay of Biscay soil. It shrinks a lot in dry spells and swells after heavy rain.
Many Adelaide homes are solid stone or brick on dwarf wall footings or raft slabs. Older homes are more affected.
Can trees cause cracks?
Trees can dry the soil out near a home.
The engineer will check whether trees are playing a part at your place.
Is my crack serious?
Some cracks are cosmetic. Not every crack needs underpinning.
Start with the form. When we reply, we'll explain how to share photos. We'll tell you if it looks cosmetic or needs an engineer to take a look.
Photos can't tell us what the footings are doing. An engineer checks the structure.
Do I need an engineer?
If the cracks point to footing movement, yes. An engineer checks the structure and designs the fix.
Industry reports note fault lines under parts of Adelaide, including around Burnside, Hope Valley, Clarendon and Crafers.
We look at your home rather than guessing the cause from its suburb.
We look after that as part of the job, so you deal with one team the whole way.
Will the cracks close up after underpinning?
Underpinning deals with the footings. It isn't a promise that every crack will close on its own.
Any crack repairs or making good should be included in the work you agree to.
How much does underpinning cost?
Price depends on how many piers, the soil, access, engineering and approvals.
See our guide prices, all inc GST. You get a fixed written price after we take a look.
Get a fast quote
Tell us what you're seeing. We'll be in touch within 30 minutes.
When we reply, we'll explain how to share photos of the cracks.