Foundation repair in Williamson County

What the work actually involves, and how to tell a straight company from a high-pressure one.

The warning signs, and what they mean

• Diagonal cracks from the corners of doors and windows — the classic sign of differential movement.
• Doors and windows that stick, then un-stick — often seasonal clay movement rather than permanent settling.
• Cracks in exterior brick, especially stair-step cracks in the mortar — worth an assessment.
• Sloping or bouncy floors, gaps at baseboards — more likely to be structural.
• Separation where walls meet ceilings — movement pulling the frame apart.

One or two hairline cracks in a Texas house is normal. A pattern of them, getting worse over a season, is worth a professional look.

How slab repair works

1. Assessment and elevation survey. A technician measures the floor to map where and how much it has dropped.
2. Pier plan. How many piers, where, what type, how deep — ideally matching an engineer’s report.
3. Excavation. Access holes are dug at each pier location, around the perimeter or through the slab inside.
4. Piers driven to load-bearing soil. Concrete or steel sections are pushed down until they hit stable ground and can carry the house.
5. Lift and stabilize. The settled section is raised toward level. “Toward” is honest — a good company recovers most of the drop without cracking finishes by chasing perfect.
6. Backfill and cleanup. Holes closed, soil replaced.

Pier-and-beam is a different job

Older central Georgetown homes and pre-1980 houses often sit on beams over a crawl space rather than a slab. Repair there means shimming and re-leveling beams, replacing any rotted wood, and sometimes adding supports. It’s generally less expensive than slab pier work — but it needs a contractor who actually works on pier-and-beam, not one who only does slabs. Say which you have when you request quotes.

How to vet a foundation company in Texas

Texas does not license foundation or general contractors. There’s no state board to check. What protects you:

• An independent engineer’s report — neutral, and required for a Georgetown permit anyway.
• Certificate of insurance, verified with the carrier.
• A warranty you actually read — transferable to a future buyer? What voids it? And how many years has the company operated locally to back it up?
• Local references from the last year, and a drive past a past job if you can.
• A written pier plan with count, type, and depth — not a lump sum you can’t compare.

Be wary of same-day “sign now for this price” pressure. A real foundation problem is not getting worse in the 48 hours it takes to get a second opinion.