719 Foundation
Foundation Basics

What Is a Foundation Repair Company and What Do They Do?

Never dealt with foundation issues before? Here's a plain-English breakdown of what foundation repair companies do, what they don't do, and how Colorado licensing works.

·6 min read·719 Foundation Team

Foundation repair companies in Colorado Springs diagnose and fix structural problems affecting your home's concrete or masonry base, with repair costs ranging from $500 for simple crack injections to $15,000+ for steel pier installation. If you've noticed basement cracks, uneven floors, or bowing walls, understanding what these specialists do—and what they don't—is essential to protecting your home's structural integrity.

Key Takeaways

  • Steel piers are driven up to 20 feet deep to stabilize foundations and restore level floors.
  • Foundation crack repair costs $500–$3,000 depending on crack type, active movement, and water intrusion.
  • Foundation repair companies fix only structural issues; cosmetic repairs (drywall, flooring, doors) require separate contractors.
  • Helical and push piers are the two most common leveling systems used in Colorado Springs.

If you've just discovered cracks in your basement wall or noticed your floors aren't quite level anymore, you may be searching "foundation repair company" for the first time. Here's a plain-English explanation of what these contractors actually do, what falls outside their scope, and what to look for in Colorado.

What is the basic job description of a foundation repair company?

A foundation repair company diagnoses and fixes structural problems with the concrete or masonry base of your home. Their job starts where the soil ends and your house begins.

They assess what is wrong, identify the cause, and apply the right repair to stop further movement and restore stability. Repairs can be as simple as injecting epoxy into a hairline crack or as involved as installing steel piers driven 20 feet into the ground beneath your home.

What services do foundation repair companies typically perform?

Foundation crack repair: Filling and sealing cracks in poured concrete or block foundations. The method depends on whether the crack is active (still moving) or dormant, and whether water is getting through. See our foundation crack repair page for specifics.

Foundation leveling: When one section of your home has sunk lower than the rest, piers are installed beneath the footing to lift and stabilize it. Helical piers (screwed in like a giant corkscrew) and push piers (hydraulically driven to bedrock) are the two most common systems. See foundation leveling for more.

Bowing wall repair: Basement walls that push inward due to soil pressure get reinforced with carbon fiber straps, wall anchors, or steel beams depending on how severe the movement is. Our bowing wall repair page covers the options.

Basement waterproofing: Stopping water from entering through the foundation walls or floor. Interior drainage systems channel water to a sump pump. Exterior waterproofing involves excavating around the foundation and applying a membrane. Both are legitimate approaches for different problems. See basement waterproofing.

Crawl space repair: Encapsulation, moisture barriers, and structural support post replacement in homes with a crawl space instead of a full basement. Our crawl space repair page covers this.

What do foundation repair companies NOT do?

This is where a lot of homeowners get confused. Foundation contractors fix the structural issue. They do not fix what the structural issue broke.

If a shifting foundation cracked your drywall, a general contractor or drywall company repairs the wall. If it buckled your hardwood floors, a flooring contractor handles that. If it pushed a door frame out of square, a carpenter resets the frame. Foundation repair companies restore the structural integrity of the base. The cosmetic and finish work is a separate trade.

This matters for budgeting. After a major piering job, you may have several thousand dollars of interior finish work to account for on top of the foundation repair itself.

How do foundation repair companies differ from waterproofing-only companies?

Some companies specialize exclusively in basement waterproofing: sump pumps, interior drains, vapor barriers. These are not the same as foundation repair companies, though there is overlap.

A waterproofing-only company will stop water from coming in. They are not equipped to address settlement, bowing walls, or structural cracks. If your problem is purely moisture, a waterproofing specialist may be the right call. If your problem involves movement, settling, or wall deflection, you need a structural foundation contractor. Some companies do both, and in Colorado Springs that is often the right setup because expansive clay drives both water and movement issues at the same time.

Licensing in Colorado

Colorado does not issue a single statewide "foundation repair license." Contractor licensing in Colorado is handled at the local level for most trades, including foundation work. This means you should verify that a contractor holds whatever license the City of Colorado Springs or El Paso County requires for structural work in your specific jurisdiction.

What you can and should verify statewide is insurance. The Colorado Division of Insurance maintains records you can cross-check. Any legitimate foundation company operating in Colorado Springs carries general liability insurance and workers compensation. Ask for the certificate before any work begins, and call the insurer directly to confirm it is current.

Manufacturer certifications (for helical pier systems, carbon fiber products, etc.) are a separate credential worth asking about. These are issued by product manufacturers and indicate the installer has been trained on that specific system.

What Does a Job Actually Look Like?

Most foundation repair jobs in Colorado Springs take one to three days for pier installation, longer for major drainage projects. The crew will excavate around affected footings or access the basement/crawl space, install the repair system, and backfill. You will typically need to be home for the start of work and for the final walkthrough.

For homes in neighborhoods like Briargate, Stetson Hills, or Monument, the contractor should also discuss drainage recommendations since the soil conditions here make water management a long-term part of any structural repair.


If this is your first time dealing with a foundation issue, we are glad to walk you through what we find and explain every step before any work starts. Call (719) 735-5324 or book a free inspection online. No jargon, no pressure.

Don't Wait

Foundation Problems Get More Expensive Over Time.