Structural Engineer or Repair Company: Who Goes First?

Texas has no license for foundation repair companies; a bill to create one died in the House in 2013. So the towns that publish a rule lean on engineers instead.

The City of Denton says all foundation repairs require a permit. It wants a repair letter and plan sealed by a Texas registered engineer, and the engineer's final sealed report before the last inspection. Flower Mound, Frisco, The Colony, Highland Village and Pilot Point each ask for an engineer's design or sealed letter too. Our permits guide goes town by town.

The Texas Engineering Practice Act backs this up. It usually exempts work on a private home, but not engineering design for a house slab on expansive soil. The one way around that is work that meets the local residential code. It also bars officials from accepting a plan unless an engineer's seal shows one prepared it.

So if you start with a repair company and a repair goes ahead, an engineer will still put their seal on the plan. One repair company with a Lewisville office says its average price includes a third-party engineer inspecting its work.

A repair company's inspection is commonly free. The one we line up costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.

An engineer's report costs money, and published figures are few. One DFW repair company's page, updated in 2022, put the average engineer's report in the Dallas and Fort Worth area at about $500. A fuller evaluation, it said, runs $600 to $1,000.

The same company's 2021 page gave $300 to $600 for these reports. Treat those as one company's figures with their dates, not as a price for your house. Ask any engineer for a quote before the visit.

When an engineer is part of a repair, the fee may be inside the repair price, as it is in the Lewisville company's average. That's worth confirming when you compare quotes. Our cost guide explains what a quote should list.

A Level B report compares your floor with accepted limits, and it helps to know what they are. The Texas guidelines start from a plain point. Foundations are generally built with some differences in height, so a little out of level is normal.

For tilt, they say most people notice a floor once it leans more than 1%. That's 1.2 inches across 10 feet. For sag, they borrow a limit used for floor framing: the span divided by 360. Over 30 feet, that's 1 inch.

A report that shows numbers well inside those limits is reassuring. One that shows them well past is a reason to talk about repair.

Starting with an engineer you hire yourself is worth considering when:

• A big quote needs a second opinion. An engineer with nothing to sell can say whether the repair plan fits what they measure.
• The signs are mixed. Not sure whether it's the foundation, a leak or ordinary settling? A Level B or C investigation can sort it out.
• You want the readings on record. A sealed report with floor heights is a baseline you own, and later surveys can be compared with it.

Starting with a repair company is often the easiest path when:

• You want a quick, free answer. You'll hear soon whether they think work is needed.
• The problem may be small. The Lewisville company says 1 in 3 of the people it evaluates don't need any repair. A free look can settle the question.
• You'd like to see what a repair would involve. A good company will explain its plan and who its engineer is.

On the clay bands west and east of Denton, the ground moves with the seasons. The Texas guidelines say a single floor survey shows the foundation "at one instant." Repeated surveys over months are what show a change. Whoever you start with, a second set of readings in another season can tell you a lot.

On the middle band, the soil moves less, so leaks and drainage deserve a closer look. That's where a Level C test, such as a plumbing test, earns its place. Our soil and rock guide shows which band your house is on.