Foundation repair in Billings MT - a house that sits on steadier ground
Cracks in your basement wall or a floor starting to slope? We look first, tell you if it's worth fixing, then support the house right.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Do the cracks in my Billings foundation need repair?
The short answer: Foundation repair in Billings usually means setting piers deep under the house, either driven down or screwed in, until they bear on dense soil or bedrock, so your house rests on steadier ground than the soil that moved under it.
Most people call because a crack turned up in the basement wall, or a door that always closed fine now drags, and they want to know if the house is in trouble. If it does need support, the price turns mostly on how many piers it takes and how hard it is to get at the footing, and the schedule turns on what we find once we dig and whether the city wants a permit for your job. Your own figure comes from the estimate I write after I've seen the house.
How can you tell if your foundation needs attention?
A crack that keeps growing
A crack you can slip a coin into, or one that's longer this spring than it was last fall, usually means the ground under that wall is still moving. Hairline cracks are common, but a growing one tends to get wider and drag more of the wall along with it the longer it's left.
Floors that slope
If a marble rolls across the kitchen or the floor dips toward one wall, part of the house has usually settled lower than the rest. The longer that goes on, the more the drywall, trim and doors above it have to give.
Sticking doors, ceiling gaps
When a door that used to swing free starts dragging, or a gap opens where the wall meets the ceiling, the frame is usually moving with the foundation under it. Planing the door makes it close again, but it just hides the problem until the next one sticks.
How our foundation repair works
Not every crack means trouble, so the first thing I do is look and tell you straight whether it's worth fixing. If it is, we talk through which kind of pier suits your house before anyone picks up a shovel, because the weight of the house and the ground under it decide that. Then our crew digs down beside the footing at each point, sets the piers until they bear on firm soil or bedrock, brings the house's weight onto them and backfills, so the wall rests on deeper ground instead of the soil that moved. We clean up as we go, because a yard full of dirt piles is nobody's idea of fixed.
Settling rarely stops at the foundation. A chimney is light compared with the rest of the house and can pull away from the wall as things move, so when it has, we look at chimney repair alongside the piers. Once the house is supported, the cracks that ran through brick usually leave broken mortar behind, and tuckpointing, raking out the bad joints and packing in fresh mortar, closes them back up.
Push piers for heavier houses
Push piers suit heavy structures sitting over dense soil that's within reach, and they're driven down with hydraulic power, using the house's own weight to push against. A big brick house with a full basement is the kind of place they're made for.
Helical piers for lighter homes
Helical piers screw into the ground and suit lighter structures, mixed soils and sites where bedrock is out of reach. Single-story houses, homes on a slab, porches, chimneys and crawl space foundations often don't weigh enough for push piers, so if you own one, expect helical piers to come up.
What happens when you call about foundation repair in Billings
From your first call to the day we pack up, here's who does what, and what you'll have in hand before any digging starts on your house.
- Step 01
Call or send us a note
Call or use the form and tell us what you're seeing. Photos of the cracks and a note about any sloping floors or sticking doors help me show up with the right questions.
- Step 02
Look over the foundation together
I come out, look at the walls and floors, and ask a few plain questions about when you first noticed things. You get an estimate that says whether it's worth fixing, which pier type I'd use and how many, so you know the cost before you commit to anything.
- Step 03
Sort the permit, then dig
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit paperwork first, then our crew digs, sets the piers and backfills. Expect some torn-up yard along the wall while the work is open.
- Step 04
Walk the finished job together
Before we pack up, we walk the finished job with you and go over what we did at each pier. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Foundation repair rules and conditions in Billings
Whether your foundation repair needs a permit is the city's call, and the city's Building Division takes every permit application online. We ask that question up front, and when your job needs one, we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted on where it stands.
The city's design rules put frost depth at 42 inches for foundations, which tells you how far down Billings expects the frost to reach. On older houses here we see brick and block foundations, porches and additions built lighter than the house they're attached to, and chimneys that have started to lean away, so we check how each part sits before suggesting anything. We're based in Billings and work across the cities around it, and we run into the same mix of older brick and lighter add-ons on jobs in Lockwood and Laurel.
Get a straight answer on your foundation cracks
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the foundation and give you a free estimate on site, and there's no pressure to book.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
Same person, estimate to finish
I come out to look at the foundation and write the estimate myself, and I'm usually right there working with the crew when the piers go in. The person who saw your cracks is the one making sure the fix matches what we talked about.
Careful with older brick since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, and we're best known for careful repair on older brick and walls that stay where you put them. Foundation work leans on the same habit, because the parts nobody sees decide how long everything above them holds up.
Licensed in Montana, and insured
Montana requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, and we're licensed and insured. Foundation repair means a crew digging along your house, and you want that crew licensed and covered.
Once the piers are backfilled, nobody sees them again, so they're worth getting right the first time. Take a few photos of the cracks, jot down any floors that slope or doors that stick, and get in touch to set up a visit.
Foundation repair questions from Billings homeowners
Is a crack in my foundation wall serious?
A thin vertical crack is usually just the concrete shrinking, and it's common and rarely structural. Cracks that are wide, growing, horizontal, stair-stepped or offset so one side sits out past the other deserve an engineer's look, and so does any crack that comes with sloping floors, sticking doors or gaps at the ceiling. If I see those signs, I'll tell you.
Does a settled foundation always need repair?
No, settlement that has stopped often needs no structural repair at all. An evaluation tells you which case you have before you pay for piers, which is why we look first.
How much does foundation repair cost in Billings, MT?
Foundation repair in Billings usually costs about $550 to $2,000 per pier or repair point, and that's the going rate in the area, not our quote. Your total depends on how many points the house needs and how easy they are to reach, since tight access, trees and slopes all add work. The estimate I write on site gives you the figure for your whole job.
Who is allowed to do foundation repair in Montana?
Any business that repairs a building for someone else counts as a construction contractor in Montana, so it needs the state contractor license mentioned above. That covers a crew setting piers under your house, not just builders putting up new homes.
How do I know helical piers will actually hold my house?
Helical piers can have their capacity checked one at a time as each goes in, so you're not taking it on faith. It's a fair question to ask how that check will be done on your job, and if helical piers are what I recommend, I'll walk you through it at the estimate.
What is the best way to fix a sunken driveway or garage floor?
For moderate settling in a driveway, garage floor or sidewalk, foam injection is usually the most effective way to level the concrete. It's meant for moderate settlement, so a slab that has dropped badly or broken apart is a different conversation.
Related masonry work after foundation repair
Chimney repair
A chimney leaning away from the house or dropping loose bricks needs its own repair, because supporting the foundation won't put a damaged chimney back together.
Tuckpointing
Crumbling mortar between bricks lets water into the wall and fresh joints keep it out, so it's a sensible finish once the house stops moving.
Call about your foundation cracks today
We answer (406) 318-2106 from early morning until 11 at night, weekends included, so you can call while you're standing in the basement looking at it.