Denver, CO · Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties · USDA soil survey 2026-08-28
Foundation repair in Denver, CO: what the soil says, what it should cost
3% of the mapped ground in Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties is high or very high shrink-swell soil (USDA soil survey; acre-weighted LEP 1.75%, class low). Published national ranges put a typical repair at $2,224–$8,134, piers at $1,000–$3,000 each. Check the soil under your own address below; then read what an independent engineer costs before you sign.
- 3% high or very high shrink-swell
- 1256 map units with data
- Every price cited
- No contractor rankings
How much does foundation repair cost in Denver?
We do not have Denver-specific price data and won't invent an “average for Denver.” What published national guides report, with the figures the guides themselves publish:
- Typical job: $2,224–$8,134, average $5,179. Source: This Old House — Foundation Repair Cost, updated 2026-03-06
- Piering / underpinning: $1,000–$3,000 per pier. Source: This Old House — Foundation Repair Cost, updated 2026-03-06
The pier count and depth move a Denver number, and they depend on the soil under that specific house and how far down stable material sits. On this soil, the cheaper fixes (drainage, grading, leak repair) are more often the right answer than a pier plan.
| Repair | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Crack repair (epoxy / polyurethane injection) | $250–$800 per crack | Bob Vila — How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?, updated 2024-05-29 |
| Mudjacking / slabjacking | $500–$1,300 per job | Bob Vila — How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?, updated 2024-05-29 |
| Piering / underpinning | $1,000–$3,000 per pier | This Old House — Foundation Repair Cost, updated 2026-03-06 |
| Drainage system | $2,800–$6,500 per job | Bob Vila — How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?, updated 2024-05-29 |
| Settling / sinking repair (all methods) | $4,500–$20,000 per job | Bob Vila — How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?, updated 2024-05-29 |
Holding a Denver quote? Read it against the Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties soil record before you sign.
What the soil under Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties does
Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO, county legends CO031, CO005, CO035, CO059, top 152 cm, weighted by mapped acreage. Coverage: 97% of mapped acres carry usable data across 1256 map units. Built 2026-08-28.
- very high0%
- high3%
- moderate13%
- low84%
The largest mapped unit in Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties is Weld loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes (2% of surveyed acres, low, LEP 2.7%, well drained); next is Sphinx-Rock outcrop complex, 15 to 80 percent slopes at 1%, low with LEP 1.5%.
Denver County alone reads low; the Front Range expansive clay is in Arapahoe/Douglas/Jefferson. Built on all four and says so.
Where the expansive soil is: largest map units in Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson counties
The hyper-local view: Denver neighborhoods sit on different ground, and the address lookup tells you which unit is under a given house.
| Map unit | Share of surveyed acres | LEP | Class | Drainage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weld loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes | 2% | 2.7% | low | Well drained |
| Sphinx-Rock outcrop complex, 15 to 80 percent slopes | 1% | 1.5% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Sphinx-Rock outcrop complex, 15 to 80 percent slopes | 1% | 1.5% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Leighcan family, till substratum, 5 to 40 percent slopes | 1% | 0.24% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Moran family-Rock outcrop-Teewinot family complex, 40 to 80 percent slopes | 1% | 1.05% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Leighcan-Endlich families complex, 40 to 60 percent slopes | 1% | 0.32% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Scout-Angostura families complex, 5 to 40 percent slopes | 1% | 0.64% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
| Howardsville-Leighcan families complex, 40 to 65 percent slopes | 1% | 0.13% | low | Excessively drained |
| Adena-Colby association, gently sloping | 1% | 1.5% | low | Well drained |
| Sphinx gravelly coarse sandy loam, 15 to 40 percent slopes | 1% | 1.5% | low | Somewhat excessively drained |
By county
| County | Coverage | LEP (acre-wt) | High + very high | Drainage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 97% | 2.32% | 4% | Well drained |
| Arapahoe | 98% | 2.98% | 6% | Well drained |
| Douglas | 99% | 2.01% | 4% | Well drained |
| Jefferson | 96% | 1.17% | 2% | Somewhat excessively drained |
Check the soil under an address
USDA soil survey, read for the top 60 inches under the address. Free, no account, nothing is sent to a contractor.
Usually 1–3 seconds. The USDA service occasionally takes longer.
Is it worth fixing? Do you actually need this?
Most of the mapped ground here is low shrink-swell. Expansive clay is unlikely to be what's moving a foundation in this area, so a big pier quote deserves a hard look.
- On low-swell soil, movement is more often drainage, poor fill under part of the house, a plumbing leak, or tree roots. Those are cheaper problems.
- An engineer's inspection is still the right second opinion; it just more often ends in 'monitor' or 'fix the water' than in piers.
- The address lookup can still surface a pocket of expansive soil on your lot; check it.
We are not engineers and this is not an engineering opinion. We report public soil-survey data and published price ranges. Nothing here states that a specific house is or is not structurally sound; a licensed structural engineer who has seen the house can.
Does homeowners insurance cover foundation repair in Colorado?
Usually no. Standard homeowners policies exclude earth movement (settling, shrinking, expanding and cracking of the foundation), so damage from expansive soil is not covered. Damage that results from a covered sudden event, such as a burst pipe flooding under a slab, can be, and separate earthquake or flood policies cover those perils.
Full answer for Colorado → Source: HO-3 Special Form policy text (exclusion: "settling, shrinking, bulging or expansion, including resultant cracking, of pavements, patios, foundations, walls, floors, roofs or ceilings"), as filed with the Oklahoma Insurance Department
Finding a structural engineer in Denver for an independent opinion
A contractor's free inspection produces a bid. A licensed structural engineer who does not sell repairs produces the scope that bid should be written to: whether movement is active, what is causing it, and the pier count and depth if any. Published cost: $300–$1,000. Source: Bob Vila — How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?, updated 2024-05-29
People in Denver search for a structural engineer about 390 times a month, more than they search for a “foundation inspection” (20). Verify a license with the Colorado board; what the report should contain →
Foundation repair types people in Denver search for
Monthly Google searches for each phrase with “Denver” attached (Google Ads, pulled 2026-08-28). Each links to the cited cost range and when that repair is the right one.
- Basement waterproofing in Denver, about 70/mo: gutters, downspouts and grading before any system; interior drain and sump on slowly drained soil.
- House leveling in Denver, about 10/mo: a sales word, not a method. It means either piers or slabjacking, which are priced very differently; ask which.
- Crawl space repair in Denver, about 10/mo: water first, then framing and piers; encapsulation only once it is dry from outside.
Finding and comparing foundation repair companies in Denver
Google shows a map pack of 3 contractors for “foundation repair Denver”; we don't rank them and don't take money to list them. A good bid and an aggressive one differ in scope, not in company name, so get the engineer's scope first and have every Denver company bid to it. On low shrink-swell soil, a pier plan with no drainage or plumbing-leak check deserves a second opinion before anything else. What a comparable quote itemizes →
Denver foundation repair: questions people ask
How much does foundation repair cost in Denver?
We don't have Denver-specific price data. Published national figures put a typical job at $2,224–$8,134 (average $5,179); piers run $1,000–$3,000 each, and the pier count is what moves a Denver quote.
Does homeowners insurance cover foundation repair in Colorado?
Usually no. Standard homeowners policies exclude earth movement (settling, shrinking, expanding and cracking of the foundation), so damage from expansive soil is not covered. Damage that results from a covered sudden event, such as a burst pipe flooding under a slab, can be, and separate earthquake or flood policies cover those perils.
Is it worth fixing foundation issues? Do I actually need this?
Most of the mapped ground here is low shrink-swell. Expansive clay is unlikely to be what's moving a foundation in this area, so a big pier quote deserves a hard look.
How do I compare foundation repair companies in Denver?
Get an independent engineer's report first, then have every company bid to that scope: same pier type, count and depth. Compare the warranty terms (transferable? covers the house or only the pier?) and the moisture plan, not the sales pitch. We don't rank contractors.
Where do I get an independent opinion in Denver?
A licensed structural engineer who is not selling the repair. A report costs about $300–$1,000 and specifies whether movement is active and what work, if any, is warranted.
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