How Much Does It Cost to Lift a House to Replace the Foundation?

By Hannah Stephens

July 29, 2025

If you're considering foundation repairs, you may find yourself wondering how on earth your contractors will access the slab to perform the work. The surprising answer is that they may well lift your entire house. While it sounds bizarre, house lifting is often the safest and most efficient way to carry out repairs that would be challenging with the house in place.

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House lifting is a major project, so it's worth understanding the costs involved before committing. Let's dig into the costs to lift a house for foundation repairs and what factors influence the price.

What Is House Lifting or Jacking?

House lifting, also known as house jacking, involves raising an entire house to build an extra floor or access the foundation for repairs or replacement. Signs you require foundation repairs include:

Cracks in your floors, walls or ceilings
Sticking or ill-fitting windows and doors
Sloping or sagging floors
Bowed walls

You may also need to lift your house if your home is on a flood plain. Raising your home above the Base Flood Elevation, or BFE, significantly reduces the risk of flooding and can make your house easier to sell or insure.

How Can a House Be Lifted or Raised?

Contractors raise homes by excavating underneath the house and installing supportive beams. They then install hydraulic jacks beneath the beams and raise them in small increments to prevent further damage to the house's structure. Raising the home enables contractors to perform foundation repairs that would be challenging or impossible with the house in situ.

Foundational Problems: Do I Need to Repair or Replace?

The methods used to repair a failing foundation depend on several factors, including the homeowner's preference and the cause and scale of the damage. Your contractor will likely recommend steel or concrete piers to support a faulty or sinking foundation. Known as underpinning, this type of repair provides long-lasting support to your existing foundation to prevent your home from shifting again. Alternatively, you may need to replace your entire foundation if the damage is widespread. A new foundation can be a fresh start.

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How Much Does It Cost to Lift a House for Foundation Repairs?

According to HomeGuide, lifting a house for foundation repairs costs $10,000 to $40,000 (CAD 13,725 to CAD 54,900) on average. These figures only cover the cost of raising the house and don't include repairs.

As you might expect, the size of your home significantly impacts the cost of lifting it. Smaller homes made from lighter materials such as wood cost the least to raise, with most homeowners paying between $10,000 and $25,000 (CAD 13,725 and CAD 34,312). Larger, masonry-built homes are more expensive at $15,000 to $40,000 (CAD 20,587 to CAD 54,900).

You can get a clearer idea of your foundation lifting expenses by calculating your home's square footage. As a rule of thumb, contractors typically charge $10 to $30 (CAD 14 to CAD 41) per square foot for house jacking. This generally encompasses labor costs, but you should double-check your estimate for a cost breakdown. As always, getting multiple quotes is the best way to ensure you're getting the best deal.

Average Foundation Repair Cost

Your quote will also include the cost of foundation repairs. Fixing a foundation costs between $250 and $800 (CAD 343 and CAD 1,098) for minor issues and between $2,000 and $20,000 (CAD 2,745 and CAD 27,500) for major repairs.

Average Foundation Replacement Cost

The cost to raise a house for a new foundation is much higher because foundation replacement requires more resources and labor hours. Most homeowners spend between $20 and $80 (CAD 27 and CAD 110) per square foot for house lifting and foundation replacement, or between $20,000 and $100,000 (CAD 27,500 and CAD 137,250) per project, including labor costs.

Additional Home Lifting Expenses

Lifting a house is a complex and potentially dangerous task, and you'll need a structural engineer to monitor your home's stability throughout the project. Structural engineer fees for house lifting typically range between $1,000 and $2,000 (CAD 1,373 and CAD 2,745).

Most jurisdictions require homeowners to obtain a permit before starting a house lifting project. Permit costs vary between areas and often depend on the size of the structure. Expect to pay between $500 and $6,000 (CAD 686 and CAD 8,235) per permit.

Don't forget to budget for alternative accommodations during your project. Most contractors will lift houses with the furniture and other contents in place, but you can't live in your house during lifting for safety reasons. Jacking a house can take up to a week, but your contractor may ask you to vacate your home for longer to allow them to carry out excavation and other preparatory work.

All CAD conversions are based on the exchange rate on the date of publication.

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