The Problem With Comparing Totals
You have two or three proposals. The numbers are meaningfully different. The obvious question is which one to take, and the obvious method is to compare the prices.
That method fails here, because the proposals are usually not describing the same work. A quote for eight perimeter piers and a quote for sixteen piers including four interior locations are different projects. One includes restoration and cosmetic repair; the other does not. One carries a transferable warranty with a stated coverage period; the other says “lifetime” without defining what that covers.
This guide gives you a worksheet. Work through all eight items for each proposal, then compare. What frequently happens is that the apparent bargain turns out to be the same price once the excluded work is added back, or the expensive one turns out to be covering something the others simply left out.
The Eight-Item Worksheet
1. Scope
What work, at exactly which locations? A defensible proposal identifies pier locations, not just a count. Ask what the locations are based on — an elevation survey gives a basis, a walk-around impression does not.
Record: number of locations, perimeter versus interior, which elevations of the house, and total area addressed.
2. Method
Which system — steel piers, drilled bell-bottom concrete piers, pressed pilings, or something else? And critically: why that system for this property?
A contractor who can explain the selection in terms of soil conditions, depth, load, and access is reasoning from your house. One who says their system is simply better is describing their inventory. Our repair methods page explains what each system does and does not do well.
3. Documents
What assessment produced this scope, and can you see it? Ask for the elevation readings and the distress mapping. A contractor who measured should be willing to show you the figures.
Also check whether an engineering assessment is involved and, if so, whose it is.
4. Inclusions
What is covered in the price? Look specifically for: excavation, spoil handling, the lift itself, backfill and compaction, and restoration of sod, planting, irrigation, and hardscape on the work route.
5. Exclusions
This is where the difference usually lives, and it deserves a highlighter.
Common exclusions that homeowners assume are included:
- Cosmetic repair — patching cracks, painting, re-hanging doors, adjusting trim
- Flooring removal and reinstatement for interior pier locations
- Post-lift plumbing testing, and any repair the test identifies
- Permits and inspection fees
- Engineering fees
- Hardscape reinstatement
- Landscaping beyond basic sod replacement
A proposal with no exclusions section is not a proposal without exclusions. It is a proposal that has not told you what they are.
6. Schedule
How many working days on site, and what would extend it? Depth to refusal, weather, groundwater, obstructions, and the inspection schedule all extend projects legitimately. A proposal that names those risks in advance is being straight with you.
Also check: when can work start, and does the price hold until then?
7. Warranty
Ask for the actual document, not a summary. Check:
- What is covered, and at which locations
- What is excluded
- The coverage period
- Whether it is transferable
- Any transfer fee
- The time window for transferring it
- What happens if the company ceases trading
“Lifetime” is a marketing word until the document defines it. Our warranty guide covers what to look for.
8. Payment
Deposit amount, stage payments, final payment trigger, and what happens if scope changes mid-project. A large up-front deposit relative to the total is worth asking about.
Side-by-Side Comparison Table
Copy this, fill it in for each proposal, and the comparison makes itself.
| Item | Proposal A | Proposal B | Proposal C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total price | |||
| Pier locations (perimeter / interior) | |||
| Method and stated reason | |||
| Elevation survey provided? | |||
| Restoration included? | |||
| Cosmetic repair included? | |||
| Plumbing testing included? | |||
| Permits included? | |||
| Working days on site | |||
| Warranty period | |||
| Transferable? Fee? Window? | |||
| Deposit / payment stages |
Why Honest Quotes Differ
Not every difference is a red flag. These are legitimate reasons two competent contractors produce different numbers:
- Different judgement about coverage. One extends piers into the adjacent run because the survey shows the transition continues; the other stops at the clearly affected area.
- Different systems with different per-unit costs and different depth behaviour.
- Different restoration standards. Replacing sod is not the same as reinstating a flowerbed.
- Different risk pricing. A contractor who carries the depth risk prices differently from one who bills depth as an extra.
The cost-factor guide works through what moves the number.
Red Flags Worth Noticing
- No exclusions section at all
- A pier count with no stated basis and no survey offered
- “Lifetime warranty” with no document available to read
- Pressure to sign today, or a discount that expires at the end of the visit
- A diagnosis delivered before anything was measured
- A claim that the repair resolves regional subsidence or fault movement
- A deposit that seems disproportionate to the mobilisation involved
What to Do Next
Fill in the table for each proposal you hold. Where a cell is blank, that is a question to go back with rather than an assumption to make.
If none of your proposals includes measured findings, that is the gap worth closing first. A foundation evaluation produces elevation readings and distress mapping that you keep, which gives you an independent basis for judging every proposal on the table.