Foundation repair help in Collin County
Serving McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Plano and Prosper. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll connect you with an independent local foundation repair company. Our sourced guides explain the options first.
Collin County Foundation Guide is a free referral service. We connect you with independent local foundation repair companies and may be paid a referral fee. We are not a contractor or engineers. How it works
The ground under Collin County
37%
of the county's soil survey area is Houston Black clay, the Blackland Prairie soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Its plasticity index runs about 44 to 55, rated very high for shrink-swell.
That seasonal movement is why foundation repair is so common here. What the warning signs look like.
Source: USDA NRCS soil survey data for Collin County (TX085), our calculation.
How it works
One request, one local company. No bidding wars, no call-center scripts.
Tell us what you're seeing
Send a short request: your city, the type of foundation if you know it, and what you've noticed.
We connect you
We pass your request to an independent foundation repair company that works in your part of Collin County.
You decide
The company inspects and quotes directly. You can get an independent engineer's opinion first, and you're never obliged to go ahead.
Worried about your foundation? A sensible order
- Write it down. Photograph cracks with a date and a tape measure, and note doors or windows that start to stick. Change over months tells an engineer more than one snapshot.
- Get an independent opinion. A Texas-licensed engineer you hire yourself can tell you whether anything needs repair, and why.
- Get comparable quotes. Ask companies to price the engineer's plan, so you're comparing like with like.
- Check the permit and the warranty before you sign, and keep the engineer's final letter afterward.
Foundation movement on clay is usually slow, which gives you time to do this properly. Pressure to sign on the first visit is a red flag, not a reason to hurry.
Engineer report vs free inspection
We're not engineers and can't assess a particular house. If you smell gas or see something moving fast, such as a sagging ceiling, leave the house and call 911.
Foundation repair services
What each type of work involves, what the cities require, and what to ask before work starts.
Slab foundation repair
Why slabs move on Collin County's expansive clay, how pier-based repairs generally work, why every city here asks for a Texas-licensed engineer's sealed design, and what a good estimate spells out.
Read morePier and beam repair
How a pier and beam (crawl space) foundation differs from a slab, the kinds of repairs these homes commonly get, why the city still wants a Texas-licensed engineer's design, and how to keep the crawl space healthy.
Read moreEngineer evaluation
What a structural engineer's foundation evaluation is, why Texas treats diagnosing a foundation as engineering, how city permits depend on a sealed design, how to check a license, and what it typically costs.
Read moreDrainage correction
On expansive clay, keeping soil moisture even around the house is the main thing an owner can control. How grading, gutters, downspout extensions, French drains, root barriers and careful watering fit together.
Read moreGuides for homeowners
Most people start with a question, not a diagnosis: is this crack normal, what are my options, what should it cost, who should I trust. These guides explain the general picture, with sources, so you can have a better conversation with an engineer and a contractor.
Signs of foundation problems
The common warning signs on Collin County's expansive clay, from sticking doors to stair-step brick cracks, what engineering groups say is often cosmetic, how the seasons change what you see, and when to call an independent engineer.
Read the guideFoundation repair cost
Sourced, dated price ranges for foundation repair, with national figures kept separate from local contractor figures, plus the engineer, permit and testing costs that often sit outside the headline price.
Read the guideEngineer report vs free inspection
What you actually get from a repair company's free inspection, a home inspector's report and an independent structural engineer's report, what Texas rules say about who can diagnose a foundation, and why the difference follows you to resale.
Read the guidePier types compared
A neutral look at the four pier types you'll see in Collin County foundation repair bids: how each goes in, what engineering groups say about it, the trade-offs, and published price ranges, plus why the choice for a given house belongs to an engineer.
Read the guideHow to water your foundation
Why foundation watering matters on Collin County's expansive clay, how to place a soaker hose or drip line, the mistakes that make things worse, and what Plano, Frisco, McKinney and Prosper currently allow during watering restrictions.
Read the guideWarranties and resale
What 'lifetime transferable' usually means on a foundation repair warranty, the risk when a company is sold or closes, what the Texas Seller's Disclosure Notice asks about, and the permit and engineer paperwork that makes a repaired house easier to sell.
Read the guidePier and beam vs slab
How to tell which foundation your house has, how slabs and pier and beam floors each respond to expansive clay, the repairs engineers typically consider for each, what a post-tension slab is, and what housing age by city suggests.
Read the guideSlab leaks and foundation movement
Why plumbing under a slab and foundation movement are linked in both directions, the free water meter check, what hydrostatic and pressure tests do, and why engineering guidelines call for plumbing tests when a house is lifted.
Read the guideFoundations in North Texas: what's different here
A few local facts that shape the foundation problems Collin County homes tend to have.
Expansive clay underfoot
Houston Black clay covers about 37% of the county's soil survey area, and over half the land in Plano and Allen. City by city.
No state license to check
Texas doesn't license foundation repair contractors, so check the business, the permit and the warranty instead. How to check.
Permits and engineers
The cities we cover issue permits for foundation repair, and McKinney, Plano, Frisco and Prosper publish a requirement for a Texas-licensed engineer's sealed design. Each city's rules.
Drought, then rain
Collin County went from no drought on August 11, 2026 to 79% extreme drought by September 22. Dry clay shrinks, then swells with the rain. Watering your foundation.
Why clay moves a slab
Expansive clay takes on water and swells, then gives it up and shrinks. The soil at the edge of a house wets and dries faster than the soil under the middle, so the edges can rise in a wet season and drop in a dry one.
That is the general mechanism. Whether it explains what you see at your house is a question for an engineer. Signs of foundation problems.
Before you hire any foundation company
Whoever you end up working with, a few checks protect you:
- Hire your own engineer if you can, so the repair plan comes from someone who isn't selling the repair.
- Ask for the permit number before work starts, and the engineer's final letter when it's done.
- Read the actual warranty. Many cover only adjusting the installed piers. Ask how it transfers and what happens if the company is sold. Warranties and resale.
- Know your right to cancel. Texas generally gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel a contract signed at home after a sales visit.
Questions people ask us
Are you a foundation repair company?
No. Collin County Foundation Guide is an information and referral service. We connect homeowners in McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Plano and Prosper with independent local foundation repair companies. The company you're connected with inspects, quotes and carries out the work, and is responsible for it. We're not engineers. Read more on how it works.
Does it cost anything to use this service?
Using the site and asking for a referral is free. Participating foundation repair companies may pay us a referral fee, which is how the site is funded, and a referral is not an endorsement. You only pay for work you agree with the company directly. Our referral disclosure has the details.
Does Texas license foundation repair contractors?
No. Texas has no state license for foundation repair companies; bills to create one died in 2011 and 2013. The cities regulate the work through permits instead, and engineers are licensed by the Texas engineering board. Our contractor checklist explains what to check instead of a license.
Is this crack a sign of a foundation problem?
We can't say for any particular house: we're not engineers, and in Texas diagnosing a foundation is engineering work. Our guide to signs of foundation problems explains which symptoms homeowners commonly notice and which are often cosmetic. For an answer about your home, hire a Texas-licensed professional engineer.
Do I need an engineer, or is a free inspection enough?
A free inspection comes from a company that sells repairs. An engineer you hire yourself works for you, and the cities we cover require a Texas-licensed engineer's sealed design to permit a repair anyway. See engineer report vs free inspection.
Do I need a permit for foundation repair?
Yes, in the cities we cover. McKinney, Plano, Frisco and Prosper publish requirements for a permit and a Texas-licensed engineer's sealed documents, and Allen issues foundation repair permits too. Our service area page links each city's rules.
How much does foundation repair cost?
It depends on the house, the repair method and how many piers the engineer's plan calls for. HomeAdvisor's national figures put a typical job at $2,225 to $8,133, with piers at $1,000 to $3,000 each (June 2026). Our cost guide covers what drives the price in Collin County and what's often billed separately.
What areas do you cover?
McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Plano and Prosper in Collin County, Texas (parts of Frisco, Plano and Prosper are in Denton County). Each city has its own page with local permit rules, soils and watering rules; see the service area page.
Worried about your foundation?
Describe what you're seeing once and we'll connect you with an independent local foundation repair company. Our referral service is free to use, and we may be paid a referral fee.
Collin County Foundation Guide is a free referral service. We connect you with independent local foundation repair companies and may be paid a referral fee. We are not a contractor or engineers. How it works