Steel Push Piers in Houston

Piering means installing piers under a foundation to carry the house on deeper, steadier ground and, in many jobs, to lift the slab back toward level. A steel push pier is one type. Hydraulic equipment pushes steel sections down beside or under the foundation until they reach soil or rock that can hold the load, and the weight of the house is then transferred to them. Houston contractors describe steel piers as the choice when slightly deeper support is needed than a pressed concrete pier gives. Pier choice is a judgment call, and no neutral source we found sets out when each type is used, so ask the contractor why they recommend one for your house.

How it compares with other pier types

• Pressed concrete piers. Concrete cylinders pushed into the ground with hydraulic pressure, as one Houston contractor describes them.
• Helical piers. Screw-like piers that are turned into the ground. HomeGuide says they cost more and that depth and access change the price, with a flat price to a standard depth and then roughly $20 to $25 or more per extra foot.
• Drilled piers. Holes drilled and filled. Olshan Foundation Repair lists them at lower cost per pier than push piers.
• Hybrid systems. Some companies sell their own pier systems. Olshan’s flagship is its own hybrid piling and it prefers it to helical piers for residential work, so weigh its advice with that in mind.

How many piers, and what it costs

Olshan states that most slab jobs need 5 to 15 piers. That is one company’s statement, and your house may need more or fewer. Published per-pier prices run across a wide range depending on the source, and we found no Houston contractor publishing per-pier prices on a page we could read. The figures we could verify are listed in the box above, side by side and with their dates. The spread between sources is two to four times, so never rely on a single number, and remember that the type of pier, depth, access and the amount of cosmetic repair all change the total.

Questions to put in writing

• How many piers, which type, how deep, and who designed the layout?
• Is an independent engineer’s report included, or can the contractor price from an engineer’s plan? Olshan says it can price repair plans designed by structural engineers when given the engineer’s report.
• How will the lift be done and checked, and will drainage or a plumbing leak under the slab be tested first?
• Does a City of Houston permit apply, and who pulls it? We could not verify the City’s permit rules, so confirm with the Houston Permitting Center.
• What does the warranty cover, who backs it, does it transfer if you sell, and what happens if the company closes?

Texas does not license foundation repair contractors. Under Texas Property Code chapter 53, unpaid subcontractors and suppliers can file a lien against your home, so ask for lien waivers as you pay and never pay in full before you have inspected the work, as the Texas Attorney General advises.

Sources

Reviewed October 27, 2026. General information, not engineering or legal advice.

• Olshan Foundation Repair, foundation repair costs page (read October 27, 2026). olshanfoundation.com
• HomeGuide, helical pier and foundation repair cost guides (2026). homeguide.com
• HomeAdvisor, foundation repair cost (updated June 20, 2026). homeadvisor.com
• CoreTech Foundation Repair, Houston, pier descriptions. coretechfoundationrepair.com
• Texas Attorney General, home improvement guidance. texasattorneygeneral.gov
• Texas Property Code chapter 53; Texas Legislature, HB 613 bill history (2013). statutes.capitol.texas.gov, capitol.texas.gov