How slab repair works

A post-tension or conventionally reinforced slab is a single rigid plate sitting on soil that does not stay still. When one section of that soil loses volume, the slab loses support underneath it and the structure follows the soil down. Repair does not fix the soil — it bypasses it, transferring the load from unstable clay onto piers that reach material that does not move seasonally.

Access holes are excavated at the perimeter beam, roughly six to eight feet apart depending on the elevation survey. Segments of high-strength concrete cylinder are hydraulically pressed into the ground one at a time, using the weight of the house itself as the reaction force, until the segments meet refusal. That depth varies across McKinney — typically twelve to eighteen feet, occasionally deeper near creek beds and in newer fill.

Once every pier is set, hydraulic rams lift the structure in small, coordinated increments while a crew monitors interior elevations in real time. The goal is not to make the floor perfectly flat — forcing an old slab back to level cracks it. The goal is maximum practical recovery without new damage. Shims lock the load in, holes are backfilled and compacted, and the site is restored.

Pressed pilings vs. steel piers

Pressed concrete pilings are the standard in North Texas and the right call for the large majority of McKinney slab homes. They are cost-effective, proven in expansive clay, and install quickly.

Steel piers make sense when refusal depth is unusually deep, when there is fill of unknown consolidation, or when the load per pier is high — heavy masonry, two-story sections, or an addition tied into the original slab. They cost more per pier and go deeper. If someone quotes you steel across an entire ordinary tract home without explaining why, ask for the reasoning.

What to expect on your property

• Excavation at each pier location, roughly two feet square at the perimeter
• Temporary disturbance to beds, sod, and any irrigation lines in the work path
• Interior piers require cutting and patching flooring — we identify these in the scope, not on the day
• Existing drywall and brick cracks may open slightly during the lift before closing; cosmetic repair is a separate trade
• Doors often need re-hanging or adjustment after the lift
• You can stay in the home the entire time

Slab repair cost in McKinney

Pressed concrete pilings generally run $350 to $600 per pier in the McKinney market; steel piers run $600 to $1,200. A partial repair of six to ten piers typically lands between $3,000 and $7,000, and a common twelve-to-twenty-pier job between $7,000 and $15,000. Interior piers, unusually deep refusal, and difficult access all move the number. Your written scope carries the actual figure before anything is dug.

See the full breakdown on our McKinney foundation repair overview, or read about the drainage work that keeps a repair from repeating.