We pour and repair concrete flatwork, slabs and walls. We are not structural engineers. For anything that carries the weight of a house, the advice on this page is to get an engineer's opinion first, and we say so where it applies.
The dollar figures on this page are national ranges that HomeGuide published for 2026. They are not quotes from New Orleans Concrete Solutions. What you pay in New Orleans depends on local labor and material prices, how a truck reaches the pour, and what the soil under the slab needs. Last checked October 2026.
Are the cracks in my foundation serious or cosmetic?
Foundation cracks are usually cosmetic when they are hairline, run up and down, and have not changed. They are more likely serious when they are wider than about a quarter inch, wider at one end, stepped through brick or block, or come with doors that stick and floors that slope. Nearly every house in New Orleans has moved a little. What matters is whether it is still moving. Mark the ends of a crack with a pencil and a date, and call a structural engineer if it grows.
My front steps are pulling away from the house. Why?
Steps end up pulling away from the house because they sit on shallow soil and the house does not. The steps sink and tip while the house stays up on its piers or piles. It is one of the most common sights in the city. Small gaps can be sealed. A large gap, or steps that tilt, means the steps should be lifted or rebuilt on a better footing and tied or jointed properly. We have no published price for steps and quote them after a look.
My garage floor has dropped on one side. Is it a leveling job or a foundation problem?
If the garage floor dropped but the walls, the door frame and the roof line are straight, it is likely a floating slab that settled, and leveling may be enough. If the walls are cracked or the door opening is out of square, the footing has moved too, and an engineer should look before anyone pumps anything. Nationally, minor foundation crack repairs run $250 to $800 and repairs for settling run $4,500 to $20,000.
My retaining wall is leaning after heavy rain. Is it going to fail?
A retaining wall that starts leaning after heavy rain is being pushed by wet soil it cannot drain. It may stand for years or go in the next storm, and nobody can promise which. Keep people and cars away from the low side. Check that the weep holes are open. A lean that is getting worse means rebuilding with a proper footing, gravel backfill and a drain pipe. A new concrete wall averages $3,000 to $10,000 nationally.
A foundation company quoted $18,000 for piers. Another said seal the crack for $1,500. Which is right?
Neither quote tells you by itself. The $18,000 and the $1,500 are answers to two different questions: is the foundation moving, or is one crack letting water in? Both companies sell what they recommend. Pay a structural engineer who sells no repairs to inspect it. The fee is small beside either quote. If the crack is stable, sealing may be all you need. If the house is settling, sealing only hides it.
My slab floor is damp and shows a white powder. What is it?
The white powder is efflorescence. Water moves up through the concrete, dries at the surface and leaves mineral salts behind. It is harmless and tells you moisture is coming through. New Orleans homes very rarely have basements, so here it shows on ground floor slabs and garage floors. The cause is a high water table, no vapor barrier, or water standing against the edge of the slab. Fix the drainage outside first. Coatings put over a damp slab tend to peel.
Does a house in New Orleans need deep footings for frost?
No. The ground here does not freeze to any depth that matters, so frost is not what sets footing depth. Soft soil is. That is why houses and other buildings in the city are commonly built on driven piles or on raised piers, and why foundation design is the engineer's job under the building code.
Do earthquakes matter for concrete here?
Earthquakes are not a regular concern for home concrete in New Orleans. Subsidence, flooding and hurricane wind are the forces that shape foundations here. Engineers apply the loads the building code sets for this area.
Does salt air damage concrete in New Orleans?
A little, mostly near Lake Pontchartrain and the brackish canals. Salt and steady humidity help steel rust when it sits too close to the surface, and the rust cracks the concrete over it. Enough concrete cover over the bars and a dense mix are the protection.
Can you pour a slab for an addition or a new house?
Yes, to an engineer's or architect's stamped drawings and under a building permit from the Department of Safety and Permits. In much of the city that means piles and grade beams under the slab. We build what the drawings show and do not design structural foundations ourselves.
The real number for your address comes from a free visit and a written quote. Call (504) 732-1542, or text a photo of the area and we will tell you what we see.