This guide pulls together the questions we are most often asked about cost. It is written for homeowners and small landlords who are paying for the work themselves or supplementing an insurance settlement. All figures are indicative ranges based on current UK market rates. Your specific job may sit inside or outside the range depending on access, ground, and method.
Headline figures by method
- Resin injection: £150–£350 per linear metre (ground floor, suitable soils).
- Mass concrete underpinning: £1,800–£3,500 per linear metre.
- Beam and base: £2,200–£4,000 per linear metre.
- Mini piled underpinning: £2,500–£5,500 per linear metre.
- Screw piles (new extension): £400–£900 per pile installed.
- Geopolymer foam slab re-levelling: £80–£200 per square metre.
Add survey, design, building control, and reinstatement on top. A typical small to medium domestic underpinning project, say six to twelve metres of mass concrete on a Victorian terrace, comes in between £14,000 and £35,000 all-in including reinstatement.
What pushes a job toward the top of the range
- Restricted access, especially rear elevations only reachable through the house.
- Underpin depths beyond two metres.
- High water tables requiring dewatering.
- Party wall procedures with multiple neighbours.
- Decorative or listed external finishes that are expensive to reinstate.
- Drainage repairs uncovered during the works.
What pulls a job toward the bottom of the range
- Single elevation, ground floor, accessible from outside.
- Underpin depths under one metre.
- Stable granular soil where resin is suitable.
- No party wall implications.
- Property already due for redecoration so reinstatement is folded in.
Survey and design fees
Independent structural engineer's report: £400 to £900. Soil investigation (trial pits or boreholes): £600 to £2,500. CCTV drain survey: £200 to £500. Engineer's design and calculations for the works: £1,000 to £3,000. Building control fees: £400 to £1,200. Party wall surveyor (per neighbour): £900 to £2,500.
Insurance versus self-pay
If your buildings insurance accepts a subsidence claim, you typically pay the policy excess (commonly £1,000) and the insurer pays the rest. Always read the policy schedule for the specific subsidence excess, it is usually much higher than the standard buildings excess. If you are paying out of pocket because the property is uninsured, the policy lapsed, or the cause is excluded (for example wear and tear, or movement that pre-dates the policy), the figures above apply in full.
Financing
Where insurance is not paying, most homeowners spread the cost. Unsecured personal loans for home improvement up to £25,000 are widely available, and FCA-regulated home improvement finance partners can fund up to £75,000 over terms of one to ten years. We work with a regulated partner and can arrange a soft-search decision in principle in 24 hours, full terms are on our financing page, with realistic timelines alongside.
How to read a quote
- Method specified clearly (mass concrete, beam and base, etc.).
- Linear metres or pile count itemised, not just a lump sum.
- Engineer's design referenced or included.
- Reinstatement scope listed (or explicitly excluded).
- Guarantee terms in writing, typically a ten-year insurance-backed structural guarantee.
- VAT shown separately.
Red flags
- Quote given without a site visit.
- No engineer's design referenced.
- Pressure to sign on the day.
- Cash-only or large up-front deposit demands.
- Vague or missing guarantee.
Final word
Underpinning is one of the larger discretionary spends a homeowner ever makes outside of buying the property itself. Slow down, get the diagnosis first, get two or three quotes against the same engineer's design, and check guarantees and credentials before signing. Done properly, the work is invisible within a year and the property's value, sellability, and insurability are protected for decades.