Foundation & Crawl Space Repair Around Richmond, VA

• Every business has a real local address and published local roots. Its owner type shows only once a public record confirms it.
• Each profile links the dated public records we checked it against, and licensed trades need a current Virginia license.
• The order is editorial and never for sale. Paid Featured businesses are labeled and sit in a box above the list without moving anyone.
• Source-checked means we matched the profile against the dated public records in its Sources list. Owner-confirmed means the owner also confirmed the facts with us.

A repair company that inspects for free makes its money on the repair it recommends. A professional engineer who doesn't sell repairs has nothing to sell you, so the report is the product. Virginia Foundation Inspections in Mechanicsville, run by an engineer licensed since 1996, says on its site that it is not a contractor so its advice stays unbiased.

That firm publishes its prices. On November 2, 2026 its foundation inspections page listed a residential structural inspection at $525 to $750, depending on location. Take the engineer's report to each company you ask for a quote, so every bid answers the same problem.^[1][2][3]

They're different jobs that often share a truck. Foundation repair is structural: piers under a settling footing, braces for a bowing wall, new beams or joists under a sagging floor. Crawl space work is mostly about water and damp air: a vapor barrier or a sealed liner, drainage, a sump pump and a dehumidifier.

Some firms do both, some only crawl spaces, and one we list only inspects. Each profile says which. If the engineer finds a structural problem, a company that only seals crawl spaces isn't the right call, and the reverse is true too.

No company we checked publishes repair prices, and quotes depend on the house. The closest public record is Hanover County's monthly permit list, which names the contractor and the job value the applicant declared. From February to August 2026, nine foundation, crawl space and waterproofing contractors pulled 161 residential alteration permits in Hanover. Leaving out two at $0, the middle value was $14,889, half fell between $9,290 and $18,717, and the range ran from $1,259 to $64,619.

Read those numbers with care. A declared valuation is what the applicant wrote on the permit, not what the homeowner paid, and the list doesn't say what each job included.^[4]

Virginia's building code requires a permit before any alteration to a structural component of a house, which covers foundation repair and underpinning. The code doesn't name crawl space encapsulation, sump pumps or dehumidifiers as exempt, so ask your building office before work starts.

Hanover County Building Inspections answers at 804-365-6040, Chesterfield County Building Inspection at 804-751-4990, and the City of Richmond's Permits and Inspections at 804-646-4169. Put the answer to "who pulls the permit" in the contract.^[5][6][7][8]

The federal research is favorable. The Department of Energy's Building America program found that closed, conditioned crawl spaces used 15% to 18% less energy for heating and cooling and cut humidity by more than 20%, and it notes that in humid climates outside air is often wetter than the crawl space air the vents are meant to dry.

Don't count on a tax credit for it. The IRS says the energy efficient home improvement credit covers improvements made through December 31, 2025, so 2026 work doesn't qualify.^[9][10]

Several of the busiest names in Richmond foundation and crawl space work are part of something larger. JES Foundation Repair is a Groundworks company, one of seven brands with more than 90 offices. Crawlspace Medic runs over 30 locations in 13 states and sells franchises. The Drying Co. calls itself an authorized Basement Systems and Dr. Energy Saver dealer. We list independently owned firms only, so they aren't here.

Some sites that rank for these searches aren't contractors at all. Richmond Crawl Space Solutions says it is an advertising and lead-routing service whose jobs are done by independent contractors, and ChesterfieldFoundations.com says it connects homeowners with contractors. If you use one, find out which company will do the work and check that company's license.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

Contracting work over $1,000 needs a Virginia Board for Contractors license. For a house, look for the Residential Building (RBC) class or the Home Improvement (HIC) specialty; the Highway/Heavy (H/H) class lists foundations but doesn't mention houses, so ask. An engineer who only inspects holds a DPOR engineering license instead.^{[5][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

• Is it the same job? Line the quotes up by scope: the same repair method, the same square footage, the same drainage and dehumidifier, the same cleanup. A lower price that leaves something out isn't lower.^[21]
• Is it in writing, with changes in writing too? DPOR, the state board that licenses contractors, advises against relying on a verbal agreement. Any change to the job should be written down and signed by both of you.^[21]
• Who pulls the permit? Work on a structural component needs a building permit. The quote should say who files it and whether the fee is included.^[5]
• What's the payment schedule? A deposit and payments tied to finished work protect you. DPOR says not to pay for the whole job up front.^[21]

• No license number, or one you can't find. Contracting work over $1,000 needs a Virginia license, and DPOR says the license should match the work. Hire someone unlicensed and you also lose access to the state's Recovery Fund.^[17][21][22]
• The whole price up front. DPOR and the BBB both warn against paying for the entire job before it's done.^[21][24]
• Cash only. DPOR's advice is to never pay in cash. A check or card leaves a record if something goes wrong.^[21]
• A deal that expires today. Pressure to decide on the spot is a warning sign the BBB names. A fair price will still be there tomorrow.^[24]
• A door-knocker who skips your 3-day right to cancel. If a seller shows up uninvited and you sign at home, Virginia gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel in writing. This doesn't cover a company you called out yourself.^[23]