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New Orleans Concrete Leveling connects homeowners with independent local contractors who lift settled interior concrete slabs — in additions, converted garages, slab-on-grade homes and sunrooms — by injecting material under the floor through small holes. Interior slab leveling in New Orleans is priced on site, because floor coverings, access and the cause of the settling vary too much for a useful average; as a reference point, HomeGuide lists polyurethane foam at $8–$25 per square foot.
The most common New Orleans case is an addition or enclosed porch. The original house sits on piers or a slab poured decades ago; the addition was poured later on newer fill, and that fill has settled. The result is a floor that slopes down toward the outside wall, a crack where old meets new, and doors that no longer close cleanly.
What happens on the first visit
An interior estimate is as much diagnosis as measurement. The contractor checks:
- Floor elevations across the room, with a laser or manometer, to map where and how far the slab dropped.
- Whether it's the slab or the foundation. Wall cracks, sticking doors and gaps at the ceiling line point beyond the floor.
- What's on the floor — tile, wood, LVP or carpet — and where holes can go with the least disruption.
- Plumbing under the slab. A leaking drain or supply line is a common cause of interior settling and must be fixed first.
- Method and a written price. Indoors, that almost always means foam.
Why foam is the standard method indoors
Inside a house, the cleaner and lighter method wins. Polyurethane foam goes in through holes about 5/8 inch wide, so they can often be placed in grout lines, under cabinets or where flooring will be replaced anyway. It adds very little weight to the soil, it doesn't pump water into the house, and it cures in about 15 minutes.
Mudjacking is rarely used indoors: its holes are 1–2 inches, the slurry is heavy and wet, and the equipment is harder to bring into a finished room.
Slab settling vs foundation movement
Leveling lifts a slab that has lost its support. It is not a substitute for foundation repair when the foundation itself — the footings, grade beams or piers — has moved. The sinking slab or foundation problem guide lists the warning signs. If a structural engineer is needed, get that opinion before anyone drills.
On a raised New Orleans house, the main floor is framing on piers — that is house leveling, a separate trade. Interior slab leveling applies to rooms built on a slab, like additions, converted garages and slab-on-grade homes common in Metairie, Kenner, Chalmette and the Westbank.
Plumbing first, then the lift
Water under an interior slab usually comes from inside the house: a cracked cast-iron drain, a leaking supply line or a failed shower pan. Water washes soil out and the slab follows it down. If there's a musty smell, a damp spot or a water bill that crept up, have a plumber test the lines before the floor is lifted. Otherwise the new support washes out the same way. Will my slab sink again? covers the causes that bring settling back.
How interior leveling is priced
Interior jobs are quoted after the elevation survey because the price depends on how much of the floor dropped, how far, what flooring is in the way and whether plumbing work comes first. Foam at $8–$25 per square foot is the reference range, and most contractors carry a $300–$700 minimum.
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude settling, but a covered plumbing leak that caused the washout may be a different conversation with your insurer — see does insurance cover concrete leveling?. If you're replacing floors anyway, see slab leveling before flooring.
What a proper interior slab leveling job includes
- Elevation map of the affected floor
- Foundation warning signs checked and noted
- Plumbing leak check recommended where signs exist
- Hole placement planned around finished flooring
- Foam injected in small, controlled lifts
- Lift monitored with a laser across the room
- Holes patched and crack at old/new joint sealed
- Written notes on anything outside the scope
DIY patch vs cheapest operator vs proper interior slab leveling
| Factor | DIY patch or topping | Cheapest operator | Proper leveling job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixes the void under the slab | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Actually raises the slab | No | Yes | Yes |
| Drop measured at every joint first | No | No | Yes |
| Method chosen for your soil | n/a | Whatever rig they own | Yes |
| Written price before drilling | n/a | Rarely | Yes |
| Holes patched, joints sealed | n/a | Holes only | Yes |
| Drainage cause addressed | No | No | Yes |
| Carries liability insurance | n/a | Ask | Ask — and verify |
| Typical life | Cracks as the slab keeps moving | Short if the cause isn’t fixed | 5–10+ years (mudjacking) |
| Typical cost, 150 sq ft patio | Materials only | Lowest bid | $600–$1,400 slurry · ~$1,200–$3,750 foam |
Proper-job cost and life from HomeGuide's mudjacking cost data; foam range calculated at HomeGuide's $8–$25/sq ft. Resurfacers and self-leveling toppings cover the surface; they don't lift the slab.