NOLA Raised Home

Repair guide

House leveling in New Orleans

What leveling means for a raised New Orleans house, what it can and cannot fix, and how to compare what you are told.

Last updated October 7, 2026. Last reviewed October 7, 2026.

A pale-yellow wooden house with olive shutters and two front doors, on a raised stucco base with oval foundation vents.
House on a raised base with oval foundation vents. Photo: Josh Doguet / Unsplash

The short version

What this may mean
A house that is out of level can be connected to settled supports, but wood decay, moisture, and termite damage can produce the same symptoms. Leveling addresses how the structure is carried, not those other causes.
What not to assume
That leveling is the answer, that it needs a particular method, or that every provider means the same thing by the word. Compare what is actually in each scope.
When to get it looked at
Sooner if the change is recent, getting worse, or comes with a soft floor, new cracks, or doors that suddenly jam. A dated log helps.
What this page helps you decide
Which questions to ask, what leveling does and does not fix, and what to confirm about permits and flood rules.
Seeing this in your own house?Describe what you are noticing

Start with the word

“Leveling” is used loosely. One firm may mean replacing a few piers, another may mean lifting the whole structure, and a third may use the same word for raising a house above flood level. Before you compare anything, pin down what is being proposed.

Terminology decoder

What the words usually mean here

Local trade language overlaps and varies from firm to firm. Pick a word, then ask any provider which meaning they intend.

Plain meaning
Bringing floors and the structure back toward level, usually by adjusting, adding or replacing supports. The house stays at about the same height above the ground.
How firms use it
Some local firms use it for pier, beam and sill work. Others use it interchangeably with foundation repair or even raising.
Ask this
Will the house end at about its current height, and how is “level” being measured?

Why raised houses here go out of level

Many New Orleans soils are soft, compressible and rich in organic material, and parts of the city have been measured sinking at different rates.

Ground movement is only one cause. Decayed or termite-damaged beams and sills, crawl space moisture, and altered framing can produce the same symptoms. Moisture is a central threat to older buildings, and wood near the ground or on masonry piers in a damp crawl space is at higher risk of decay and termite attack.

A floor that is out of level is a symptom to investigate, not a diagnosis.

See sagging and sloping floors.

Cut-away of a raised New Orleans shotgun house, showing how its weight travels to the groundFrom top to bottom: walls and roof, floor and subfloor, floor joists, beams and sills, brick piers on footings, and the soil. Numbered markers 1 to 6 on the right edge match the list of layers. Highlighted in amber: beams and sills, piers and bearing points.

5. Piers and bearing pointsVertical supports, commonly brick or masonry in older New Orleans homes, that pass the load to the footing and soil.

Leveling works on the supports in the middle of the stack.

Simplified, not to scale, and not a diagnosis. Lattice skirting is cut away to show the piers. Select a layer to read what it does.

What leveling can and cannot fix

Leveling compared with other problems that look alike

  • Supports that settled or failed

    Can address

    How the structure is carried.

    Also neededUnderstanding why they settled, so it does not repeat

  • Decayed or termite-damaged beam or sill

    Not by itself

    The wood is a separate repair.

    Also neededBeam and sill work, termite inspection by a licensed operator, and a moisture fix

  • Crawl space moisture or poor drainage

    No

    Also neededDrainage and moisture control; see NPS and ICC guidance on moisture

  • Cracked plaster, drywall, tile, sticking doors

    May improve or change them

    Lifting can cause new cracks.

    Also neededFinish repairs, usually priced and scheduled separately

  • Flood risk

    No

    Raising to a new height is whole-house elevation, a different project.

    Also neededCity flood requirements and elevation certificates; see the permits guide

Before any evaluation, document what you see

A dated record of floor readings, door behavior and new cracks lets an evaluator see whether the house is still moving. Our measure-and-log guide shows how to start. Photograph interior cracks and door gaps before any lifting, so everyone starts from the same record.

Compare estimates on the same questions

Cost depends on far more than a house’s size, so compare scope before price. Ask each provider:

  • How many piers or supports are being added or replaced, and what footing is proposed?
  • Are sill, beam or joist repairs included, or excluded and priced separately?
  • Has a licensed pest control operator inspected for termites?
  • Who applies for the permit, and are engineer-sealed plans included?
  • Will the house stay at about its current height, or is the height changing?
  • What does the warranty cover, in writing, and what does it exclude?
  • What is not included, such as finish repairs after lifting?

We do not publish prices because we have no bids of our own, and the public figures we found were unsourced advertising ranges that conflict with each other. For what typically drives cost, see house leveling cost.

Permits, flood rules and historic districts

The City requires a Structural Renovation permit for changes to a foundation, beams or load-bearing walls. Its public pages do not say whether leveling a house at its current height, or replacing individual piers, falls under that permit, so call the Building Division at (504) 658-7130 before work begins. The City also says that repairing or substantially improving a building by 50 percent or more triggers its flood-protection requirements, without explaining how the 50 percent is calculated. Homes in local historic districts need additional approval for exterior work. Details are in structural repair permits in New Orleans.

Check any contractor in the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors’ public search; thresholds changed in 2024, so confirm current rules with the board.

Sources (10)

Next step

If you are weighing leveling

Describe what is happening in the house. You do not need to have decided that leveling is the answer.

Your request comes to NOLA Raised Home first. If it looks like a fit, we share it with one independent local provider, which decides whether it can help. Not every request is a match. We are not the contractor. How it works.

Describe my house