When a relevel makes things worse

When a home was releveled recently and it is worse than before, or the same doors are sticking again, the usual causes are piers that were shimmed instead of rebuilt, footings set on loose sand, or a lift done too fast. Fixing it typically means rebuilding the bad piers at $150 to $400 each, and often a full relevel at $450 to $800 for a singlewide or $750 to $1,400 for a doublewide. We read the frame at every pier and write down what we find before we price it.

Check this first

• Look at the tops of the piers. A neat cap with one or two shims is normal. A tall stack of loose shims, or shims that have slipped sideways, means the pier was built up instead of fixed at the footing.
• Look at the footings. Are they sitting flat on firm ground, or tilted on sand that looks dug or washed out?
• Are the piers plumb? A stack that leans is carrying load at an angle.
• Check the straps. Releveling changes strap tension. Slack, over-tight or cut straps are a sign the job stopped at the piers.
• Ask for the paperwork. Was there a permit? An inspection?

What went wrong, and the fix

Why this happens on valley sand

Most of the valley floor is Myoma fine sand, loose and single grain, and the north side is Carsitas sand and gravelly sand. Setting a footing on that sand without getting down to firm soil, or after the sand has been dug around, gives a footing that can drift. Add a sprinkler or a dripping line nearby, and NRCS notes that perched water is common where Coachella soils are irrigated. A shim stack hides that for a while, then the corner drops again.

What California expects of the work

Under Health and Safety Code 18613, altering or replacing a home’s load-bearing supports or stabilizing devices is a reinstallation that needs a permit. The contractor pulls it and must show a valid licence; the class is the CSLB C-47. Title 25 adds that footings sit level on firm, undisturbed soil or compacted fill, piers stay at 36 inches or under, piers other than concrete block piers carry a label, and homes built since October 7, 1973 are set to the manufacturer’s installation manual. If a contractor’s installation fails inspection and is not corrected, the enforcement agency reports it to CSLB.

California’s small-job exemption, under $1,000 since January 1, 2026, never covers work that needs a permit. A relevel that changes supports is not a casual repair under that rule.

What to do next

Ask whoever did the last job for their licence number and check it. Then have someone read the frame at every pier before more shims go in. Our California rules page, pier and pad repair and leveling service pages explain the work, and the pricing page lists our typical ranges.