Often it can be lifted, but not always. Push and helical piers can attempt to jack a settled structure back toward its original elevation. Old mortar, plaster, and finishes can crack further during a lift, so the engineer and homeowner set the goal together: stabilize-only or stabilize-and-lift.
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Lifting (sometimes called recovery) is genuinely possible with both push and helical pier systems, because the same hydraulics that drive the piers can be used to jack the structure upward once the piers are seated on competent strata. A successful lift closes settlement cracks, re-levels sloping floors, and brings sticking doors and windows back into square. But a lift is never guaranteed to recover 100 percent of the lost elevation, and attempting an aggressive lift on an old structure carries real risk: brittle mortar joints, plaster walls, tile, and rigid finishes can crack further as the building moves back. That is why the honest answer is that the target is a decision, not a default. At the assessment, the engineer measures how much the foundation has dropped and evaluates what the structure and finishes can tolerate, then the homeowner decides between two goals. Stabilize-only stops the movement permanently and holds the structure where it is, accepting the current cracks and slopes, and is the conservative choice for fragile older homes. Stabilize-and-lift attempts maximum practical recovery, accepting that some cosmetic cracking may occur during the process and may need patching afterward. Many Cincinnati projects target a partial lift: recover most of the settlement to improve function and appearance while staying within what the structure can safely take. A contractor who promises a guaranteed full lift on any house regardless of age and condition is overselling; the realistic framing is maximum practical recovery within the structure's tolerance.