Planning an addition, a garage or a deck and need footings under it? We size them from your soil and the load they carry.
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base under a wall, post or pier that spreads its weight into the soil. Premium Gilroy Concrete builds them in Gilroy for additions, garages, decks and walls, so whatever sits on top stays put.
Most people call us because something new has to stand on the ground, like an addition, a garage wall, a deck or a carport. A wall usually sits on a continuous footing that runs its whole length, and a post or pier sits on its own pad. Type and size drive the price, because a wider, deeper footing takes more digging and more concrete.
The soil decides a lot of that. A soil test shows where the ground can't carry as much weight, and weaker soil needs wider footings that cost more, so I like to see any test early and price the footings from it. The schedule turns on that test, the dig and the curing time before your framer can build on top, and you'll see each of those in the estimate.
Call (408) 427-8265, email service@concretegilroy.com or fill out the form, and tell us what the footings will hold up. If you have a soil test or plans, send them along so I can look before I come out.
I come out, measure the job and look at what's under and around it, from the slope to any old concrete in the way. You get a written estimate, line by line, that shows what's included and what isn't.
Before we dig, we go over the layout with you, including where each footing goes, how deep it runs and how water will drain away from it. Any change after that goes in writing, so the plan and the price stay clear.
Our own crew does the dig, the forms and the pour to the plan we agreed on, and I'm on site for the layout and the pour. We cure and protect the concrete, with that wait already in the schedule before your next trade shows up.
A footing is only as good as the ground at the bottom of the trench, so we dig through loose fill to firm soil and clean out the crumbs before anything goes in. Loose dirt left down there settles, and the footing goes with it. Then we set the forms to the layout and tie the rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together when the ground shifts.
We pour each footing in one go so it doesn't end up with a weak seam, and on hot days we pour early, because concrete that dries too fast comes out weaker. When a new footing has to go under an existing slab, we open it up first with concrete cutting. If an older foundation has already sunk, foundation raising is the place to start.
What our footing work covers:
When a footing is cracked or a corner of the house has dropped, the first question is whether the footing itself is sound. If it's whole and the soil under it moved, raising and supporting what's there usually makes more sense than tearing it out. If it's broken through or too small for what sits on it, I'd rather pour a new footing than patch the old one, because a patch doesn't make an undersized footing any wider.
Length is the starting point, then type, width and depth, since continuous footings and bigger ones take more digging, forming and concrete than pads. Weak soil, a tight side yard or old concrete in the way adds work. The part I won't trim is the hidden one. Once the walls go up nobody sees the footing, so it's tempting to shrink it to save money, but it's the one piece you can't fix cheaply later.
I'd rather settle questions on paper before the truck shows up than fix them after. Your estimate lists each part of the job, from the dig to the rebar to the concrete, so you know exactly what you're paying for and what you're not.
On site we keep the dig neat, pile the dirt where you tell us, protect the lawn and drive we cross, and clean up before we leave. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call with the project type, a rough footing length and any soil test results, and we'll know what to look at first.
Tell us what the footings will carry and roughly how long they run. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
Across the US, concrete footings usually cost about $5 to $18 per linear foot installed, and that's the market's range, not our price. Where a job lands depends on footing type, width, depth and how hard the site is to work. For your own number, I measure the job and write it up line by line.
Continuous footings run the whole length of a foundation wall, and pad footings sit under one concentrated load, like a post, pier or column. A house wall or addition usually needs continuous footings, and a deck or porch post usually sits on pads. Continuous footings cost more to install, and the plans for your job decide which goes where.
A contractor licensed under California's concrete contractor classification, which covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, can build your footings. A general building contractor can take the job too if it holds that classification or hires a licensed concrete contractor to do the work. The state lets someone unlicensed do a job under $1,000 only when it needs no permit and they employ no one on it. We're licensed and insured.
Curing starts as soon as the concrete is placed and finished, and it should usually continue for 3 to 7 days. Curing means keeping the new concrete damp and protected while it gains strength. We build that wait into the schedule so the next trade doesn't show up too early.
When your footing job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections as part of the work. Before we start, I check with the city or county office for your address, because the rules differ from place to place.
Liquefaction is when loose, wet soil loses its strength in a strong earthquake, and the state maps the areas where it may happen. If a property sits in one of those mapped zones, the local permitting process may require a study of that hazard and steps to reduce it. That can change how the footings are planned, so it's worth sorting out before we price the job.
We're based in Gilroy and take footing work in many of the cities around it, including Morgan Hill and Hollister. Pick your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
