I come out and look at the job myself
I come out to your property, take measurements and listen to what you have in mind before I write anything down. If you have drawings or notes from an engineer, I'll go over them with you while I'm there.
Concrete footings in Lafayette CA - a solid base so what you build doesn't settle
Planning an addition, deck or wall and unsure what should go under it? We dig and pour footings matched to the load and your lot.
What do concrete footings involve, and what drives the cost?
Concrete footings are the buried concrete pads and strips that carry a post, pier, wall or addition, and in Lafayette, CA we dig and pour them so that weight rests on firm ground instead of slowly sinking into it.
Most people call us when they're planning something new, like a deck, an addition, a garden wall or a shed, and the plans call for footings. Under a shallow pier, one less than 6 feet deep, the footing is what helps keep the pier from settling, so it has a lot to do with whether the floor or the wall above stays where you built it.
The price comes down to the digging, the concrete and the labor, and a wider, deeper footing in weak ground costs a good deal more than a shallow one in firm soil. The schedule usually turns on the steps before the pour, like plans, plan check and any soils study, along with the weather and how easily we can get to the work. We help you work out whether your project goes through the city, the county or both, and your written estimate lays out your own figure and the steps for your lot.
What happens after you call us about footings?
Here's how it goes from your first call to the day we pack up, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
A written estimate we go over together
You get a written estimate, and we go over your choices and the permit steps together so nothing comes as a surprise later. We're fully licensed and insured.
The owner on site with the crew
I've run this business in Lafayette since 2023, after spending my summers through school on concrete crews. During the work I'm on site with our crew, and we look over the finished job with you before we call it done.
What our concrete footing work includes
Before we dig, I want to know what the footings will carry and whether your lot slopes, and I'll ask for any plans you already have, because a footing under a light deck and one under a two-story addition are different jobs. On a steep site, we'll talk with you and your designer about piers and grade beams, which are deep concrete posts tied together by a concrete beam, since construction guides point to that design where a slope is too steep for ordinary stepped footings or where the soil is weak or swells and shrinks. Then we mark the layout, dig to firm ground, clean out the bottom, set the forms and tie in the rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete hold together if the ground shifts. We pour, let the concrete cure, which is the time it needs to gain strength before it carries weight, and backfill around it. All of this ends up underground, so it's tempting to save money here and spend it on what shows, and I'd ask you not to, because a footing sitting on loose dirt is the hardest thing on a project to fix later.
Footings often come with other concrete work. If an old patio or walkway is in the way, we use concrete cutting to saw out a clean opening instead of breaking up more than we need to. If the trouble is a house that has already settled, new footings for an addition won't fix that, and foundation raising is the job to talk about.
- A look at what the footings will carry and how your lot slopes
- A talk with you and your designer about piers and grade beams on steep ground
- Digging to firm ground, cleanout and haul-off of the extra soil
- Forms and rebar set to your plans
- Concrete poured, cured and backfilled
How a footing job goes, start to finish
Most of the time on a footing job goes into the steps before the concrete truck shows up, and that's on purpose.
Settle the design and the paperwork
We line up the plans, any soils study and the permit before we dig, because a trench opened too early can sit in the rain waiting on plan check. It also means the depth and size are decided by the design and not on the day.
Dig and check the bottom
We dig to the depth the plans call for, and if we hit soft or filled ground, we stop and talk with you and your designer before going further. Then we clean out the loose dirt so the concrete lands on firm soil.
Set forms and steel, then wait for the inspection
We set the forms and tie the rebar to the plans, then leave everything open until the inspection is done. Once concrete covers the steel, nobody can see it again.
Pour, cure and backfill
We pour in a cooler part of the day when we can, so the concrete doesn't dry too fast and end up weak, and let it cure before anything is built on it. Then we backfill around the footings and haul off the extra dirt.
Get a written estimate for your footings
Thank you for considering us. Send the property address, what the footings will support, any plans you have and whether your lot is in the Hillside Overlay District, or call (925) 298-0707. Expect a reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no pressure to book. We'll set a time for me to come see the lot, and you get a written estimate after that visit.
(925) 298-0707Questions about concrete footings in Lafayette
How much do concrete footings cost in Lafayette?
Installed concrete footings usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot across the US, counting the concrete, the labor and the digging. That's a national figure, not our price, and where your job lands depends mostly on size and ground, because a wide, deep footing in weak soil can cost several times what a shallow one does. Your written estimate after the site visit gives you the figure for your lot.
Who handles building permits for footings in Lafayette?
Contra Costa County runs building permit plan check for Lafayette, and the county says almost all projects require plans, so it's the office to ask about your footings. The county issues permits only to licensed contractors, property owners or their authorized agent, and we handle the permit paperwork with you as part of the job. On inspection day the county wants the permit and stamped plans on site, someone 18 or older there and the work ready and open to view, or the inspector may cancel and charge a re-inspection fee.
Do I need a soils report for footings in Lafayette?
Not always, because Contra Costa County says some projects may be exempt from needing a geotechnical report, which is an engineer's study of the soil. You can check your project against the county's Geotechnical Investigation Exemption Guideline before design starts, so you know early whether to plan for one. If your project does need one, the soil questions belong with the engineer, and I'll tell you so plainly rather than guess.
Does my hillside lot in Lafayette need a special permit?
If your lot is in Lafayette's Hillside Overlay District, putting up, changing or moving a structure, or grading and other site work, is subject to a Hillside Development Permit from the city. That's a permit of its own, so it's worth finding out early whether your property falls inside the district. I'll ask about it on the first visit.
Building footings on Lafayette's slopes
A lot of the footing work we see in Lafayette is on lots that fall away from the house, where a deck or an addition steps out over the slope, and that's where the city's grading rules come in. The city requires a Grading Permit for moving more than 50 cubic yards of soil, with cut and fill counted together, but digging below finished grade for footings doesn't need one if it's backfilled to natural grade. The trench itself usually isn't the issue, though leveling a pad or part of the yard in the same project can add up faster than people expect.
A state Seismic Hazard Zone Map shows areas where liquefaction may occur in a strong earthquake, which is when loose, wet ground loses its strength and behaves more like a liquid. Whoever is building on a property in one of those zones may be required to look into the hazard and deal with it during local permitting, which can add a study to the job before any digging starts. We're based in Lafayette and work throughout the East Bay, in Lafayette and many of the cities around it, including Orinda, Moraga and Walnut Creek.
Send your plans before we visit
If you call (925) 298-0707 or use the contact form and share any drawings ahead of time, I can come to your lot already knowing the loads and layout, which makes that first visit more useful to you.
Thank you for reading, and if you'd like to talk through the footings for your project, I'm glad to help.
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