Concrete footings in San Fernando CA - a firm base for the walls and posts you build
Got a wall, a patio cover or an addition that needs something solid underneath? We dig, pour and cure footings that carry the load.
What goes into a concrete footing job in San Fernando?
Concrete footings are the buried strips or pads of concrete that carry a wall, a post or an addition. In San Fernando, we dig them to the depth your plans call for, then form, pour and finish them so the weight spreads into the ground instead of sinking in one spot. After the pour comes curing, the protected wait the concrete needs before anything goes on top.
Most footing calls we get are for something new going up, like a block wall, a patio cover, a room addition or posts for a deck, and the footing is the first thing in and the first thing buried. The price mostly turns on how deep and long the dig runs, what the soil turns out to be, how easy it is to get our crew to the spot and how much steel the plans call for, while the schedule turns on the permit and the curing wait. Your written estimate lays out the prep, the work and the cleanup for your own job. If an old footing has already sunk and the house above it is out of level, that's a foundation raising job instead, and we handle that too.
How do you know you need concrete footings?
Sometimes footings are on the plans from day one, and sometimes the ground tells you something under a wall or post isn't holding. Here's what homeowners usually notice before they call us.
Your plans for an addition, a wall or a patio cover show footings drawn under it.
A block wall leans or cracks down from the top, which usually means its footing moved.
Patio cover or deck posts sit on loose pavers or bare dirt, so they can sink and tilt.
Doors near an older addition start sticking, which can mean the ground under that part is settling.
The yard dirt cracks wide in summer and turns sticky when wet, a sign of clay that moves.
A gap opens where a wall or step meets the ground, so whatever holds it up has shifted.
If a wall is already leaning or your project is waiting on footings, call (818) 806-6170 sooner rather than later, since moving ground usually takes more with it over time.
What happens when you call us about footings?
I come out to look at the job myself, our own crew does the work, and I'm on site running it. Here's how a footing job goes from your first call to the final walkthrough.
Call or send a message
You call (818) 806-6170 or use the form, and I come out to see the spot, measure it and hear what's going on top. Have your property address and any plans handy, because the plans set the depth we dig to.
Get your written estimate
The estimate spells out the prep, the work and the cleanup, so you can see where the money goes before you decide anything. If the soil or a tight side yard is going to push the price up, I'll tell you at the estimate, not after the trench is open.
We set the date and permit
Once you're ready we pick a date, and if the job needs a permit we pull it and take it through plan check and inspections. The city can't promise a permit right away and only inspects Monday through Thursday, 8:30 to 11:30 am, so we apply early and plan each stage around those mornings.
We dig, pour and walk it
Our crew does the dig and the pour with me on site, then we keep the new concrete protected while it cures. Before we pack up, we walk the finished job together so you can see it and ask anything.
Get a written estimate for your footing job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, and there's no obligation to book.
- Call
- (818) 806-6170
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Concrete, steel and the ground under your footings
We dig to the depth your plans call for, set rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart if the ground shifts, and pour. Where the dirt holds a clean edge we can often pour right against it, and where it crumbles we build wood forms to hold the shape. If the footing has to land inside an existing patio or garage floor, we open it up first with our concrete cutting work.
I learned on a crew of finishers who cared how a slab looked, and I still laugh that footings get none of that because nobody ever sees them, so the care goes into the dig and the cure. We get the trench to depth in one push and keep it from drying out, and once the concrete is in we keep it moist and protected while it cures. If a budget has to give somewhere, I'd rather trim the project on top than rush either of those.
We're based in San Fernando and work in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the cities around them, and the ground isn't the same on every lot. Some sit inside a state-mapped Seismic Hazard Zone, where weak soil or rock underneath can fail in an earthquake unless grading and construction take the right precautions. Single-family frame houses up to two stories outside a development of four or more units are exempt from the state's zone rules, but local agencies can be stricter.
Concrete footing questions we hear in San Fernando
How much do concrete footings cost in San Fernando?
It comes down to how much digging, steel and concrete your job takes, so I give you a written number after seeing the spot instead of guessing on the phone. Tight side yards where we have to dig by hand, extra dirt to haul off or an old slab to cut through push it up, while clear access and finished plans keep it down.
Who handles building permits and inspections in San Fernando?
The city's Building and Safety Division reviews construction plans, takes permit applications through its Online Permit Counter and inspects permitted work. Questions go to the Community Development Department at City Hall. When your footing job needs a permit, we pull it and deal with the city for you.
Who can I hire to form and pour footings in California?
You want a contractor licensed by the state's Contractors State License Board for concrete work, which covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing it. The only exception is minor work under $500 total for labor and materials, and it doesn't count if the footing is part of a bigger project or the job gets split into hourly fees to stay under it. A general building contractor can take the job if it holds the concrete classification or hires a licensed concrete sub, and we're licensed and insured ourselves.
What causes footings to move in clay soil?
Clay swells when it gets wet and shrinks when it dries, and that up-and-down movement often goes past what a house can handle, so a footing on clay can get pushed up one season and drop the next. Engineering guidance for clay says to finish the dig to depth as fast as possible and keep it from drying out, which is how we like to dig anyway. Not every lot has clay, and we know more once the ground is open.
What happens after a concrete footing is poured?
The concrete goes through curing, where it's kept from losing moisture and held at a favorable temperature long enough to do its job. We keep ours moist and protected through that wait, and any contractor you talk to should be able to tell you how they'll handle it.
How do I get ready for a footing estimate?
Have your property address and any plans or drawings ready, because the plans set where and how deep we dig. Clear a path to the spot if you can so I can see the ground and measure, then call (818) 806-6170 or send the form.
Related concrete work for footing projects
Foundation raising
If an older footing has already dropped and floors or doors have gone out of level, lifting the house back is the fix, not a new pour.
Concrete cutting
When a new post or wall has to land in the middle of a patio or garage slab, a clean sawed opening saves the concrete around it.
Call about your footing job today
We pick up seven days a week, 8 AM to 9 PM, so call (818) 806-6170 when it suits you or send the contact form with your address and plans.
Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM