Concrete footings in Vacaville CA - a solid base under your wall or post
Got a wall, deck post or addition going in? We pour concrete footings on solid ground so the weight above has a steady base.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does a concrete footing do, and which one do you need?
The short answer: A concrete footing is the wide base of concrete under a wall, a post or a column. In Vacaville, CA, we pour footings so the weight above spreads out into the ground instead of bearing down on one narrow spot.
Most footing calls start with something new going up, like a garden wall, a patio cover, a deck or a room addition, or with an old post that has started to sink. The price mostly follows what the footing carries and how much digging and forming it takes. The schedule follows what the city wants for your address and the cure time, the days concrete needs to harden before soil and weight go on it. Your written estimate spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
How do you know you need a new concrete footing?
A post that's sinking
If a deck, porch or patio cover post has dropped, or the beam above it now dips, the post is usually sitting on loose dirt or on an old footing that has settled. Left alone, the sag spreads to the beam and the boards it carries, and that's a bigger repair than one footing.
Cracks in a garden wall
Stair-step cracks in a block or brick wall, or a wall that has started to lean, usually mean the footing under it has moved. The longer it goes, the wider the cracks get, and a wall that leans far enough has to come down and be rebuilt.
Something new going up
A new wall, shed, patio cover or addition needs its footings before anything else, and once the work above is built, nobody can easily see or fix them. Getting them right now costs less than digging them back out later.
How we pour concrete footings
The first thing I want to know is whether the footing carries a full wall or a single post, because that decides what we form. We dig down to solid ground, set the forms and any rebar the plans call for, the steel bars that hold the concrete together, and then we pour. After that, the concrete gets its time before any soil goes back against it, because dirt shoved against green concrete can push it out of line. Nobody sees a footing once it's buried, which is exactly why it's the last place I'd cut a budget. If something has to give, I'd rather trim the finish on what goes above it.
If part of the house has already settled because an old footing let go, foundation raising may need to come first, so we look at that before we pour anything new. When a new post or wall has to land on an existing patio or slab, we use concrete cutting to take out a clean section instead of breaking up more than the footing needs.
Continuous footing under a wall
This footing runs the full length under a wall or foundation and spreads the weight along the whole line. It's the right choice under a block garden wall, a retaining wall or the walls of an addition.
Pad footing under a post
This is a single block of concrete under one post, pier or column, where all the weight comes down in one spot. It suits deck posts, patio cover posts and porch columns.
What happens when you call about footings in Vacaville?
Here's how a footing job runs with us, from your first call to the day we walk the finished work together. Nothing gets dug until you've seen the estimate and said yes.
- Step 01
Call or send a request
Call (707) 898-1384 or use the form, and tell us what you're building and where. We'll set a time for me to come out to the site.
- Step 02
Walk the site together
I look at the ground and how we'll get to it, and I ask what the footing has to carry. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before we start.
- Step 03
Dig, pour, cure, walk through
If you go ahead, we sort out what the city wants, dig, set the forms, pour and give the concrete its cure time before we backfill. Then we clean up and walk the finished work with you.
What Vacaville ground and permits mean for concrete footings
The City of Vacaville's Building Division reviews and inspects new construction and improvements to existing structures inside city limits, so footings for a new wall, addition or structure usually go through it. We find out what the city or the county wants for your address, and when a permit is needed, we pull it and meet the inspector.
Most of the soil in and around Vacaville is expansive, the kind that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries. Shallow footings that spread their load out are usually the ones that take the damage. Rain here normally falls from October to April, and summers usually stay dry, so that ground goes through a full wet-and-dry swing every year. That's why I look at the soil, the grade and where your water runs before I settle on a plan. We ask the same questions about the ground on jobs in Fairfield and Dixon.
Get a written estimate for your concrete footings
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I walk the site with you, and then you get a free written estimate with no obligation and no pressure to book.
Why Vacaville homeowners call Custom Vacaville Concrete Company
The owner walks your site
I come out to look at the job myself, and my crew does the digging, forming and pouring with me running the work. The person who priced your footing is the one standing over the trench.
In business since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after years of summers on concrete crews, beginning with the shovel work. That's why the part of a footing you can't see gets most of my attention.
Licensed and insured for concrete
California's state licensing board has a C-8 class for concrete contractors, the ones who form, pour, place and finish concrete. We're fully licensed and insured.
Permit papers kept on site
In Vacaville, no inspection happens unless the permit, the approved plans and the supporting papers are at the job, so it's worth asking any contractor who keeps them. On our jobs, we keep them on site and meet the inspector ourselves.
If something new is going up or an old post is sinking, tell us about it and what the footing has to carry, and I'll come take a look.
Concrete footing questions from Vacaville homeowners
How much do concrete footings cost in Vacaville?
There's no set price, because footing cost follows what each footing carries, how many we're pouring and what the ground and access look like at your house. Hand digging in a tight side yard, hauling off the dirt or cutting through an existing slab all add to the job, and a few post pads in open ground cost far less than a footing under a full wall. I give you a written estimate after I've seen the site.
How soon can soil go back against a new concrete footing?
One trade guide advises waiting at least 3 to 7 days before pushing soil back against a new footing or foundation wall. The wait keeps the soil's weight from shifting concrete that hasn't finished curing, which is why we don't rush the backfill just to tidy up the yard.
What happens if a footing trench is dug too deep?
According to one trade guide, the extra depth has to be filled with compacted engineered fill, soil placed and packed to a set standard, or with concrete, and loose dirt won't do. A footing has to bear on undisturbed soil or engineered fill, so over-digging adds material and cost. We dig to solid ground and stop there.
Do I need to call 811 before digging footings in Vacaville?
Yes. PG&E asks anyone starting work that involves digging to call 811 at least two working days ahead, so crews can keep clear of gas lines and other buried utilities. We build that lead time into the schedule before our crew digs.
How do I keep water away from my footings?
On soil that shrinks and swells, the usual advice is to keep water away from the ground around a foundation, and a common-sense first step is ground that slopes away from the structure. Before we pour, I check where your water runs, and we leave the soil sloping away from the footing when we backfill.
Will a new concrete footing crack?
It can. Concrete shrinks as it cures, and the ground here moves with the seasons, so the real goal is keeping a small crack from turning into movement. That comes down to solid ground under the footing, the steel inside it and enough cure time before backfill, and that's where we put our effort.
Related work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
Floors that slope, doors that stick or cracks that keep widening can mean the house has settled, and lifting it back may be the first step.
Concrete cutting
When a post or wall has to land on an existing patio or garage slab, a clean saw cut opens just the area the footing needs.
Tell us what your footing will carry
Call (707) 898-1384 or send the form. Footings come first, so booking the site visit early keeps them from holding up the rest of your project.