Concrete footings in Union City CA - a solid base under your walls and posts
Planning an addition, a garden wall or a covered porch and not sure what it should sit on? We plan and pour footings that spread the weight into the soil.
What do concrete footings do, and which kind does my project need?
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base at the bottom of a foundation. In Union City, we form and pour them so the weight of a wall, a pier or a column spreads out into the soil instead of pressing down on one narrow strip.
Most people who call about footings are planning something that will sit on them, like a room addition, a garden wall or the posts for a covered patio, and they want it to stay put once it's built. The price moves mostly on the type of footing your plans call for and how far the footings run or how many pads the job takes. The schedule turns on getting the plans and any permit settled before we dig. My written estimate shows what's included for your project, and if the footings are part of a whole new base for a building, our foundation installation work covers that larger job.
How we plan and pour concrete footings
Before I price anything, I confirm whether your plans call for continuous or pad footings, because that choice drives the cost and I don't want you surprised later. I also ask about drainage and plantings near the foundation. If the ground under your house is expansive clay, it swells when it gets wet and shrinks as it dries, and that movement often goes past what a house can handle, lifting footings in a wet spell and letting them settle in a dry one. How wet the soil stays depends partly on the weather but also on the plants and drainage around your house, and those we can plan for. Once the plans are settled, our crew digs, sets the forms and ties in the rebar the plans show, the steel bars that help the concrete carry its load. Then we pour and let the concrete cure, the slow hardening that gives it strength, before anything is built on top. Nobody will see your footings once the walls go up, and that's exactly why I'd rather spend the extra time there than anywhere else.
Footing work often sits next to other jobs. Sometimes the reason for the call is an older foundation that has already sunk, and foundation raising is the better first step there, before any new footing is tied to it. When a new footing has to pass through an existing slab or patio, concrete cutting opens a clean line so we don't break out more than we need.
Planning footings and foundation work in Union City
Digging footings moves soil. Union City's permit rules ask for a grading permit on projects that grade, excavate, fill or clear soil, along with the permits that go with building or remodeling a home. The city decides what your job needs, so plan on a permit. When your job needs one, we take care of the application and keep you informed along the way. Two more things are worth knowing here. The state has released preliminary earthquake fault zones for public review that affect Union City and Alameda County, and it's good to be aware of them while your plans are drawn. Frost matters less here than in colder states, because frost depth in California is minimal at lower elevations.
We're based in Union City and do the same footing work in Fremont and Hayward. On older houses in all three cities, a new footing often has to meet an existing foundation or run under a patio poured years ago, so I look at what's already in the ground before I price the job.
How our footing jobs go
Call and set a visit
Call (510) 319-6825 or send the contact form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. I look at the site and listen to what you have in mind before we talk about footings at all.
Site visit and written estimate
I write up an estimate that lists what's included and what isn't. We talk through the choices before you decide anything, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
Permits, digging and the pour
Once you're ready, we handle any permit steps first, then our crew prepares the ground and pours. I'll tell you ahead of time which day we dig and which day we pour, so you can plan around the crew.
Walk the finished footings together
When the work is done, we walk the job with you and explain how to care for it. That's also a good time to ask anything about the next stage of building.
Get a written estimate for footings and foundation work in Union City
We reply to every message within one business day to set a time for me to visit your site. The estimate is free, done in person and written out so you can see what's included. There's no pressure to book.
Questions before you book concrete footings
How do I choose between continuous and pad footings?
Your plans usually make the choice. Continuous footings run the whole length of a foundation under a wall, and pad footings sit under a single pier or column. Continuous footings cost more to put in, so it helps to know which kind the design calls for before you compare quotes.
How much does a concrete foundation cost near Union City?
A concrete foundation in San Francisco usually costs about $9 to $15 per square foot. That's the usual market price there, not our price for your job. The footing type and how much of the project it carries change the number, and my estimate lists what's included so you can see what you're paying for.
Do I need a permit for footings in Union City?
Plan on one, because footing work digs into the soil and Union City asks for a grading permit on that kind of work. The local section above explains the rule and how we handle the application, so you aren't left sorting it out alone.
Can someone without a license pour a small footing in California?
Only in narrow cases, because California's contractors board requires a license even for minor work under $1,000 when that work needs any permit or the person hires helpers. Footing work digs into the soil and often needs a permit, so even a small job usually calls for a licensed contractor.
Can a general contractor pour my footings in California?
Yes, a general building contractor can take on a concrete job if they hold the concrete classification themselves or hire a licensed concrete contractor to do it. It's fair to ask your builder which of those two applies to your footings.
How long does a concrete footing job take?
Digging and pouring are usually the short part of a footing job. Most of the calendar goes to settling the plans and any permit beforehand and to letting the concrete cure afterward. I'll walk you through the timing for your job at the estimate visit, once I've seen the site and your plans.
Why Union City homeowners call Professional Union City Concrete for footings
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, and our crew of finishers and laborers does the work with me checking in on site. That way, the person who explained your footings is the one watching them go in.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, and the state board is the one that licenses concrete contractors to form, pour, place and finish concrete. Footings carry everything built above them, so it's worth knowing the people pouring yours are covered.
Based in Union City since 2021
We opened here in 2021, and five years of careful flatwork have taught us to plan the hidden parts of a job as closely as the parts you see. On footings, that means the city's permit rules and the ground get sorted out before any concrete arrives.
On a footing job, what counts most is settling the type, the water and the ground before the first shovel goes in. When you're ready to talk about your project, visit our contact page or call (510) 319-6825.
Related work around new footings
Foundation raising
Doors that stick and floors that slope can mean an older foundation has dropped, and raising it back first gives an addition something level to meet.
Concrete cutting
Adding onto a house often means getting through old concrete first, and a saw cut leaves clean edges that are easier to patch once the footing is poured.
Plan your footings and foundation work with us
Call (510) 319-6825 or use the form with your site address, the rough size of the project and whether it carries walls or columns, so I can come out ready to talk about your plans.
