Sticking doors, cracks over windows or a sloping floor? We find why the house moved, then lift it steadily toward level on new support.
Foundation raising in Irvine lifts a house that has moved back toward level and sets it on new support, either piers driven down to load-bearing soil under a slab or new shims and piers under a home on a crawl space.
Most people call because a door has started to stick, a crack has opened above a window or the floor runs downhill toward one corner. The job is to put the weight of the house back on ground that will hold it and then raise it steadily, which on a slab means digging along the outside walls to set piers and on a crawl space means working from underneath.
The price mostly turns on whether the house sits on a slab or a crawl space and how many piers it needs, and the schedule turns on that same pier count and the city's permit review, so I'll give you your own figure in writing once I've seen the house. If a patio or walk sits where a pier has to go, we open it with concrete cutting, and if the drive dropped with the house, we can pour you a new concrete driveway once the house is steady.
Tell us what you've noticed and whether the house sits on a slab or a crawl space. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it in person.
I measure how far the floors have moved, look for signs of whether the ground sank or swelled, and ask what you know about the soil. Then you get a written estimate that names the repair and shows what's included, so you know exactly what you'd be paying for.
If you go ahead, we file the city permit and keep you posted through its review, which every Irvine project goes through, and then our own crew sets the piers and raises the house with me or my foreman on site. When it's done, we backfill, clean up and walk the finished work with you before we leave.
Heave, where swelling soil pushes part of the house up, looks just like settling from inside, but it needs the opposite fix, so telling the two apart is the first thing I check. California also has cities use liquefaction zones, areas where wet soil can turn soft in an earthquake, when they issue permits, and in those zones the soil under a foundation has to be investigated and the design has to account for it.
Push piers are driven down against the weight of the house and need firm soil within reach, while helical piers, which screw into the ground, suit lighter loads and tight spots. Then we lift steadily rather than chase perfectly flat, because forcing it can crack plaster, tile and plumbing elsewhere in the house, so plan on a partial lift that holds.
What our foundation raising covers:
Most houses that have moved don't need a new foundation, because the slab or the framing is usually sound and only needs firm support under it again, so lifting onto new piers is what I recommend in most cases. What I won't do is patch the cracks and stop there. It's the first place people try to save money, but the cracks tend to come back while the ground keeps moving, and the support underneath is where the money belongs.
A house on a crawl space usually costs less to level than a slab, because we can reach the framing from underneath instead of digging along the walls. On a slab, the price follows the pier count, and even one settled corner takes several piers. How deep the firm soil sits and how much room we have to work decide between push and helical piers, and stucco or brick veneer adds work on a whole-home lift because it has to be removed or braced to stay in place.
I learned under a strict boss that what's under the concrete matters more than what's on top, and I've run United Irvine Concrete that way since 2013. I look at every job myself, put in writing what you're paying for and tell you plainly if lifting isn't the right fix. Our crew leaves your yard as tidy as we found it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Call (949) 518-3401 with your foundation type and any buyer's disclosure on the soil handy, so we start on the right questions.
Tell us whether the house sits on a slab or crawl space and what you've noticed. We reply within one business day, and my visit and written estimate are free, with no obligation.
Across the US, leveling a house usually costs about $3,500 to $30,000 for the whole job, and that's the market's range, not a quote from us. Where your house lands depends mostly on the foundation type and the pier count I described above. I'll give you a written estimate once I've seen it.
You usually can't tell from inside, so the best start is an in-person look at the cracks and floor slopes along with what you know about the soil. Your home buyer's disclosures, the local building department or a soil engineer or geologist can tell you whether the lot has expansive soil, the kind that swells when it's wet.
Usually yes, you can stay home throughout the work. Slab work is noisy, though, and we'll be digging along the outside walls, so plan on some noise and a torn-up strip of yard until we backfill.
Nationally, shimming a house on a crawl space usually takes one to three days, and underpinning a slab, which means setting new piers under it, takes three to seven days depending on how many piers it needs. The permit review comes before any of that, so we'll talk through timing when I see the house.
In Irvine, a permit is usually pulled by the contractor or the property owner, and when you hire us, we prepare and file it and keep you posted on where it stands. A contractor filing with the City of Irvine has to show a city business license, a state contractor's pocket card and proof of workers' compensation coverage or an exemption.
The Contractors State Licensing Board has a building moving and demolition classification for contractors who raise, lower and underpin structures, foundations included. It's fair to ask anyone you're considering which license covers the work, and we're licensed and insured.
We're based in Irvine and do foundation work in Tustin, Costa Mesa, the other cities below and places nearby. Pick your city, or call if yours isn't listed.
