Concrete footings in Fullerton CA - a base sized for the walls it carries
Planning an addition, a new building or a second story? We set footings to your plans and your ground, so the walls above have a solid base.
The owner looks at every job
I come out myself to look over the site and your plans, and I write the estimate. Our own crew does the work and I run it on site, so the person who priced your footings is there for the pour.
City crew training, in business since 2020
I learned concrete on a city public works crew, pouring sidewalk and curb day after day, and started this business in Fullerton in 2020. That crew is where I learned to get the ground right before anything else.
Licensed and fully insured on your lot
We're licensed and fully insured, so you aren't carrying the risk of a crew digging trenches on your property. Satisfaction guaranteed. If you're ready to talk about your project, call (657) 354-1060.
Concrete footings in Fullerton, done to the plans
A concrete footing is the reinforced concrete base your walls are tied to, and its width is set by how much weight the soil underneath can hold. We build footings in Fullerton for homeowners adding rooms, putting up new buildings or setting walls that need a solid base.
Footings are the part of a project nobody sees once the walls go up, so they're the first thing people want to trim when the budget gets tight, and the last place I'd do it. Trench footings, poured straight into the dug trench, take less labor and cost less than formed footings built inside wood forms. Some places don't allow them, though, and water is harder to manage, so they only suit some sites.
Price moves with how much footing the plans call for, which type fits and how hard the dig is. The schedule turns mostly on plan review and the permit, which we pull ourselves when the job needs one. The city puts Fullerton projects in high earthquake design categories and says most plans must be drawn by a California licensed architect or engineer, so the drawings come before the digging. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your job.
Concrete footings, trench work and the jobs around them
Sized for the load, built to plan
A footing is sized for the load it carries, so we build to the design on your plans and not out of habit or what we poured last week. That means the width and depth the plans call for, the rebar, which is the steel inside that holds the concrete together, and the anchors that tie your walls down. A building official reviewing plans wants to see how footings are reinforced and how the walls are secured to them, and those details count for even more in earthquake country.
No standing water on pour day
Water left sitting in a footing trench gets into the fresh concrete and can leave you with a weaker footing, so we pump out any standing water before pour day instead of pouring through it. We also clear loose dirt off the trench bottom, because loose fill under a footing settles later. If your job needs an inspection before the concrete goes in, we plan the pour around that visit.
Working around slabs already there
When a new footing has to run through an existing patio, driveway or garage slab, we use concrete cutting to saw a clean, straight opening instead of breaking out more than we need. If the trouble is an old foundation that has settled, new footings may not be the answer, and foundation raising can lift it back toward level. I'd rather give you a quick, honest answer about which job you need than sell you the wrong one.
Get a written estimate for your footings
We reply within one business day, then I come out to look the job over, so have your project type and any plans ready. The estimate is free, done on site and written down, with no obligation.
(657) 354-1060How a footing job runs in Fullerton
Call and a site visit
You call (657) 354-1060 or send the form with your project type and any plans you have. I come out, measure and tell you on the spot what I'd build and why, then you get a written estimate.
Plans and permit come first
The city issues the permit after the plans are approved and the fees are paid, and it allows no construction before that, so review time sets the start date. While the plans are in review, we keep you posted on where things stand.
Dig, pour and clean up
We dig and prep the trench, set the steel, pour and finish. The city allows construction noise from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. any day but Sunday or a city holiday, so we work inside those hours and leave the street and gutter clean.
Footing questions from Fullerton homeowners
Which projects need a building permit in Fullerton?
Fullerton's Building Division generally requires permits for new buildings, additions, decks, fences over 6 feet and retaining walls. Footings usually go in as part of one of those, but the list doesn't name footings on their own, so ask the Building Division if yours stand alone. If we're not sure what the city wants, we ask before we price it.
Who can apply for a building permit in Fullerton?
Property owners, licensed contractors or authorized agents can apply. Contractors have to show proof of workers' comp insurance when they apply. For the concrete itself, the state sets a license class, C-8, for contractors who form, pour, place and finish concrete work.
Why would my concrete footing need to be wider?
Because the soil under it can't hold as much weight. The less weight the ground can support, the wider the footing has to be to spread the load, and on very poor soil a soil engineer tests the ground and recommends a special footing type. When that happens, we build to what the engineer calls for.
Can I add a second story on my existing footings?
Maybe, but get the old footings checked first. A national trade magazine's author says the most common undersized footing failure they've seen follows remodels that add a second story or heavy brick or stone, and the advice is to have the existing footings' load capacity checked before you start. If you're planning one, I'll tell you the same thing.