Foundation raising in Covina CA - a house brought back near its original level
Cracks opening up or floors that slope? We deal with the cause first, then set piers that hold your house on firmer soil.
Can a settling house in Covina be raised back up?
Foundation raising in Covina means setting piers under your existing foundation that carry the house's weight past the weak soil near the surface down to deeper soil that can hold it, so the house can stop settling and come back near its original level.
Usually it starts with a door that won't latch, a crack in the stucco or drywall that keeps getting longer, or a floor you can feel running downhill. What it costs depends on the size of your house, how far it's settled, which piers it takes and how many, and the schedule mostly turns on whether an engineer needs to look at it first and how long the permit review runs. I'll give you your own figure in writing after I've seen the house.
What happens after you call about foundation raising in Covina?
Call or send a message
Call (626) 412-8842 or send the form, and tell us what you're noticing, whether it's cracks, doors that stick or a floor that slopes. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I walk the house and measure
I come out myself, look over the house and yard, check the address and measure, and if what I see calls for an engineer I'll tell you before we price anything. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you can lay it next to other bids.
We handle the permit and review
Once you say go, we apply for the permit as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections. For a Covina address, the city's express permits cover work like re-roofs and window changeouts, not foundation raising, so this job will likely go through plan check, the city's review of the plans, and a first submittal can take 4 to 6 weeks, which usually sets your start date.
Our crew raises the house
Our crew sets the piers with me on site, and at Covina addresses we keep noisy work out of the hours the city doesn't allow it, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. and all day on Sundays and public holidays, so your neighbors get left alone. When we're done and cleaned up, I walk the finished job with you.
Foundation raising and the concrete work that comes with it
I want the cause fixed before anything gets lifted, so if cracks are spreading or the floors slope, I'll tell you to get a structural engineer out first, and we work from what they find. Then we match the pier type to your house and yard, because the weight of the walls and the room we have to work both decide what goes in. Our crew digs down beside the footing, the concrete strip your walls sit on, at each pier spot, sets the piers until they bear on the deeper soil, ties them to the footing and brings the house back up near its original level. After that we fill the holes, pack the soil back down and clean up, so the yard doesn't look like a job site when we leave.
When a pier spot lands under a walkway, patio or garage slab, we use concrete cutting to open a clean square instead of breaking it out, so the patch looks right when we pour it back. If your driveway sank right along with the house, we can tear it out and handle the concrete driveway building on a packed base once the house is steady.
Get a written estimate for raising your foundation
I get back to you within one business day and come out myself to look at the house and measure. The estimate is free, in writing with what's included, and there's no obligation.
Foundation raising questions from Covina homeowners
How much does foundation raising cost in Covina?
Foundation repair across the US usually costs about $2,300 to $8,100 per job, and that's a national figure for repair work in general, not our price. A house that needs a few piers at one corner tends to sit at a different spot in that range than one that's settled along a whole side, and I'll put your number in writing after I've seen it.
Should I call a structural engineer before raising my foundation?
Often, yes, and one engineering guide says to see a structural engineer before you pick a contractor when cracks are widening, floors noticeably slope, quotes are far apart or the repair quote is expensive. The same guide says to do it when you're buying a house with settling signs, or when you see stair-step cracks in brick or block, a chimney pulling away, or cracks, sticking doors and windows and sloping floors all at once. I'd rather you get that report up front, because it tells us exactly what we're fixing.
What is the best way to choose between push piers and helical piers?
Let the house and the yard decide. Push piers are driven down with hydraulic rams until they won't go any deeper or they hit bedrock, so they suit heavy masonry houses, while helical piers screw into the ground and suit lighter houses and tight spots. I'll tell you which fits once I've seen the walls and the room around the house.
Is my Covina home under city or LA County building rules?
If your Covina address number is over 2999 or the house sits south of the 10 freeway, the city says it's actually in LA County, so the county handles the permit. We check your address first to see which office it is, and we work in Covina and the cities around it, so call (626) 412-8842 if you're not sure we come out your way.
How do I check a foundation contractor's license in California?
Look the contractor up on the Contractor State License Board site, which shows whether the license is active and what type it is. The board has a pile driving and pressure foundation jacking type whose work includes driving piles and injecting concrete or mortar into foundations to stabilize them, and Covina's permit technicians check licenses before they issue any permit. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to give you what you need to look us up.
How do I keep my house from settling again after it's raised?
Get the water and soil problem fixed first, because settling comes back as long as a void keeps forming under the footing. Piers tied to the footing can hold a house against more settling, and when you compare bids, ask each contractor how they'll deal with the cause, not just how they'll lift the house.
Concrete work that often goes with foundation raising
Concrete cutting
When a pier has to go under a patio, walkway or garage slab, a clean saw cut opens just the spot we need and patches back neatly.
Concrete driveway building
A driveway that dropped along with the house usually stays cracked and tilted, so replacing it on a packed base finishes the job once the house is steady.
Get your sinking house looked at
Call (626) 412-8842 or use the form, and have your address, photos of the cracks and any engineer report ready so I know what we're dealing with before I come out.