Concrete footings in Bothell WA - a solid base set below the frost line
Planning a deck, porch or addition, or watching an old one sink? We dig to firm ground and pour footings it can rest on.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into concrete footings for a deck or addition in Bothell?
Concrete footings are the buried concrete pads or strips that a deck, porch, addition or other structure rests on. In Bothell, WA we set them on firm, undisturbed soil below the ground surface so the weight above stays where you built it.
If you're adding a new deck or building onto the house, nobody sees the footings once the framing goes up, so they need to be right the first time. Footings for a deck or porch are a smaller job than a full foundation installation for an addition, but I plan both the same careful way. The price depends on how many footings you need, how long and deep they run, how hard the digging is, and how easy the spot is to reach. It also depends on whether the job needs forms and rebar, which is steel set inside the concrete to help it carry the load. The schedule usually depends on the permit and the weather around the pour, and I look at the permit side on that first visit. Your written estimate gives you your own figure, with what's included and what isn't.
How do you know your deck or porch needs new footings?
A deck that leans or sinks
If one corner of your deck has dropped or the rail leans out, the post under it has usually settled because its footing was too shallow or sat on loose fill. If you leave it, the framing starts to twist, and the repair can grow from one footing to several.
Posts sitting on surface blocks
Many older decks rest on precast blocks set right on top of the dirt, with nothing dug below them. Those blocks shift as the ground gets wet and dries out, and the movement works its way into the framing and the connection at the house.
Cracked or crumbling old footings
A footing that's cracked through, tipped or crumbling at the top is no longer spreading the load the way it should. Replacing one worn footing now costs less than shoring up a structure that has started to follow it down.
How we build concrete footings
Before I mark out a single hole, I find out what the footings will carry and where buried lines run on your lot, because those two things decide where each footing can go and how big it needs to be. Then our crew digs to firm ground at the depth your structure calls for and cleans the loose dirt out of the bottom, so the concrete rests on undisturbed soil. We set forms and rebar where the design needs them, pour, and finish the tops level so the posts or walls sit square. While the concrete cures, which is the wait while it hardens and gains strength, we protect it, and we keep weight off it until it's ready. When budgets get tight, the depth of the hole is the first thing people want to cut, and I'll politely talk you out of that. A shallow footing looks just like a deep one on the day we pour, and the difference only shows up later.
Footings often come up alongside other work. If an existing deck, porch or part of the house has already settled, foundation raising can lift it back before new footings go under it. When a footing has to go where a patio, walk or old slab is in the way, concrete cutting lets us open just the section we need instead of tearing the whole thing out.
Pad footings for deck posts
A single square or round pad goes under each post, which suits most decks, porches and small structures. Each pad carries one post, so we can place them one at a time around buried lines.
Continuous strip footings
A strip runs under a whole wall, so it suits additions, garages and retaining walls where the weight sits along a line rather than on a few posts. It takes more digging, but it spreads the load evenly from end to end.
Deeper, narrower piers
A pier goes farther down in a smaller hole, which can make sense on a slope, in a tight spot or where the ground near the surface is soft. At the estimate I'll tell you which type your yard and your structure call for, and why.
Get a written estimate for your concrete footings
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to give you a free written estimate at your property. It spells out what's included and what isn't, and there's no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Bothell, WA 98011
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about footings in Bothell?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll have in hand.
Call us or send the form
You reach us at (425) 384-1147 or through the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Please tell us what you're planning to build so I can come prepared.
Look at the site together
I walk the spot with you, ask what the footings need to hold up and give you a written estimate that spells out what's included. You'll know what you're paying for before anything is dug.
Sort out permits and dates
Once you're ready, we sort out any permit questions, file with the city or county office if a permit is needed, and set a start date that works around it. You'll know the date before our crew shows up.
Build it and walk through
Our own crew digs, sets and pours the footings, and I lead the work on site. When we're done, I walk the finished footings with you before anything gets built on top of them.
Why Bothell homeowners call us for footings
I write every estimate myself
The person who looks at your site and asks what the footings will carry also leads the crew on the day we dig. Nothing gets lost between the estimate and the work, and you only ever have one person to ask.
Building in Bothell since 2017
I learned concrete on flatwork and foundation crews in this area and started this business in Bothell in 2017. I know how the ground here behaves when it's wet, and I plan the dig and the pour with that in mind.
Licensed and insured for your job
We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to answer any question about that before you book. The state also gives you a way to check any contractor yourself, which I explain in the questions below.
On a footing job, the depth and the spot matter more than anything you'll see on top, so the best next step is for me to come and look at yours. Send us your project details or call (425) 384-1147, and thank you for considering us.
Footings, permits and wet weather in Bothell
In Bothell, the city's building official issues permits to build, enlarge, alter or repair a building or structure. The city's list of work that can go without a permit includes sidewalks, driveways and decks at a home that sit no more than 30 inches above the ground, under further conditions. That list doesn't mention footings, so it doesn't settle whether your footings need their own permit, and the city's permit office is the place to ask. I look at the permit side when I come out for the estimate, and when a permit is needed, we can prepare and file it and plan the start date around it. Before anything else, please check that your property is inside the city limits, because not everyone with a Bothell mailing address is, and the city has a guide to checking your address. If you're outside the city, we file with whichever city or county office covers your address.
Rain also shapes a footing job here, because in western Washington rain can damage fresh concrete while it cures. We pick the pour date with the forecast in mind and cover the fresh footings, and it's fair to ask any contractor how they'll cover yours. We see the same wet seasons on jobs in Kirkland and Woodinville, so we plan for rain there too.
Questions about concrete footings in Bothell
How deep do deck footings need to go in Bothell, WA?
In Bothell, deck footings should sit on undisturbed soil at least 12 inches below the ground. A national deck guide calls for 12 inches or the frost line, whichever is deeper, and the city's residential code puts the frost line at 12 inches. The frost line is how deep the ground freezes. That depth is a minimum, and a heavier structure can call for more.
How much do concrete footings cost per foot?
Across the US, installed residential strip footings usually cost about $5 to $20 per linear foot. That range covers the concrete, the labor to place and finish it, trench digging, forms where needed, any rebar, and the contractor's overhead and profit. Your own figure comes from the written estimate after I've seen the site.
What is the best way to plan where deck footings go on my lot?
Start by finding out what's buried there. The national deck guide says to keep footings clear of septic systems, leach fields, utility lines and enclosed meters, and to call 811 before digging. Once you know where those run, the footing layout works around them.
How big do concrete footings have to be?
One code reference site reads the footing sizes in the residential code as minimums. They're the smallest a footing can be, not the right size for every job. A licensed engineer may call for larger footings based on how much weight the soil can bear or the loads above it. If your plans come with an engineer's footing sizes, we build to those.
Who issues building permits in Bothell, and how do I apply?
The city's building official issues them. You apply online through MyBuildingPermit.com, which you can reach from the city's applications page. The same portal handles inspection scheduling and permit status, so you can follow the job in one place.
How do I check a contractor's registration in Washington?
Use the Verify tool from Washington's Labor and Industries department. It shows whether a business has an active contractor registration and a paid-to-date workers' comp account covering any employees. The state requires every construction contractor to register with the department and to be bonded and insured, so it's worth running that check on anyone you plan to hire, us included.
Related work that often comes with footings
Foundation raising
Doors that stick, sloping floors or a gap opening along a wall can mean the house has settled, and raising it can bring it back level.
Concrete cutting
When you need an opening in an existing slab for new posts, a drain line or a doorway, a clean saw cut makes it without cracking the rest.
Service areas around Bothell, WA
C&S Bothell Concrete Contractors is based in Bothell, WA, and we work across the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own page on our site, including Kenmore and Redmond. If yours isn't listed, just ask.
Plan your footings before the first hole
Have your address, what you're building and a rough footing length in feet ready when you call or send the form, so we can set up the right visit.