Foundation installation in Bothell WA - built to match your lot and its soil
Planning a new home on a Bothell lot and not sure what foundation it needs? We plan it from your soils report and plans first.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a new home foundation in Bothell?
Foundation installation in Bothell is the work of digging out your building site and putting in the footing and foundation wall, or a concrete slab, that your new house rests on. It comes first because every wall and floor above it takes its line from it.
Most people who call us about a foundation have a lot picked out, plans underway and a fair number of questions about what comes first. The price usually turns on the size of the house, the type of foundation, how much digging the lot needs and what the soil turns out to be. The schedule turns mostly on the steps before the pour, since the soils report, the design plans and the permit all come ahead of any concrete. When I come out, you get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't. If your plans call for a single poured slab, our page on slab foundation building goes further into that work.
How do you know your lot needs careful foundation planning?
The ground slopes away
If the yard drops off from front to back or side to side, the foundation has to make up that change in height, which usually means more digging or taller walls on the low side. It costs far less to settle that before the plans are final than to change them after the permit is in.
Soft or soggy ground
Ground that gives underfoot, stays wet long after rain or was filled in by an earlier owner usually needs a closer look before anything is built on it. If you pour on ground like that without knowing what's under it, a new house can end up with cracks and doors that stick in its first few years.
Water pooling near the pad
Puddles that sit where the house will go show you where the water runs, and a foundation in that path needs its drains planned from the start. If the drains get added after the walls are backfilled, the whole side has to be dug back out.
How we handle foundation installation from dig to pour
For a new home, I start with the lot and the soils report, since together they tell us which kind of foundation fits. From there we work from your design plans so the footings and drains go where the plans show them. Our crew digs out to the depth the plans call for and packs the subgrade, the soil the foundation sits on, so it doesn't settle under the weight of the house. Next we set the forms and the rebar, the steel that keeps the concrete from pulling apart under load. Then we pour and let the concrete cure, which is the wait while it hardens and gains its strength before anything heavy goes on top. If a budget has to give somewhere, I'd ask that it not be the digging and packing, because nobody sees them once the walls go up and they're the one part of a house you can't go back and fix.
Some new builds need more than the main foundation. Separate concrete footings carry porch posts or a detached garage. For small property owners and builders putting up a building with paved parking, we also handle concrete parking lot building on the same site.
Slab on grade
A single slab poured over packed ground suits a level lot with firm soil, because there's no wall to build underneath it. There's also no space under the floor, so the plumbing has to be set in place before the pour.
Footings and foundation walls
A footing with walls on top suits a lot that slopes or ground that needs the house lifted off it, and it leaves a crawlspace or basement under the floor. It takes more digging and forming, which shows up in the price, but on many hillside lots it's the sounder choice.
Get a written estimate for your new home's foundation
Send the lot address and the planned size of the home, and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free, done at your property and comes with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Bothell, WA 98011
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about a foundation?
Here's how a foundation job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send the form
You call (425) 384-1147 or send the form, and we get back to you to set a time to see the lot. If you already have plans or a soils report, please have them handy.
I visit and write the estimate
I come out, look at the ground and your plans, and ask what the house needs. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know what you're paying for before anything is dug.
We settle permits and dates
Once you're ready, we sort out any permit questions and set a start date that fits around them. Because the soils report and plans come before the dig, this is usually the step that sets the calendar.
Our crew builds the foundation
Our own crew does the digging, forming and pouring, and I lead the work on site. When it's finished, we walk the foundation with you so you can see what you paid for.
Why Bothell homeowners call C&S Bothell Concrete Contractors for foundations
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at the lot and write the estimate myself, and I lead our own crew on site once the work starts. The person who priced your foundation is the one standing there when it's poured.
In business since 2017
I started this business in 2017, after learning concrete on flatwork and foundation crews in this area. Foundations and slabs that get careful planning before the pour are the work we're best known for.
Licensed and insured, every job
We're licensed and insured. That matters on a foundation, because it's the most expensive part of a house to get wrong and you want the crew working in your excavation covered.
Drains where your site plan shows them
For a new house, Bothell asks for the footing drain and roof drain to be drawn on the site plan, and we lay them where that plan puts them. That way what the city reviewed is what ends up in the ground.
Our work is satisfaction guaranteed. If you have a lot and plans to talk through, please contact us and I'll set up a time to come out.
Foundations, footings and drains on Bothell lots
Some Bothell lots fall in landslide or seismic hazard areas, and if yours is one of them, the foundation design has more to answer to. In a landslide hazard area, the city requires a geotechnical report from a licensed engineer, and that report gives the design recommendations for the foundation and any retaining walls. In a seismic hazard area, the report has to look closely at the soil, especially whether wet ground under the house could lose its strength and turn soft when it shakes, which engineers call liquefaction. If the site could do that, measures suited to the size of the project are recommended and carried out. The city also requires construction plans from a registered design professional where state law calls for them, and the building official can ask for more where a site has special conditions. Whether your lot falls in one of these areas is something the report and the city settle, not something I'd guess at from the street. We build the foundation to those reports and plans as drawn.
Beyond the rules, most lots we see here and on jobs in Woodinville and Kirkland have some slope, plenty of winter rain and soil that changes from one corner to the next, so we plan the digging and drainage around that from the first visit. We're based in Bothell and work across the cities around it, and if you're not sure we come out your way, please just ask.
Questions about new foundations in Bothell
Is a slab or a basement better for my lot in Bothell?
A slab is usually the better fit on a level lot with well-compacted soil, and a basement is worth a look on a lot that slopes steeply. One Seattle cost guide says a single-pour slab is quicker and easier to build, which brings labor costs down a good deal, but it works only where the ground is level across the whole property and the soil is firm. National energy guidance says basements suit steep sites, and while the deeper digging adds cost, it can give you comfortable, livable space.
Do I need a soils report for a new home in Bothell?
Usually yes, because the city's single-family permit checklist calls for a soils report from a licensed geotechnical engineer, a specialist in what the ground can carry. The exception is when good data from neighboring areas shows an investigation isn't needed, so it's wise to plan the report as one of your first steps. If you have it by the estimate visit, I can price the foundation it points to.
How do I apply for a building permit in Bothell?
You apply online, because Bothell accepts all permit and land use applications only through MyBuildingPermit.com. For questions, the city's Permit Center says email to permits@bothellwa.gov is the best way to reach a Permit Coordinator, and staff also take calls at 425-806-6400. We look at the permit side when I come out for the estimate, and when one is needed, we can prepare and file it with the right office and plan the start date around it.
How much does a new house foundation cost in Washington?
A typical full-house foundation pour for a new 2,000 sq ft home in Washington usually runs about $22,000 to $51,000 per job. That's the going range across the state, not our price, and where your job lands depends on the foundation type, how much digging the lot needs and what the soils report finds. The written estimate from your site visit gives your own figure, with what's included spelled out.
Where should the footing drain go on a new house?
It goes beside the footing, not on top of it, according to national energy guidance, so water doesn't run against the seam where the footing meets the wall. In Bothell, the city also requires the footing drains and roof drains to run separately until they connect to the storm system, and we keep those lines apart until that point.
What is the best way to grade the ground around a new foundation?
National guidance says the soil should slope away from every side of the house for at least 5 feet, dropping at least 3 inches over that distance. That keeps rain moving away from the walls instead of soaking in next to them. It's worth settling with whoever does the final grading before the yard goes in.
Other concrete work for your new build
Concrete footings
Useful when a deck, carport or addition needs its own support, because a footing sized for the load keeps that structure from sinking apart from the house.
Concrete parking lot building
Worth a look if your project serves tenants or customers, since a parking area built over a well-packed base and sloped to drain holds up under daily traffic.
Service areas around Bothell for foundation work
C&S Bothell Concrete Contractors is based in Bothell, Washington, and we build foundations across the cities around it. Below are the 12 service areas with their own page here, including Kenmore and Redmond, and they aren't the only places we go.
Book a visit to plan your foundation
Having the lot address, the planned size of the home and any soils report on hand lets me price the right foundation on the first visit, whether you call, use the form or write to quotes@concretecontractorbothell.com.