Concrete Footings in Sunnyvale CA - a base that carries your load into the soil
Planning a deck, patio cover or addition, or watching a post sink? We'll plan a footing around the weight it has to carry.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does a concrete footing do, and do I need one?
Concrete footings in Sunnyvale are the hidden base under a post, wall, deck or addition that passes its weight down into the ground, and our crew digs, forms and pours them so what you build on top has solid support.
Most folks call me when they're adding something heavy, like a patio cover, a deck, a carport or a room, or when an old post base has started to sink or crack. The price moves with what the footings have to hold up, how many you need, how easy the spots are to dig and what we find in the ground once we're in it. The schedule mostly turns on whether the city wants a permit or plan review first, and after that on weather and our crew's calendar. When I come out, you get a written estimate for your job, so you're not guessing at a number.
How do you know it's time to think about footings?
A post that's sinking
If a porch post, a deck post or a patio cover leg sits lower than it used to, or the beam above it has started to sag, the base under it usually isn't carrying the weight anymore. Left alone, that sag works its way into the framing on top, and fixing framing costs more than fixing a footing.
Cracks around a column base
Cracks that start at the foot of a column or spread out from one heavy spot in a slab usually mean the load is pushing down harder there than the concrete or the ground can take. Those cracks tend to widen and let water in, and wet ground under a heavy spot only gets softer.
Plans for something new
You're adding a deck, a pergola, a carport or a room, and the plans call for footings. This is the cheapest moment to get them right, because once the framing sits on top, fixing what's underneath means taking the top apart.
How we build concrete footings
A footing carries the whole load into the ground, so the first thing I ask is what it'll hold up. Is it a pergola post, a deck, or the wall of a new bedroom? That answer decides which kind of footing fits and where each one goes, so we plan from it before anybody picks up a shovel. Then we lay out the spots, dig out to firm soil, clean the loose dirt off the bottom of each hole, set the forms and the rebar, the steel that keeps concrete from pulling apart under a load, and pour. A base sitting on loose fill settles right along with it, so the bottom of the hole gets as much of my attention as the concrete does.
Some footing jobs start with other work. If the house has already settled, foundation raising may need to come first so the new framing ties into something level, and when a footing has to go through an existing patio or garage floor, we use concrete cutting to open a clean hole instead of breaking it out with a hammer.
Pad footing
A pad footing is a single block of concrete that stands alone under one column or post, so it suits decks, patio covers and carports that rest on posts. Each pad carries its own share of the weight, which is why we place them right where the posts will land.
Thickened slab
A thickened slab is a footing built into a floor slab, so the slab and the footing go in together. It suits jobs that already include a slab, like a garage floor or a room addition that sits on the ground.
Get a site visit and written estimate for your footings
Tell us what the footing will hold up and where it goes. We'll get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out for a free, on-site estimate with no obligation.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about footings?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send a message
Call (669) 348-0343 or use the contact form and tell us what the footing has to hold up. We'll set a time for me to come see the site.
I visit and write it up
I look at where the footings go, ask how you'll use what's going on top and talk through a pad footing versus a thickened slab. You get a written estimate that spells out the work, so you can lay it next to anyone else's.
We check with the city
Before anything goes on the schedule, we check what the city asks for on your project. That way the digging never gets ahead of the paperwork.
Our crew builds, we walk it
Our own crew digs, forms and pours while I check in on the work as it goes. When it's done, we walk the finished footings with you and go over how to look after them until the building starts.
Why Sunnyvale homeowners call Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete for footings
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at the site and write the estimate, and I'm back on site checking the work while our own crew builds it. The person who heard what your footing has to hold up is the same one making sure it gets built that way.
Learned it on a city crew
I learned concrete on a city crew, fixing what tree roots and time had broken, and I started this business in Sunnyvale in 2013. That work taught me a footing is only as good as the ground it sits on.
Licensed and insured on your job
We're licensed and insured. If something goes wrong on your property, you're not the one left holding it.
Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. When you're ready, send us a short note about what your footing will hold up, or call (669) 348-0343.
Building footings and foundations in Sunnyvale
The City of Sunnyvale says that building, remodeling or upgrading a home all mean following city requirements, and every project's requirements are a little different, so whether your footing job needs a permit is the city's call to make. For people new to the process, the city suggests calling its One-Stop Permit Center early, where staff explain the steps, the documents you'll need and whether your project needs plan review. Permits are applied for online through the city's E-OneStop system, which is also where documents get uploaded, comments get answered and inspections get scheduled. Before we schedule anything, we check with the city on what your job needs, and if it calls for a permit, we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site.
Most footing calls I get around here are for backyard projects on established lots, like patio covers, decks, sheds and room additions, and ground that's been watered and planted for decades is often softer at the top than it looks. We dig until we're on firm soil before we pour, and we run into the same thing on jobs in Cupertino and Santa Clara.
Questions about concrete footings in Sunnyvale
How much do concrete footings cost in Sunnyvale?
The cost depends mostly on what the footings hold up, how many you need and how hard the spots are to reach and dig, so there's no fair number until I've seen the site. Access matters a lot, since a footing tucked behind the house or under an existing patio takes more hand work than one in open ground. You get a written estimate after I come out.
Why does the soil under a footing matter so much?
A footing works through direct contact with the soil right beneath it, so that soil is what's really holding your structure up. That's why I fuss over the bottom of every hole before any concrete goes in.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a small footing job in California?
Often, yes, because the state license board requires a license even on a project under $1,000 if the work needs any kind of permit or the person doing it hires workers. The board also requires a license on any job that costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials.
How do I start a footing project with the City of Sunnyvale?
Start by calling the city's Permit Center early in your planning, the office covered above. If we're doing the job, we make that check with the city ourselves before anything goes on the schedule.
What is a liquefaction zone and does it affect my footings?
A state liquefaction zone marks ground where the stability of foundation soils has to be investigated, with protective measures built in, for buildings that people occupy. State law requires cities and counties to use those zones when they handle construction permits, so if you're building a room or a home in one, it can change what the city asks for. It's a good thing to bring up when I come out.
How long does a concrete footing job take?
It depends mostly on the city side, meaning whether your project needs a permit or plan review, and then on how many footings there are and what the weather does. The digging and pouring is usually the shortest part, and I'll walk you through the timing for your job at the estimate.
Related services for footing and foundation work
Foundation raising
If your house or an older slab has already sunk out of level, raising it first gives new footings and framing a true, even starting point to build on.
Concrete cutting
When a new footing has to land where a patio, driveway or garage floor already sits, clean saw cuts open just the spot you need.
Areas we serve around Sunnyvale
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is based in Sunnyvale, CA, and we build footings across it and the cities around it. The 12 areas below have their own pages, from Mountain View to Los Altos, and they aren't the only places we work.
Tell us what your footing will hold
Calling before the framing plans are final means the footings go where the load actually lands, instead of getting patched in later.