Concrete Footings in Simi Valley CA - a solid base checked before it's buried
Planning an addition, wall or patio cover and wondering what has to go under it? We dig, form and set steel, then pour after inspection.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
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What goes into concrete footings, and what sets the price?
Concrete footings are the strips, pads or piers of concrete and steel under a wall, addition or post that carry its weight into the ground, and in Simi Valley, CA we dig them, form them, reinforce them and pour them once the city has signed off.
Most footing calls start with something new going up, like a room addition, a block wall or a patio cover, and some start with an old footing that's cracked or sunk under a wall. The price moves with the footing type, its total length, how deep we dig, how much steel goes in and how easy it is to get concrete to the spot, so a short run along an open side yard costs a lot less than a long one in a tight backyard. The schedule usually turns on the permit and the inspection more than on the pour itself, and if your footing ties into a new floor, it may be part of a slab foundation building job. Your written estimate puts your own figure on all of that.
How do you know you need new footings?
Cracks climbing a wall
Stair-step cracks in a block wall, or cracks running up from the bottom corner of stucco, usually mean the footing under it has shifted or was never built for the load. They tend to grow as the ground keeps moving, and a crack left alone can turn a footing repair into a wall replacement.
A post or column sinking
When a patio cover post, deck support or porch column drops or leans, the pad under it is usually undersized, cracked or sitting on loose fill. Waiting lets the beam above sag and pull at whatever it's fastened to, and that costs more to fix than the pad does.
Plans that start underground
If you're adding a room, a garage, a block wall or a patio cover, the footings come before anything else on the plans. Putting off the footing talk until the framer is booked is how schedules slip, because the dig, the inspection and the pour all have to happen first.
How we build concrete footings
Once we've settled the footing type, we lay it out from the plans and dig to the depth and width they call for, cleaning the bottom down to firm, undisturbed ground so the concrete isn't resting on loose dirt. Next come the forms and the rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together when the ground pushes or pulls, along with any anchor bolts the plans show, all tied in so nothing moves during the pour. We schedule the pour only after the forms and steel pass inspection, so nothing gets buried before it's checked. The crew then pours and works the concrete into every corner, lets it cure, which is the slow hardening that gives it strength, and pulls the forms, backfills and cleans up. If a budget gets tight, the dig and the steel are the last place I'd cut, because nobody sees them again once the wall goes up and everything above depends on them.
Footings often bring other work with them. If a new footing has to run through an existing patio or garage slab, concrete cutting gives us a straight, clean opening instead of a jackhammered mess, and if the real problem is a house that has already settled, foundation raising can be a better fix than a new footing alone.
Strip footings under walls
A continuous run of concrete under a wall or addition that spreads the load along its whole length. It's the footing most home additions and block walls sit on.
Pad footings under posts
A square or round block of concrete under a single post or column, like a patio cover or deck support. It suits weight that comes down at one point instead of along a line.
Piers on sloped or tight ground
Deeper, narrower holes filled with concrete and steel that reach past loose or sloping ground. They suit hillside yards and spots where a wide trench won't fit.
Footings built into a slab
A thickened edge or band poured with the slab itself, so floor and footing go in as one piece. It suits garages and smaller buildings when the plans call for it.
Get a written estimate for your footing job
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and written down, with no pressure and no obligation.
(805) 261-5009- Based in
- Simi Valley, CA 93065
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about footings in Simi Valley?
From the first call to backfill, here's who does what and where the city's timing fits in.
Call or send the details
Call (805) 261-5009 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to have the footing's location, a rough length in linear feet and any stamped approved plans ready.
I look over the site
I walk the ground with you, ask a lot of questions about what's going on top and settle the footing type with you. You get a written estimate that spells out the type, the length and what's included, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
Permit, dig, forms and steel
Once you say go, we sort out any permit with you, and if the city needs to review plans, that's the longest wait, covered in the questions below. The crew digs and sets the forms and steel, then we book the inspection, which the city does the next workday when the request is in by 4:00 p.m., or the following Tuesday when it goes in after 4:00 p.m. on a Friday.
Pour, cure and backfill
After the inspection passes, the crew pours while I check in, and the concrete cures before anything gets built on it. Then we pull the forms, backfill around the footing and leave the site clean.
Why Simi Valley homeowners call Custom Simi Valley Concrete for footings
I come out for the estimate
I look over every footing job myself and write the estimate, and a crew lead runs the work day to day while I stop by at the steps that matter most, like the dig and the inspection. So the person who priced your job is the one checking it before it's buried.
Framing first, concrete since 2017
I framed houses for years before starting this business in 2017, and we've been at it 9 years now. Knowing what sits on top of a footing makes it easier to catch a plan that doesn't line up before the concrete goes in.
Licensed and insured for footings
We're licensed and insured, and on footing work that matters because a job that needs a permit calls for a licensed contractor, even a small one. Ask about it at the estimate and I'll show you.
Approved plans kept on site
The city expects a copy of the stamped approved plans at the job site for the inspector, so a copy stays with the crew from the first day of digging. An inspector who can't find the plans usually means an inspection that gets put off.
If there's a footing in your plans, send us the details or call (805) 261-5009 and I'll come take a look.
Footings, permits and foundation work in Simi Valley
In Simi Valley, the city's Building and Safety Division handles footing inspections and takes questions on construction methods, products and inspections at (805) 583-6723. Whether your particular footing job needs a permit is the city's call, and I'd rather you hear it from them than hear me guess. When a job does need one, we tell you which city or county office handles it, and we can pull it as your contractor, which goes through the city's contractor declaration, or help you with the city's owner package if you'd rather pull it yourself.
A lot of the footing jobs we see around here sit on sloped yards or tie a new wall or room onto an older house, and those take some figuring on depth, steps in the trench and where the old concrete ends. California also sends its seismic hazard zone maps to cities and counties to guide construction, and local rules can be stricter than the state's, so it's worth asking the city whether your lot falls in one. We meet the same slopes and add-ons on jobs in Thousand Oaks and Moorpark.
Questions about concrete footings in Simi Valley
How much do concrete footings cost per linear foot?
Across the US, a residential strip footing usually runs about $5 to $19 per linear foot installed, and that covers the concrete, labor, digging and forms. That's a national figure, not ours, and a job here can land anywhere in it or past it depending on the footing type, depth, steel and access. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate once I've seen the site.
When does Simi Valley inspect footings before the concrete is poured?
The city inspects footings once the digging is done, the forms and steel are all in place and any required anchors are fixed where they belong. Nothing gets poured until that approval, because the concrete covers everything the inspector came to see. If the inspector asks for a change, we make it and get them back out before we order the truck.
Can an unlicensed handyman pour a small footing in California?
Not if the job needs a permit of any kind or the person hires anyone to help, because state rules require a license even for minor work under $1,000 in either case. So if your small footing job needs a permit, it calls for a licensed contractor. California's licensing board has a C-8 Concrete license for contractors who form, pour and finish concrete, which makes it a fair thing to ask about.
How long does plan review take for a footing permit in Simi Valley?
For residential work that needs plan review, the city's counter review can take up to 5 to 10 business days, and plan check then takes 20 to 25 working days. Put together, that's often a month or more before anyone digs, so we get the paperwork moving as soon as you say go.
What causes concrete footings to crack or shift?
Ground movement is the usual cause, and research on clay soils shows they swell when wet and settle when dry, often more than a house can tolerate. Where a lot has that kind of clay, the footing plan has to account for the lifting and settling. Shallow digs, footings poured on loose fill and missing steel are the other things I look for when I check an old one.
What is the best way to compare quotes for concrete footings?
Settle the footing type with your contractor first, then compare prices, because pads, strips, trenches, footings built into a slab and piers work as parts of one system and aren't priced the same way. Two quotes for two different footings aren't really comparing the same job. That's why I talk the type through with you before I put a number down.
Related concrete work that goes with footings
If a house or addition has already settled and cracked, lifting it back toward level may make more sense than tearing out and repouring what's underneath.
When a new wall has to land where a patio or slab already sits, we saw a clean opening so the footing goes in without wrecking the rest.
Service areas for footing work around Simi Valley
Custom Simi Valley Concrete is based in Simi Valley, California, and takes footing jobs across the cities around it, from Camarillo to Agoura Hills. Each of the 12 cities below has its own page, and if yours isn't on the list, ask us.
Simi Valley, CA
Get your footing priced before plans stall
Plan review can run for weeks, so getting your footing priced early keeps the paperwork from holding up the rest of your project.