Concrete Footings in Napa, CA - A Solid Base Sized for Your Soil and Load
Planning an addition, a deck or a new wall? We size and pour footings to the weight they carry and the soil under them.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and what sets the price?
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base under a foundation wall, pier or column, and we build them in Napa, CA to spread the weight of your addition, deck or wall into the soil so it doesn't sink.
Most of our footing calls come from homeowners adding a room, a garage, a deck or a wall, and some come from small property owners. The price moves with how wide, deep and long the footings run, and that comes down to what they carry, how strong the soil is and how much digging the site takes. The schedule turns mostly on a soil test, if you get one, and on the city inspection. When I come out, the estimate spells out what's included so you know what you're paying for.
How do you know your project needs new footings?
Plans that call for footings
If your drawings show footings under a new addition, garage, wall or deck, the build needs a base sized and poured before anything else goes up. Leaving it to the last minute usually means a rushed dig, and a footing is the one part of a build you can't easily redo later.
Deck posts sinking or leaning
Posts that have dropped, tilted or pulled away from the beam usually sit on loose blocks or shallow holes instead of a real footing. The longer they settle, the more the frame twists, and boards and railings start working loose.
New cracks in a wall
Cracks that step across a block wall, or a door that suddenly sticks, often mean the base under that part of the house has moved. Waiting lets the gap open wider, and the repair gets bigger the longer the ground keeps shifting.
How we build concrete footings in Napa
First I ask whether you have a soil test or want one, because the soil can change the whole plan, and then I size each footing to what it carries. Our crew lays out the lines, digs the trenches or holes down to firm ground, sets the forms and ties in the steel rebar that helps the concrete hold together under load. Once the work passes inspection we pour, finish the top flat for whatever sits on it and let it cure, giving the concrete time to gain strength before it carries weight. A footing is all base and no finish, since nobody sees it once the build goes up, so it's the easiest place to cut corners and the worst one, and I'd rather spend the time on the dig than save a day.
If an existing footing has settled and the house above it has dropped, that's usually a job for foundation raising rather than a new pour. When a new footing has to go where a slab already sits, like a post inside a garage or an addition that meets a patio, we start with concrete cutting to open a clean section instead of breaking it out by hand.
Continuous footings
These run the whole length of a wall, so they suit additions, garages and long walls where the weight is spread along a line. The width follows the load and the soil, which I work out before we dig.
Pad footings
A pad sits under one point of heavy load, like a deck post, porch column or pier, so it suits builds that stand on posts instead of walls. Many decks and covered patios need a row of them, each sized for its share of the weight.
Get a free on-site estimate for your footings
Send the form and we reply within one business day to set a visit. I come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate that says what's included, with no obligation.
Call (707) 254-6028What happens when you call us about footings in Napa?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the walk-through, and who handles each part of it.
Call or send us a request
Call (707) 254-6028 or use the form, and we set a time for me to see the site. Tell us what you're building so I know what the footings will carry.
I visit and write the estimate
I look at the site, ask what you need and ask about any soil test or plans. The estimate says what's included and what isn't, so you know what you'd be paying for before you decide.
We handle permits and the pour
Once you say yes, we line up any permits and inspections and tell you who books each one. Our crew digs, forms and pours after the inspector signs off, and I'm on the job with them.
We walk the finished footings
I walk the finished work with you and explain how to care for it while it cures. That way you know what's under your build and when it's ready for the next trade.
Why Napa homeowners call First Choice Napa Concrete for footings
Footings are the one part of a build that's hard to undo, so the planning is worth the time. Tell me about your project and I'll come take a look.
I size every footing myself
I come out to look at the job and do the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew when they form and pour. The person who worked out your footing sizes is the same one watching them go in.
Explaining each step since 2013
I started this business in Napa in 2013, and we're best known for telling people what's happening at each step and why. By the end, you should be able to explain your own footings to a neighbor.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured. That protects you and your property while our crew is digging and pouring beside your house.
Ready before the inspector arrives
City policy puts the foundation inspection after the footing dig is done, with the forms set and any required steel and seismic restraints in place, so we have all of it finished before the visit. A failed inspection pushes the pour back, and that's the delay we plan around.
Concrete footings and the city inspection in Napa
The City of Napa keeps a list of work that doesn't need a permit, and it names things like sheds, fences and some retaining walls but not footings, so we check with the city's building office early about your job. When a permit applies, city policy says concrete goes in only after the city building inspector signs off on the work in the field, so your pour date follows the inspection date and we book the concrete around it. Other cities have their own building offices, so on footing jobs in American Canyon and Sonoma we make the same early call to theirs.
The state maps areas where weak soil or rock is likely, and those materials can fail in an earthquake and damage a building if grading and construction don't plan for them. On a bare lot in one of those areas, an investigation by a licensed engineering geologist or civil engineer may be required before most structures can be permitted, which is one more reason I ask about the soil before I size anything.
Questions about concrete footings in Napa
How much do concrete footings cost in Napa, CA?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, and that installed price covers the concrete, the digging, the steel rebar and the contractor's margin. Concrete, labor and excavation drive the number, so a wider, deeper footing on weak soil can cost several times a shallow one. A labor-only rate covers just laying out, forming and pouring, so ask what each per-foot number includes before you compare quotes.
How do I know how wide my concrete footings need to be?
Footing width follows the weight it carries and how much the soil can hold, and weaker soil needs wider footings that cost more. A soil test before work shows any weak spots, so you can plan your budget around the size the soil calls for instead of finding out mid-job. That's the first thing I'll want to talk through when I see your site.
How do I know if I need a structural engineer for my footings?
You may need one mainly when the soil is weak and you're planning a heavier build. In that case the engineer's design sets the footing size, and our crew builds to it.
Does a contractor need a license for a small concrete job in California?
Yes, under state rules a contractor's license is required for minor work that needs a permit of any kind, even if the project is under $1,000. So if your footing job needs a permit, the person pouring it has to be licensed no matter how small the job is.
Who schedules the city inspection for footings in Napa?
Under the city's inspection requirements, the property owner or permit holder is responsible for scheduling each required inspection. When we line up a job, we settle with you early who books each visit, so nobody assumes the other one did it.
What causes concrete footings to crack or settle?
Most footing trouble comes from a footing that's too small for its load or one that sits on soft, loose or wet soil. Loose dirt left in the bottom of a trench is a common cause, because it packs down later under the weight. That's why the dig gets as much of our attention as the pour.
Other concrete work that often goes with footings
- Foundation raising
If an older footing has sunk and you're seeing cracked walls or doors that stick, raising the foundation back up may come before any new pour.
- Concrete cutting
When a post or new wall has to land where a slab already sits, a clean saw cut opens the section we need and leaves the rest intact.
Cities where we pour footings around Napa
First Choice Napa Concrete is based in Napa, CA, and we pour footings in many of the cities around it, including Vallejo and Fairfield. The 12 cities below have their own pages, and they're some of the places we work, not all of them.
Napa, CA
Get your footings sized before you build
Call (707) 254-6028 or send the form with your plans, where the footings will go and any soil test, so I can size the job on the first visit.