Foundation raising in Napa CA - a house checked first, then lifted to the right height
House too low for its flood zone, or floors sagging where it settled? We check it first, then plan a careful lift.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Should you raise your Napa house, and what does it take?
Foundation raising in Napa means lifting your house off its old foundation in careful stages, so a new, sound foundation can go in underneath or so the house sits high enough for its flood zone.
Most people call because the floors have started to slope, the old foundation is breaking up, or they've learned the house sits too low for its spot on the flood map. The price turns on how big and heavy the house is, what shape the framing and the wood it rests on are in, how far it has to go up and what the new foundation needs. The schedule turns mostly on the condition check, the plans and the city's sign-off, not on the pour. Concrete is hard to undo, so I'd rather spend extra time planning than rush any of it, and my estimate tells you what's included and what isn't.
How can you tell your house may need raising?
Floors that slope or sag
A marble rolls across the kitchen, or doors start sticking in their frames. That usually means part of the foundation has settled, and the longer it goes, the more the framing above twists to follow it.
Cracks in the foundation wall
Cracks that step or widen in the concrete under the house usually mean the old footings are moving or breaking up. Left alone, they let water in, and the water speeds up the damage.
Soft wood near the ground
If the sill, the wood the house sits on, feels soft or crumbles, water has usually been getting at it for years. Waiting lets the rot spread into the framing, which means more repair before the house can be lifted.
How we handle foundation raising
Before anyone talks about lifting, we want your house checked by a qualified structural mover or engineer, because the condition of the framing decides whether it can go up as it is. One lifting equipment maker gives the same advice, and it describes the lift itself as hydraulic jacks under carrying beams raising the house in short stages, with the house set on a fresh layer of cribbing, the stacked supports that hold it up, each time. Once the plan is set, our part is usually the concrete, so we cut out the old foundation, dig and pour new footings, the wide concrete base the walls stand on, and pour the new foundation walls to the height the plans call for. We'll be plain about which of those steps are ours and who handles the rest.
Getting at an old foundation often means concrete cutting through a walk, a patio or a garage apron that sits tight against the house. When the house ends up higher, the way you drive in changes too, and a new concrete driveway may need to meet the garage at its new height.
Lift for a new foundation
This suits a house whose old foundation is cracked or crumbling but whose framing is sound enough to lift. The house goes up, the old concrete comes out, and we pour new footings and walls under it.
Lift to clear flood height
This suits a Napa house that sits too low for its flood zone, where the goal is getting the floor up to the height the plans set. The new foundation walls go taller, and the plans have to meet the city's flood rules.
Get a foundation raising estimate that shows who does what
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the house and give you a free estimate on site that says what's included and what isn't, with no obligation.
Call (707) 254-6028What happens when you call about raising your Napa house?
Here's how it goes from your first call to the final walk-through, and who handles each part along the way.
Call or send a request
Call (707) 254-6028 or use the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Have your address handy, and your flood zone if you know it.
I look at the house
I come out, look over the house and the foundation, and ask what you need. Your estimate says what's included and what isn't, down to which parts are ours and which go to the mover or engineer.
We line up permits, then work
Once you say yes, we line up any permits and inspections the job needs. Our crew then does the concrete work, timed around the city's sign-offs.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, I walk the finished job with you so you know how to care for it. It's also your chance to ask anything you'd still like explained.
Why Napa homeowners call First Choice Napa Concrete for foundation raising
On a lift, the checking and planning nobody sees later matter more than how the new concrete looks. Request an estimate with your address, your flood zone if you know it, and any notes on settling or rot.
I do your estimate myself
I come out to look at the house and do the estimate, and I'm on the job with our crew while they form, pour and finish. You deal with the same person from the first visit to the last pour.
Pouring concrete in Napa since 2013
I started this business in Napa in 2013, after learning the trade on a crew pouring driveways, patios and foundations. That's 13 years of seeing what holds up under a house and what doesn't.
Licensed and insured, clear on scope
We're licensed and insured. On a lift that matters, because more than one trade often works on the same house, and you should know who covers what.
Your flood zone, asked about first
I ask about your flood zone on the first visit, because in Napa the city's height rule can decide how tall the new foundation walls get. It's better to know that before a number goes on the estimate than after.
Raising a house in Napa, and the concrete work around it
Plan on a building permit from the city for a lift, and the city encourages owners to get in touch before they submit, to talk through the project and the plan review options, so start at the city's permits and plan review page to find the right counter. We talk with the city early as well, tell you who books each step and plan any pour around the sign-offs it requires. If your lot is in Napa's floodplain or floodway, the city says projects are possible, but they follow strict design rules so the house holds up to flooding without harming buildings nearby or downstream. Inside the floodway, building is often limited, and the city wants a floodway analysis from a registered engineer or architect with the first submittal, so that work belongs at the front of the plan. New permits also have to meet the current California codes, so your plans need to as well.
Many of the houses we're asked to look at are older homes with a crawl space, where the wood near the ground has had years of water to deal with, and we see the same kinds of houses on jobs in Vallejo and Benicia. We're based in Napa and work in many of the cities around it, and the condition check comes first there too.
Questions about foundation raising in Napa
How high does my house have to be raised in a Napa flood zone?
In Napa's flood Zone AE, the city puts the lowest floor, including any basement, at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation, the flood height the map sets for your lot. That rule covers new building, substantial improvement and the remodels it applies to, so if your house is in that zone, that line sets how far it goes up, and we pour the new foundation walls to match the plans.
How do I find out if my house is in a Napa flood zone?
Check your parcel against the city's flood maps, which take Napa's newer flood control work into account. If you already know your zone, tell me when you call, because it changes what the plans have to show.
What if my house has rot or bad settling before it's lifted?
It may need extensive reinforcement before it can go up. One lifting equipment maker notes that houses with rotted sills, failing framing or severe settlement sometimes need that work first, which is why we want the house checked before any lift plan is final.
Who is licensed to raise a house in California?
California's Contractors State License Board has a class for building moving and demolition contractors, who raise, lower, crib and underpin houses, including their foundations. That class doesn't cover repairs or changes to the parts of the house that stay, so ask each contractor which part of the job they handle and who does the rest.
Are there options besides lifting the whole house?
Yes, a smaller fix can work, depending on what's wrong. One foundation repair company's guide lists underpinning, which supports the foundation from below, for settling in one spot, slab jacking for problems with a concrete slab, and pier and beam repair for minor structural issues. The same guide points to tearing down and rebuilding when the damage is extensive, and the condition check tells you which one fits your house.
How do I budget for raising my house in Napa?
Start from an estimate for your own house, then plan it together with any other work you've done lately, because of how Napa counts flood zone projects. In the floodplain or floodway, work costing 50% or more of the home's market value before the work counts as substantial improvement, and the city adds up costs over ten years, which can bring in the flood height rule above.
Other concrete work that often goes with a lift
- Concrete cutting
When old slabs, walks or foundation walls stand in the way, clean saw cuts let us remove just the section that has to go and leave the rest.
- Concrete driveway building
A house that sits higher, or a driveway that cracked and sank along with it, often calls for a new slab poured on a dug-out, packed base.
Service areas for foundation raising around Napa
First Choice Napa Concrete is based in Napa, CA, and we work in many of the cities around it, from American Canyon to Pleasant Hill. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and they're some of the places we work, not all of them.
Napa, CA
Ask for a foundation raising estimate
The sooner the house is checked, the sooner you know whether lifting fits it or a smaller fix will do.