Foundation raising in Palos Verdes Estates CA - a house that's steady again
Sloping floors, sticking doors or new cracks? We find out why the house settled, steady it and lift it back gently.
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at your house and write the estimate myself, so the person who sized up the problem is the one you talk to. Our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing, and I'm by the site as the job goes.
Fully licensed and insured on your job
The city warns that if you hire an unlicensed "consultant" or act as owner/builder, you take on full responsibility for the job, including state and federal taxes, workers' compensation insurance and other legal liabilities. Hiring us keeps you out of that role.
Building in Palos Verdes Estates since 2013
I started this business here in 2013 after learning under a finisher who'd make me reset forms that were off at all. Call (424) 307-8097, weekdays 7 AM to 9 PM or weekends 6 AM to 9 PM, or use our contact form.
Raising a settled house in Palos Verdes Estates
Foundation raising sets piers against your existing foundation to stop the house settling or lift it back close to where it started. We do it for owners in Palos Verdes Estates, CA who have sloping floors, sticking doors or cracks that keep growing.
Most of the price comes down to what your house sits on. A crawl space house can usually be worked from underneath, while a slab house costs more because the slab has to be lifted on piers driven down to soil that can carry the load. After that it's how many piers the job takes and whether beams or old piers need repair on top of the lift. I'll work those out at the estimate, so your figure fits your house.
The schedule splits the same way. A national guide puts reshimming a crawl space house at 1 to 3 days, and putting piers under a slab house, called underpinning, at 3 to 7 days depending on how many piers go in. Any city and Homes Association steps come before we dig, so it pays to start those early. Your estimate tells you which kind of job you've got.
Foundation raising and the concrete work around it
Shims or piers, settled before we bid
Before I price anything, I go under the house or around the slab to find out why it settled, then tell you whether shims will do or it needs piers. That matters because releveling, raising a settled house back with hydraulic jacks and steel piers, is a different job from repair, which fixes cracked beams or rot without always bringing the floor back to level. The state license for raising and underpinning covers the lift, not repairs to the parts that stay in place, so we spell out which one you're getting.
A partial lift that spares your finishes
We steady the house and bring it up partway instead of forcing the floor dead level, because pushing too hard cracks tile, plaster and pipes in rooms that looked fine before. A floor that's close and holding beats a perfect one with a split shower pan. We also go after whatever made it settle, since a house that needs leveling again and again usually has a cause nobody fixed, like drainage still soaking the ground, a footing that's too small, or shims where piers were needed.
Opening up concrete, then putting it back
On a slab house the piers go in from outside, so a walk, patio or driveway along the foundation sometimes has to come up where a pier lands. Clean saw cuts from our concrete cutting work mean only that section comes out and the rest stays put. If your driveway sank along with the house, we can pour a new section or a whole concrete driveway once the house is steady. I'd spend on a dug-out, packed base before a fancy finish, because the base is what keeps it from sinking again.
Book a foundation inspection and written estimate
We reply within one business day, then I come out, look at the house and write a free estimate with no obligation to book. Tell us whether it's a slab or crawl space house and about any past leveling.
(424) 307-8097How foundation raising works with us
I look at the house
I come out, here in Palos Verdes Estates or in the cities around it, look at the floors and foundation and hear what's bothering you. Then I write an estimate that says whether shims will do or it needs piers, and why.
Permits, paperwork and prep
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit and set up the inspections, and help you get Homes Association and Art Jury paperwork ready. Then we show you where we'll dig and set the piers or shims.
The lift and the walk-through
Our crew lifts the house a little at a time, stopping short of forcing it dead level, then backfills and patches any concrete we opened. At the end I walk the job with you and show you what we did and why.
Foundation raising questions from homeowners
How much does it cost to level a house in Palos Verdes Estates?
Across the US, leveling a house usually costs about $3,500 to $30,000 per job, according to a national cost guide, so treat that as the market's range rather than our price. Where your house lands depends on slab or crawl space and how many piers it needs. Your own figure comes from the estimate I write after looking at the house.
Who do I check with at the city before leveling my house?
Start with the city's Building and Planning departments, which say what code may apply. Their list names new building, additions and remodeling, not foundation raising, so ask before slab work starts digging around the house. The Palos Verdes Homes Association also has to approve most projects, and we check with the city whenever we're unsure what applies.
Will shims fix uneven floors in my house?
Shims fix uneven floors on a crawl space house only when nothing deeper is wrong, because reshimming just fills the gaps between the beams and the piers. If the piers have sunk into weak soil or the beams have rotted, shims won't hold and you're looking at a bigger repair. I check that from underneath at the estimate.
Can I stay in my house while it's being leveled?
Usually, yes, most owners stay home through the work. Slab work is noisy, though, and it means digging around the outside of the house, so expect torn-up planting beds and paths you'll walk around for a while. I'll show you where we'll dig at the estimate so you know what's coming.