Concrete footings in Solon OH - a firm base that holds up your deck or wall
Building a deck or addition and unsure what it should sit on? We dig, form and pour footings sized for the load.
Which concrete footing does my project in Solon need?
Concrete footings are the wider base we pour in Solon under a wall, pier or column, so its weight spreads into the soil instead of pressing down on one spot. A wall gets a continuous footing that runs its full length, and a post or column gets a pad footing under that one point.
Most calls start with plans for a deck, a porch or a room addition, or with an old post that's settling and needs something solid under it. If the whole floor will sit on concrete, that's slab foundation building, but a lot of projects only need footings. The price moves with how many footings you need, how big they are, how easy it is to get equipment to the spot, how much dirt gets hauled away and whether old concrete is in the way. The schedule turns on the utility locate, the city's permit review, the inspection and the weather. I come out, measure and give you a written estimate that lists what's included, the dig and the haul-off too, because too many bids leave those out and add them back later.
How we build concrete footings
Footings are the part nobody sees once the deck or wall goes up, which makes them the easiest place to cut corners and the last place I'd let anyone save money. We get the utility locate called through 811 early in planning, because buried lines, enclosed meters, a septic tank or a leach field can change where a footing is allowed to sit. Then we lay out each footing and dig down to undisturbed soil, the firm ground nobody has ever dug up or filled in, to the depth the building department sets. We build the forms and set rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete together if it tries to crack, where the job calls for it. The hole and forms are ready for the inspector before any concrete is ordered, and once it's approved we pour, keep the concrete from freezing while it cures, which is the slow hardening that gives it its strength, and backfill around it.
Some footing calls turn out to be a different job. If an existing footing has settled and the wall above it went with it, foundation raising may bring it back up without starting over, and we'll tell you which makes more sense once we've looked. When a new footing has to go through an old patio or garage floor, we use concrete cutting to make a neat opening so we only remove what's in the way.
Continuous footing for walls
A continuous footing runs the full length under a wall, so it suits additions, garage walls and retaining walls that need support along their whole length. It spreads the wall's weight evenly, so one section isn't left to settle on its own.
Pad footings for posts and columns
A pad footing sits under one concentrated load, so it's the usual choice for deck posts, porch columns and piers. Each pad carries its own post, so where the weight lands decides how many pads you need and where they go.
Concrete footing permits and inspections in Solon
In Solon, the city's Building Department issues most building permits and handles the plan review and the inspections, so that's the office that decides what your footing job needs. When the city wants a permit for the job, we file it and schedule the inspections, and we check with the department before we start instead of guessing. The city says review generally takes 7 to 10 business days depending on the project, so leave room for it before you pick a pour date. If you'd rather pull the permit yourself, the city has a homeowner affidavit for that, and either way every contractor and subcontractor on the job has to be listed and registered before the permit is issued.
We're based in Solon and work in the cities around it, and most footing calls we get are for decks, porches and additions on settled yards where the dig has to work around gas lines, sprinkler lines or an old septic system. Rules differ from one city to the next, so on jobs in Twinsburg or Aurora we call that building department first, the same as we do here.
Footings, forms and foundations
Why call us for concrete footings
The owner does your estimate
I do every estimate myself, and our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing with me or our foreman running the job. The person who measured your footings is the one who answers for them.
In business since 2013
We've been at this for 13 years, and I started out pricing concrete for another company before I learned forming and finishing on a crew. So your bid comes from someone who has dug and formed footings, not someone guessing at them from a desk.
Licensed and insured for footings
We're licensed and insured. Solon also requires every contractor working in the city to hold a registration certificate that's renewed each year, so it's fair to ask any crew you're comparing whether theirs covers this year.
With footings, what counts is the hole under the concrete and whether the inspector has seen it before the pour. Tell us about your project and I'll come out and look at the spot.
(440) 560-8533Get a written estimate for your footings
We reply within one business day to set a time, and then I come out, measure and give you a written estimate that lists what's included. The estimate is free, and there's no obligation.
Concrete footing questions from Solon homeowners
How deep do concrete footings need to go in Solon?
The depth comes from the frost line, and the local building authority sets it, so for a Solon job the building department's figure decides it. A national deck guide says deck footings rest on undisturbed soil at least 12 inches below the ground or below the frost line, whichever is deeper. We dig to the depth the city requires for your job, on firm soil that hasn't been dug or filled.
What is the best way to pour footings in cold weather?
Keep the concrete from freezing, because fresh concrete that freezes can lose more than half its potential strength and won't hold up. It needs protection for about two days after the pour, so a cold-weather job plans for that from the start. One regional cold-weather guide also says concrete goes only on ground that isn't frozen, with frozen ground thawed first using ground heaters or blankets.
When does the footing inspection happen in Solon?
Inspection guidance has it requested once digging is done and the forms and steel are in place, before any concrete is poured. The inspector checks the soil and how much weight it can carry, plus the footing's depth for frost, its width and its thickness. When we handle your permit, we schedule that inspection, and the hole and forms are ready for it before we order concrete.
How much do concrete footings cost in Solon?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I measure, because footing jobs run from a few deck pads to a full continuous footing under an addition. Hand digging in a tight yard, hauling a lot of dirt or cutting out old concrete first adds to the cost, and easy access keeps it down. Pouring in warmer months also avoids cold-weather protection. The estimate lists each of those, so you can see what you're paying for.
What causes concrete footings to sink or crack?
Most footings that sink or crack were set on loose fill instead of undisturbed soil, set too shallow so frost can push them, or left to freeze before they cured. Water pooling around a footing makes all of that worse. If yours has already dropped, we'll look at whether raising what's on it or replacing the footing makes more sense.
Do I need an architect or engineer to plan footings in Ohio?
Usually not for a house. Ohio law doesn't require a registered architect or engineer on construction documents for one-, two- and three-family homes unless technical analysis is involved. If your design looks like it needs that analysis, I'll tell you at the estimate so you can sort it out before the permit application.
Plan your footings, permit and pour with Bedrock Solon Concrete
Call (440) 560-8533 or use the form, and for a deck or shed, have the site plan Solon asks for ready.
