House sitting too low, or an old foundation past its best? A mover lifts it and our crew builds a new foundation underneath.
Foundation raising in Auburn, WA lifts your house off its old foundation on hydraulic jacks set under its beams, a short distance at a time, so our crew can build a new foundation underneath before the house is lowered onto it and secured.
Most calls start the same way. The house sits lower than the owner would like, or the old foundation has carried it about as long as it can, and they want to know whether lifting it is even possible. It usually is, but how hard it is depends on how the house was built, which we cover in the questions further down.
The price moves with the size of the house, how it's built, how high it goes, what kind of walls it comes down on and what the lift uncovers once it's up. The schedule turns on the structural review, the permit and any repairs that have to happen before the house goes back down. Our written estimate lists what's included, such as taking out old concrete and cleaning up afterward.
The lift gets the attention, but most of the job is the work before and after it. These are the parts homeowners usually ask about once they see the plan.
Under the new walls go footings, the wide concrete base that spreads the house's weight, and under those is the subgrade, the soil they sit on, which we dig out and pack firm. Nobody sees any of it once the house is down, so it's the first place people try to save money. It's the last place I'll agree to.
Before anything moves, the house mover works with the utility companies to disconnect every utility and the plumbing, because nothing can stay hooked up while the house is in the air. It's all reconnected at the end, so plan on the house being without service for that stretch.
Curing is the wait while fresh concrete gains strength, and new foundation walls need that time before they carry a house. Loading them early can leave weak spots you'd never see from inside, so we build the wait into the schedule instead of squeezing it.
Here's how a house raise runs with us, from the first conversation to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each stage.
Call (253) 275-5460 or use our contact form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out and see the house myself.
I look over the house and the ground around it, check whether your address falls under the city or the county, and write up an estimate that lists what's included, such as old concrete removal and cleanup.
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork, the mover lifts and holds the house, and our crew lead runs the foundation work on site while I check in as it goes.
After the house is lowered onto the new foundation and secured, I walk the finished job with you so you can see the new walls and ask anything that's on your mind.
Before any lift, we want a structural mover or an engineer to look the house over, and the lift plan isn't settled until they have. One lifting-equipment maker's guide explains why. Houses with rotted sills, failing framing or severe settlement sometimes need a good deal of reinforcement before they can be lifted, and that guide advises the same review before the plan is final.
I'm also upfront that raising a house can uncover old damage that needs fixing first. As one renovation guide puts it, the lift shows damage rather than causing it, and once a house is up it's common to find a rotted sill plate, the wood the walls rest on, framing eaten by insects, a beam too small for its load or an old repair that never carried weight.
The house mover lifts, holds and lowers the house, and we build the new foundation underneath. Some jobs also need concrete cutting to clear an old slab or step that's in the way, and if the work leaves your drive broken up where it meets the house, we can pour a new concrete driveway once the house is back down.
One option extends the foundation walls upward to make a crawlspace, with flood vents, openings in the walls, that let floodwater flow under the house. It suits homes that face flooding of only low to moderate depth and speed.
New walls can be poured concrete with rebar, the steel bars that hold the wall together if it cracks, or laid up in concrete block. I'll tell you which fits your house and why at the estimate, since it changes the cost.
We reply within one business day and set a time for me to come out and look at the house myself. The on-site estimate is free, with no obligation and no pressure to book once you have it in hand.
(253) 275-5460In Auburn, building permits for construction, additions and alterations come from the city's Building Services division. Before we schedule, we confirm whether your address falls under the city or the county, and we handle the applications when your job needs one. If you'd rather ask yourself, the city's Permit Center takes questions at 253-931-3090, option 2, or by email.
If you apply for a floodplain development permit, city code requires the application to show the proposed height of the lowest floor, basement included, measured from mean sea level. That height goes on a current elevation certificate, so plan on getting one when you apply.
Auburn sits near where the Green and White rivers originally met, and both carry runoff from the Cascades, which is one reason the flood-vent crawlspace above is worth talking through. We do the same lifts and foundation work in Kent and Lake Tapps, where we see plenty of older wood-frame houses on crawlspaces.
I grew up on a family farm where something broke every week, learned concrete on other people's crews and started this business in Auburn in 2013. I come out myself to look at your house and write the estimate, and I'll answer every question about what you're paying for before we start.
Our crew lead runs the work on site, and I check in while it's underway. We're licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. If you think your house may be ready for a lift, call (253) 275-5460 or send our contact form, and I'll come take a look.
When an old slab, landing or stretch of wall stands in the way of the new foundation, saw cutting lets us remove just the part that has to go.
Heavy equipment and a house sitting at a new height can leave your drive broken or meeting the house badly, and a fresh pour brings them back together.
We're based in Auburn and work in the cities around it, including Kent, Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma and Lake Tapps. The cities below have their own pages, and we work beyond them too.
Across the US, a flood lift of 3 to 5 feet with a new block crawlspace usually costs about $35 to $70 per square foot. That's a national figure, not our price, and your house's size, how it's built and any damage the lift uncovers can move it either way. Our written estimate gives you the figure for your house.
A single-story, rectangular, wood-frame house on a crawlspace is the easiest kind to raise. The hardest is a multi-story masonry house on a slab poured right on the ground, so the way your house was built shapes most of the work. I can usually tell you where yours falls once I've seen it.
We can't give you a number until we've seen the house, because the time turns on the structural review, the permit, any damage the lift uncovers and the curing the new walls need. With the utilities and plumbing disconnected while the house is up, you'll want to plan on staying somewhere else for that stretch.
Landscaping, stairs and landings that stand in the way come out before the lift. Once the house is lowered, the house mover builds permanent access back to your doors. If there are plants near the walls you want to keep, tell me at the estimate so we can talk about moving them first.
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor & Industries, and state law requires them to be bonded and insured. You can check a contractor's registration and bond amount at ProtectMyHome.net or by calling 1-800-647-0982. Look us up under D&R Auburn Concrete before you sign anything.
Have your house's number of stories, wall type, foundation type and address handy when you call (253) 275-5460 or send the form, and our first conversation can go a good deal further.
