Concrete footings in Mission Viejo CA - a solid base with the water kept away
Adding a wall, patio cover or room addition? We pour footings for what they'll hold and grade the ground so water runs away.
Do I need concrete footings for my project in Mission Viejo?
If you're building a wall, a deck, a patio cover or an addition in Mission Viejo, concrete footings are what carry its weight down into the soil, and we form and pour them so they carry that load the way they should.
Maybe your plans call for footings, or you're adding a retaining wall or a shade cover and want to know what goes under it. The price moves with how many footings you need and how big they are, what they'll carry, how easy it is to dig and get concrete to them, and how much grading the ground around them needs. The schedule usually turns on the permit and inspections more than the digging, and when a job needs a permit, we take care of the application, book the city's inspections and keep you posted along the way. Your own figure comes from the estimate when I come out and see the site.
How we build concrete footings
Before anything is dug, I ask what the footings will be holding up, because a post for a shade cover and a wall holding back a slope need very different things from the concrete under them. Then I look at the ground and where the water runs now. Our crew lays out the footings, digs them and cleans out the bottoms so the concrete sits on firm soil, then builds the forms and sets the rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together when the ground pushes on it. When there's a permit, the inspection happens before we pour. We pour, finish the tops and let the concrete cure, the slow hardening it needs before anything heavy goes on it. Then comes the part people don't expect, because we give the grading around the footings as much attention as the concrete so water moves away from the structure instead of soaking in beside it. Nobody ever showed off their grading at a barbecue, so it's the first thing people want to trim from the budget, and it's the last thing I'd cut, since wet ground next to a footing is where most of the trouble starts.
Footings often bump into concrete that's already there. If a patio, walk or garage slab is in the way, we use concrete cutting to open a clean section instead of breaking out more than we need. If the real problem is an older footing or slab that has already sunk, foundation raising may bring it back up, and I'll tell you which route makes more sense for your house.
Why Mission Viejo homeowners call Prestige Mission Viejo Concrete Company for footings
I come out to every job
I look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done. The person who walked your yard and heard what you're building is the one watching the forms go in.
In business since 2017
I started as a helper hauling wheelbarrows and learned the trade by watching good finishers, then started this business in 2017. That's nine years of running our own jobs, and I still explain each choice before we make it.
Licensed and insured concrete crew
We're licensed and insured. California's licensing board describes concrete contractor work as forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, which is exactly the work that goes into a footing.
Used to south Orange County ground
We're based in Mission Viejo and work across south Orange County and the cities around it, including Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Rancho Santa Margarita. A lot of the yards we see here sit on slopes, so I want to know where the water goes after a rain before we plan a single hole.
On a footing job, what's under the concrete and where the water goes count as much as the pour itself, and our work is satisfaction guaranteed. Call (949) 619-8245 or send us a note through our contact page with your address and what you're building, and I'll come take a look.
Get a free on-site estimate for your footings
Tell us the property address and what the footings will hold up, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the ground and where the water runs, and go over your estimate with you on site, free and with no obligation.
Footings, forms and fresh pours
Questions before you book concrete footings
What kinds of concrete footings are there?
The common kinds are thickened slab footings built into a slab itself, wall footings that run along under a wall, and isolated footings, also called pad footings, that sit under a single post or column. Which one your project needs depends on what it's carrying, which is why that's my first question at the estimate.
How much do concrete footings cost in Mission Viejo?
There's no set price for footings, because the cost depends on how many you need, how big they are and what they're carrying, so I give you a figure after I've seen the site. Tight access for digging or for the concrete truck, existing concrete that has to be cut out, the amount of grading around the footings and any permit work all move the number up or down.
Why does soil matter for footings in Mission Viejo?
Expansive soil, the kind that swells when it gets wet and shrinks as it dries, is common in Mission Viejo, and shallow spread footings are usually among the foundations most easily damaged by it. Engineering guidance says the main defense is keeping water away from the soil around a foundation, so the ground should slope away from the structure. High sulfate levels are also common in soils around the city, so it's fair to ask any contractor how their footing plan accounts for them.
How long does a concrete footing job take in Mission Viejo?
Most of the calendar usually goes to the permit and inspections rather than the digging and pouring, and I'll walk you through your schedule at the estimate. In Mission Viejo, an inspection happens the next business day when it's requested before 4:00 PM the day before, so we book each one a day ahead and line the crew up around it. After the pour, the concrete still needs time to cure before anything heavy goes on top.
How do I apply for a building permit and inspection in Mission Viejo?
You apply online, because the city takes all permit applications and inspection requests through its Client Self Service portal, where you register and submit. The process is laid out on the city's building services page. If we're building your footings, that paperwork and the inspection booking are on us.
Can an unlicensed person do a small footing job in California?
Only a small one, because California's exemption for unlicensed work, which was raised from $500 to $1,000, applies only when the job needs no permit and the person doing it employs no one. If your footings need a permit or more than one set of hands, that exemption is off the table and you'll want a licensed contractor.
Related concrete work
- Foundation raising
If an older slab or footing near your project has already sunk or tipped, lifting it back to level can save you from tearing it out and starting over.
- Concrete cutting
When a new footing has to go where a patio, walk or garage slab sits, a clean saw cut opens just the section we need and leaves the rest alone.