Foundation raising in Huntington Beach CA - a house that sits level again
Doors sticking, floors sloping or cracks running up the walls? We find out why the house settled and plan the lift that levels it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to raise a house in Huntington Beach?
Foundation raising in Huntington Beach covers two different jobs. One is lifting a whole house on hydraulic jacks and holding it on temporary supports while a new or extended foundation goes in below. The other is bringing a settled foundation back to level, usually with piers set beneath it so it's less likely to settle again.
Most people call because something has changed, a door that sticks or a floor that tips, and they want to know how big the fix is. The price turns on which of the two jobs you need, what the house sits on and how far it has to move, and the schedule turns more on prep, permits and inspections than on the lifting itself. We're based in Huntington Beach and work across Orange County, and after I walk the house with you, you get a written estimate that lists what's included and what isn't, so you can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
How do you know if your foundation has settled?
Doors that stick or swing
A door that closed fine last year now drags at the top or won't stay where you leave it. That usually means one part of the house has dropped a little, and if it's still moving, the frame, the drywall and the floors take more strain every season you wait.
Floors that slope
You feel a lean walking across a room, or a ball rolls to one wall on its own. A new slope usually points to settling under that side, and the longer it goes, the more the job grows from leveling the house to repairing what cracked on top of it.
Cracks that keep growing
A hairline crack in a slab is normal, but one that widens, steps across block or shows up in the drywall over a door is different. Mark the ends with a pencil and the date, because if it's longer next month, the settling is still active and it's worth a look before it opens further.
How we handle foundation raising
First I sort out whether you need the whole house lifted or a settled foundation brought back to level, because those are different jobs at very different prices. For a full lift, we want an engineer to look the house over before any jacks go in, so we know the frame can take the move. Then we dig out around the foundation, set the temporary supports, raise the house in small, even steps and build the new foundation under it, with rebar, the steel that keeps concrete from pulling apart, tied in before the pour. On a settled foundation the list is shorter. We find where it dropped, lift it back with piers or foam under the slab and patch the concrete we opened. When a budget gets tight, people want to cut the part nobody will see and spend the money on the cracks they can, and I'd do the opposite, because a patch won't last if what's under it keeps moving.
Raising a house usually touches the concrete around it. When we need to open a slab or a garage floor to reach the foundation, concrete cutting gives us a clean edge that patches neatly instead of a jagged break. If the same settling has cracked or tipped your drive, it often makes sense to plan a new concrete driveway once the house is back where it belongs, so the new slab meets the garage at the right height.
Get a free written estimate for raising your house
We get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, walk the house with you and give you a free written estimate, with no pressure and no obligation.
- info@huntingtonbeachconcretecompany.com
- Based in
- Huntington Beach, CA 92648
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about raising your house?
Here's how a foundation raising job runs from your side, from the first call to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send the form
Tell us your address, what kind of foundation the house has and what you've noticed. We call back to set a time for me to come out.
I walk the house with you
I look at the settling, ask what the foundation has to carry and how you use the house, then write up the estimate. It lists what's in and what's out, so you know what the price covers before you decide.
We handle permits and prep
Once you say go, we take care of any permit the job needs and get the site ready. Before the lift or the pour, I walk you through the plan so you know what each day looks like.
We finish and go over care
When the work's done, I go over curing with you, the wait while new concrete gains strength before it carries weight. We also cover how to look after the concrete we opened and patched.
Why Huntington Beach homeowners call us to raise a house
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the house and write the estimate, then our crew does the work, with me or my lead finisher running the pour. You talk to the person who saw the problem, so the plan doesn't get lost on its way to the crew.
Licensed in California, fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. The state licensing board keeps a separate classification for contractors who raise, lower and underpin houses, and it doesn't cover repairs to the parts of the home that stay in place, so ask any contractor which license covers each part of your job.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete from library books and on other people's crews, started this business in 2013 and still like explaining the work as much as doing it. You should finish the job knowing enough to judge our work, and anyone else's.
On a lift, the work that counts happens before the jacks come out, so tell us about your house with your address, foundation type and a short note on the settling or flood worry that has you calling.
Foundation raising and coastal permits in Huntington Beach
If your house sits in the coastal zone, raising it generally needs a coastal development permit from either the California Coastal Commission or the city, and the City of Huntington Beach takes those applications with its planning applications. Where the state has certified a city's coastal plan, the city reviews and acts on most of them. Whether your address needs one comes down to where the house sits, so if I'm not sure, I call the office that covers your address before I write the estimate, and when the job needs a permit, we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections. It also helps to gather your flood records before a lift, because the county sends Huntington Beach owners to the city's floodplain administrator, who keeps records such as elevation certificates.
Most calls here start with a sticking door, a tipped garage floor or a crack that won't stop growing. We get the same calls on jobs in Fountain Valley and Westminster, and we start every one the same way, by working out which of the two jobs it is before anything gets lifted.
Questions about foundation raising in Huntington Beach
How much does it cost to raise a house in Huntington Beach?
Lifting a house just to raise the structure usually costs about $10,000 to $40,000 per job across the US, and that covers the lift, not a new foundation under it or a pier repair on a settled slab. The final figure turns on the work beyond the lift, so I put your own number in a written estimate that lists what's in and what's out.
How long does it take to raise a house?
The whole process of raising a house takes 4 to 8 weeks on average, while the lifting itself takes 2 to 7 days once the prep is done. Foundation type, how high the house goes, repairs, weather and inspections all move that schedule, so plan for weeks of work around a few days of lifting.
Can I stay in my house while it's being raised?
Living in or even being inside the house during the lift isn't recommended, but your furniture and belongings can stay right where they are. Arrange somewhere to stay for the lifting days, and skip the packing.
What is the best way to fix a settled foundation?
Going by one foam maker's guide, foam injected under the slab suits shallow settling in a sound house, and piers suit settling where the firm ground is deeper than foam can reach. That guide also points to piers when the house keeps moving or is heavy, so the depth and history of the settling decide it, and I look at both before recommending one.
What's the difference between push piers and helical piers?
Push piers are driven down hydraulically using the weight of the house to push against, while helical piers are screwed in with a hydraulic motor. Once they're in, both work in a similar way, lifting the house back to level and helping keep it from settling again.
Does raising a house make it more likely to be damaged in an earthquake?
It can, because FEMA's homeowner guide notes that elevating a home can make it more susceptible to earthquake damage. The same guide says a design professional should check the house for soundness before it's lifted, and that a slab house calls for a structural engineer, so that review is the right time to talk it through before you set a lift date.
Related concrete work for a raised house
Concrete cutting
When a lift or pier job means opening a slab, garage floor or walk, clean saw cuts keep the break where you want it and make patching neater.
View service Concrete cuttingConcrete driveway building
If settling has left your driveway cracked, tilted or pooling water by the garage, a new slab on a dug-out, packed base gives you a flat, solid drive again.
View service Concrete driveway building
Service areas around Huntington Beach, CA
M&K Huntington Beach Concrete Company is based in Huntington Beach, CA, and works across Orange County, in cities like Costa Mesa and Garden Grove. The 12 cities below have their own page, and we work in many more that aren't listed here.
Huntington Beach, CA
Find out which lift your house needs
Send your address, foundation type and a note on what you're seeing, and I'll come out ready to tell the two jobs apart on the first visit.