Concrete footings in Norfolk VA - a firm base under your new deck or wall
Planning a deck, a porch or a masonry wall? We dig, set the steel and pour footings so what you build sits on steady ground.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into concrete footings for a Norfolk project?
Concrete footings are the buried concrete base under a deck, a masonry wall or another structure. At Groundwork Norfolk Concrete, we dig them in Norfolk, VA down to undisturbed soil, meaning ground nobody has dug up or filled, then set the steel and pour, so the weight of what you build rests on solid ground.
Most people call because they're planning a deck, a porch or a wall and the plans call for footings. The type of footing your site needs moves the price more than anything else, followed by the footing size, the ground it sits in, any slope and local labor rates. The schedule mostly depends on the permit and the city's inspection before the pour, not on the digging. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections, and we're licensed and insured. Your written estimate lays out the prep, the pour and anything you'll need to plan around.
How we build concrete footings
Footings get buried, so they're easy to rush, and we don't rush them. Before anyone digs, we make sure the utility lines are marked through 811 and place each footing clear of septic tanks, leach fields, buried lines and enclosed meters, because a footing in the wrong spot is hard to move once it's poured. We dig down to firm, undisturbed soil and keep the holes clean of standing water and mud so the concrete sits on solid ground and not on slop. Next, our crew sets the rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete carry the load, before the inspection, and we pour only after the inspector has seen the holes and the steel. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you save on the deck boards than on what's under them, because the footing is the one part you can't fix later without tearing things out.
Sometimes a call about footings is really about the ones already in the ground. If an older house or porch has dropped because its footings sank or shifted, foundation raising brings it back up before anything new goes on. When a new footing has to go through existing concrete, concrete cutting gets us through the old slab so we can dig.
Spread footings
A wide, flat pad of concrete under a wall, a porch or a row of deck posts that spreads the weight over more ground. It's the simplest and most economical type, and it suits most homes on ordinary, level lots.
Pile footings
Long columns set deep to reach ground that can carry the load when the ground near the surface can't. They cost the most and need specialized equipment, so we recommend them only when the site calls for them.
If a builder or deck crew is waiting on footings, call (757) 731-7228 now, because we reply within one business day and the city inspection has to happen before the pour.
What happens when you call about footings in Norfolk?
Here's how a footing job runs with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call and describe the plan
You call, and I come out, look over the spot and ask a lot of questions about what the footings will hold up. It helps if you know roughly where your septic system and utility lines run.
Get a written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the pour and anything you'll need to plan around, so you can see where the money goes before you decide. If the job needs a permit or inspections, we take care of that.
Crew builds, then we walk it
Our own crew does the work, I'm on site for the pours and the tricky parts, and the concrete goes in only after the footing inspection. When the job is finished, I walk it with you before we call it done.
Get a written estimate for your concrete footings
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come walk your site. The estimate is free, done at your property, and comes with no obligation.
(757) 731-7228Concrete footings and the permit process in Norfolk
Norfolk issues building permits for work that needs new framing, and the city's list names decks and masonry walls with a footing, not concrete footings on their own. If it isn't clear whether your job needs a permit, we ask the city's permit office before we start, not after. When a permit applies, we pull it, list ourselves as the responsible party and set up the inspections. City inspectors enforce Virginia's statewide building code, and each stage of the work goes ahead only after its inspection is approved. The footing inspection happens once all the steel is set and before any concrete goes in, so we schedule the concrete truck around the inspection.
Larger jobs have one more step, because Norfolk requires site plan review for new construction and additions that disturb 2,500 square feet or more of land, though some single-family homes are exempt. We raise that early with builders and business owners, and we pour footings for decks, additions and walls in the cities around Norfolk too, including Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
Concrete footing questions from Norfolk homeowners
How much do concrete footings cost in Norfolk, VA?
Across the US, installed concrete footings usually cost about $700 to $1,500 per footing, according to national cost figures. That's the general market range, not our price. Jobs that pour footings and a slab together are usually priced by the square foot, and that price covers materials and installation but not site prep. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your site.
How deep do concrete footings need to be in Norfolk?
Footings sit on undisturbed soil below the frost line, and the local building authority sets that depth. A national deck guide tells builders to get the frost line from that authority, so in Norfolk we dig to the depth the city's inspectors require for your structure.
What causes deck footings to sink or shift?
Usually a footing sinks because it was set on loose fill or disturbed dirt instead of firm, undisturbed soil, or because it was poured into a hole with water and mud in the bottom. A footing that doesn't reach below the frost line can also move when the ground freezes. If your existing footings have already dropped, the fix starts with finding out why.
Who checks the soil under a footing before the concrete is poured?
The building official checks it, according to a national deck guide that has the official inspect the soil under each footing before any concrete is placed. That's one reason the pour waits on the footing inspection, and one reason we keep the holes clean and ready for it.
How do I check a concrete contractor's license in Virginia?
You can check with Virginia's Board for Contractors, which licenses businesses that build, repair or improve property owned by others. Ask the contractor for their license class and specialty, because the class sets the value of projects they can take on and the specialty sets the type of work. We're licensed and insured, and you can ask me about it at the estimate.
What's the difference between a footing and a foundation?
A footing is the concrete base at the very bottom that spreads a structure's weight onto the ground. The foundation is everything from there up to the framing, such as walls, piers or a slab. A deck may need only footings and posts, while a house or an addition needs footings with a foundation built on them.
Other concrete work that ties into footings
When an older house or porch has settled because what's underneath gave way, lifting it back to level comes before adding new weight or new structures nearby.
If a footing has to go where a patio or garage slab already sits, a clean saw cut opens just that spot without breaking out the whole slab.
Book a footing estimate for your project
If you have deck plans or drawings, have them handy when you call (757) 731-7228 or fill out the contact form, so I can bring the right questions to your site.