Foundation raising in Hayward CA - a house that stops sinking and holds steady
Cracks in the walls, sloping floors or a corner that keeps dropping? We find where it's settling and steady it or bring it back up.
Foundation raising means setting steel piles under a house that has settled and fastening them to the foundation, either to stop it from sinking further or to lift it back close to where it started. Most people call once cracks show up in the walls or the slab, or the floors start to slope.
I look first at where the cracks and uneven floors show up, and then we decide together whether to stop the settling or bring things back up. The price moves with how many piles the house needs, how hard the foundation is to reach, and whether we have to cut through concrete to get to it. The schedule mostly waits on the engineer's review and the permit, which we look into early.
What our foundation raising work covers
- I'm on site, start to finish. I walk the house and write the estimate myself, and then I'm on site running our own crew during the work. I started this business in Hayward in 2013.
- Maker's steps, engineer's review. When we use a maker's pier system, we install it the way that maker lays out, and we want an engineer to look over the final plan.
- Licensed in California, fully insured. California's licensing rules set out a contractor class for pile driving and pressure foundation jacking, the kind of work that stabilizes a foundation. We're licensed and fully insured.
- Patching what we open up. If we have to cut a slab or patio to reach the footing, our crew pours it back, and if your driveway is past saving we can price a new driveway too.
What settling does to a house
| Problem | What it looks like | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cracks over doors and windows | What it looks like: Diagonal cracks spreading out from the corners of doors and windows | Usual fix: Piles under the settling side to stop it |
| Sloping floors | What it looks like: A ball rolls across the room, or one side sits lower | Usual fix: Lift that side back near level on piles |
| Doors that stick | What it looks like: Doors that drag or won't latch, windows that bind in their frames | Usual fix: Stabilize first, then lift if the plan calls for it |
| Cracked slab or footing | What it looks like: Cracks in the garage slab or foundation wall that keep getting wider | Usual fix: Piles that add support or replace a failed foundation |
Stop it, lift it or rebuild
- Stabilize in place. If the cracks don't bother you much and you mostly want the settling to stop, piles can hold the house where it sits, and that's often the gentler choice.
- Lift and stabilize. When the floors slope enough to bother you or the doors won't close, the piles can raise the house back close to where it started and then hold it there.
- Replace the support. If the old foundation has failed outright, piles can take over carrying the house instead of just helping it, and that's a bigger plan we'd work through with the engineer.
How a raising job runs
- Call or send the form. Call (510) 264-7026 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out and look at the house.
- I walk the house. I walk the house, ask what you want from the work, then write an estimate that spells out the prep, the steel and the patching.
- Plan and permit. Once you say go, an engineer reviews the plan and we sort out the permit side, filing the paperwork or walking you through it.
- Work and final walk. In Hayward, our crew sets the piles within the city's construction hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and I walk the finished job with you.
Looking after the house once we're done
What keeps this work sound is the part nobody sees after we patch up, which is the piles and the plan behind them. The city notes that a major earthquake is always a risk in Hayward, as in much of California, and that's one more reason I care about what's holding your house up.
We do this work for homeowners and landlords in Hayward and many of the cities around it, on both sides of the bay, including Castro Valley and San Leandro. If your walls are cracking or the floors have started to slope, ask for an estimate and I'll come take a look.
Tell us what you're seeing
Send a few notes on where the cracks or uneven floors are, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come walk the house.
(510) 264-7026- Free on-site estimate
- No obligation to go ahead
- Each part spelled out in writing
Questions about raising a foundation
Can a settled foundation in Hayward be lifted back up, or only stabilized?
Yes, piles can bring a settled house back up, though not always all the way, since one pile maker's manual describes lifting it near its original condition. If the cracks and the slope don't bother you much, stopping the settling may be all your house needs, and we work that out on site.
Can we stay in our house while the foundation is being raised?
In most cases, yes, by one pile maker's account. Its manual says helical piles, which are steel shafts that screw into the ground, go in without the shaking of driven piles and can be set with portable equipment in tight indoor spaces, so the building stays in use with little inconvenience. I'll tell you at the estimate which rooms we need.
Who reviews the plan and the work on a foundation raising job in Hayward?
An engineer reviews the final plan, and the city checks the work on a permitted job. One pier maker recommends that a registered professional engineer review every final, site-specific plan, and Hayward's Building Division reviews drawings and checks the quality of the work during construction. I'm also on site running our crew the whole time.
Where do permit applications for foundation work go in Hayward?
In Hayward, they go through the city's Permit Center, which takes building project documents, and its online system takes applications and lets you add contractors, pay fees and schedule inspections. You can reach the Permit Center at (510) 583-4005. Some nearby addresses fall to the county instead, and we sort out which office handles yours.