Concrete footings in Pleasanton CA - a solid base for the wall or column above
Planning a wall, an addition or a post that has to stay put? We dig, set the rebar and pour footings that carry it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Do I need concrete footings, and what goes into the price?
Concrete footings are strips or pads of concrete poured in a trench and reinforced with rebar, the steel bars that give concrete its strength under strain. In Pleasanton we build them under walls, posts and additions so the weight above spreads into the soil and the structure is less likely to settle.
Most calls start with something new going up, like a garden wall, a patio cover on posts or an addition, or with a post or wall that's started to lean. The price moves with how big the footing has to be, which comes down to what it carries and how firm your soil is, and then with the concrete, the labor and the digging. The schedule mostly turns on whether a permit is needed and whether your soil has been tested, so we confirm which office covers your address before anything gets dug. Your written estimate breaks those pieces out for your job, so you see your own figure instead of a guess.
Is a concrete footing what your project needs?
A new wall going up
A wall needs one continuous strip of concrete under its length to spread its weight.
Posts or columns going in
Each post or column puts its load on one spot, so it needs its own pad underneath.
Adding on to the house
An addition needs footings under its new walls, sometimes poured as one piece with the floor.
A post that's leaning
A leaning post or sagging wall often sits on a footing that's undersized or missing altogether.
How we build concrete footings
Before I price the trench, I ask what the footing will carry, a wall or a column, and whether your soil has been tested, so the budget you see is close to the job you get. Then we mark the footing lines on the ground and check them against the plan, because once concrete is in the trench you can't move it. Our crew digs the trench and cleans out the loose dirt so the concrete bears on firm ground, then sets the rebar and builds forms where the sides need them. I check those forms before the truck shows up and run the pour myself, and we clean up the site when we're done.
Footings often come with other work. If a slab or wall you already have has dropped, foundation raising can sometimes bring it back up without tearing it out, and when a new footing has to go where a patio or driveway already sits, we use concrete cutting to open a clean section instead of breaking up the whole slab.
Continuous footings
These run the full length of a wall and spread its weight into the soil along the way. They suit garden walls, retaining walls and the walls of an addition.
Pad footings
A pad sits under one concentrated load, like a pier, a column or a patio cover post. They suit decks, carports and covers where the weight comes down at a few points.
Thickened slab edges
Here the footing is built into the floor slab as a thicker band, poured in the same piece. It suits a new slab where the floor and the support under it go in together.
What happens when you call us for footings in Pleasanton?
Call or send the form
Tell us your address and what the footing will carry, a wall or a column, and we'll call back to set a time to come out. If you have plans or a soil report, have them handy.
I measure and write it up
I come out, measure, ask what the footing carries and where the water should drain, then write the estimate line by line. You'll see the concrete, labor, digging and any permit work as separate lines, so you know what drives the total.
We lay out, dig and pour
Our own crew digs the trench and sets the rebar, and I'm on site to check the forms and run the pour. Nothing gets poured until the layout matches the plan.
We say when it's ready
Once the pour is done and the site is cleaned up, we tell you plainly when the footing is ready to build on. That way your framer or wall builder knows when to start.
Should you test the soil before footings?
Usually yes, before the trench gets priced.
A soil test before work starts shows how firm the ground under your footing is and how to make up for it if it's weak. Weak soil means more concrete and more digging, so finding out early gives you a budget that holds up instead of a surprise once the trench is open.
Some properties have expansive soil, clay that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries, and that movement can heave and crack structures on shallow foundations. Where that's the case, drilled piers or a stiff mat foundation can reduce the damage, and I'd rather know that before I price your job than after.
Examples of concrete work
Look through these examples of concrete work, from footings and walls to driveways and patios, to get a feel for what each kind of job looks like.
Get a written estimate for your footings
Send your address and tell us what the footing will carry, a wall or a column, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out for a free on-site estimate, written line by line, with no obligation.
Why Pleasanton homeowners call Pleasanton Concrete Company for footings
Commercial-job checks on your footing
I spent years on commercial concrete jobs where everything got checked before a truck showed up, and I started this business in Pleasanton in 2023 to bring that care to homes. Layout is where footings go right or wrong, because once it's poured you can't move it.
Owner measures and runs pour
I come out to measure and write the estimate, and I'm back on site to check the forms and run the pour. Our own crew does the digging and the rebar, so the person who priced your job is the one watching it go in.
Licensed and fully insured
Pleasanton Concrete Company is licensed and fully insured. That matters on a footing job, where we're trenching close to your house, your fences and whatever runs under the yard.
Based in Pleasanton, working nearby
We're based in Pleasanton and work in the cities around it, across the East Bay and down into the South Bay, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (925) 468-2730 or send the estimate form with your address and what the footing will carry.
Footing questions we hear
How much do concrete footings cost in Pleasanton?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, which is a national figure for the whole job, not a Pleasanton quote. Where yours lands depends on the footing's size, which comes from the load and the soil, and on the concrete, labor and digging it takes, so a big footing on weak soil can run well past a small one. Your written estimate shows each of those pieces for your job.
How do I get a building permit for footings in Pleasanton?
You apply through the city, which takes the application from the property owner or an authorized agent, so it's worth asking up front who will file it. On our jobs, when a permit is needed, we take care of the application and keep you posted.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence footing in Pleasanton?
Possibly not, because the city's no-permit list includes one-story detached tool and storage sheds up to 120 square feet and fences no taller than 7 feet. That work still has to meet the state and city building codes, and it may still need a planning or zoning permit. Tell me what you're building and where, and we'll sort out which applies before we dig.
Does a footing contractor need a state license in California?
Yes, whenever the project needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials. That rule comes from the state's Contractors State License Board and covers anyone who builds or alters a structure.
What causes a concrete footing to sink?
Usually it's the ground under it, not the concrete. Weak soil nobody accounted for, or loose dirt left in the bottom of the trench, can let a footing settle once the load goes on. If a footing you already have has dropped, that's a question for foundation raising, and I can look at it when I come out.
What is the best way to prepare for a footing estimate?
Know your address and what the footing will carry, a wall or a column, and pull out any plans or soil report you already have. If the soil has never been tested, that's fine, and we'll talk through whether it's worth doing before I price the trench.
Planning a wall, post or addition?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come out, measure and write up the price line by line.
Other work that goes with footings
Concrete footing permits and site checks in Pleasanton
The city's Building and Safety Official issues the permit you need before you build, enlarge, alter or repair a building or structure, and a footing is usually part of one. The city's permit rules do list some work that skips a building permit, including some retaining walls up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, so whether your job needs one depends on what the footing holds up. Before we dig, we confirm which city or county office covers your address.
Some lots also sit in state-mapped earthquake hazard zones, where ground failure in a quake is more likely, and a zone calls for geologic and engineering studies that can find and reduce the hazard before construction begins. You can type your address into the state's EQ Zapp tool to see whether your lot is in one or whether its hazards are still to be evaluated. We ask about it at the estimate, the same as we do on footing jobs for walls, covers and additions in Dublin and Livermore.