Concrete footings in Bellingham WA - a solid base sized for the load and your soil
Planning an addition, deck or garage and unsure what goes under it? We pour footings sized to carry the load and stay put.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings need for a project in Bellingham?
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base at the bottom of a foundation, and at Craftsman Bellingham Concrete Company we pour them in Bellingham, WA so the weight of your walls, posts or columns spreads into the soil below.
Most people who call about footings are adding a room, a garage or a deck, or replacing posts that were set on loose blocks years ago. The price mostly follows how wide and how long the footings need to be, which comes down to the weight they carry, how firm your soil is and how much digging your lot takes, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and what we find once the ground is open. Your own figure comes from the written estimate after I've seen the site, and if you need the walls on top as well, we handle foundation installation too.
How do you know your project needs new footings?
Posts on blocks or dirt
When a deck, porch or shed post sits on a loose block or bare ground, the soil under it usually softens in wet weather and lets the post sink a little at a time. Left alone, the beam sags and starts pulling on the joints and fasteners above it.
Cracks in an old foundation
A crack that runs at an angle or keeps getting wider usually means part of the footing is settling, often because it's too small or sits on soft ground. The longer it moves, the more the walls, doors and windows above it get pulled out of line.
A new room or garage planned
Anything new that carries walls or a roof needs its own footings sized for it, even when the house next to it seems fine. Settling the footing plan early keeps the rest of your build from waiting on it.
How we build concrete footings
Footings carry everything above them, so I size and place them for what they'll hold and the ground they sit on before anyone picks up a shovel. Our crew marks the layout, digs down to firm, undisturbed soil instead of loose fill, and sets the forms and the rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete hold together under load. We wait until the ground and the forms are clear of frost, then pour, level the tops so the walls or posts sit true, and let the concrete cure, the slow set that gives it its strength, before anything heavy goes on it. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the finish work on top than the footings, because once something is built on them nobody can get back down there to fix one that was too small.
Footing work often meets two other jobs. When an old footing has already sunk and taken part of the house down with it, foundation raising can bring it back up and support it, and when new footings have to go through a garage floor or patio, concrete cutting lets us open the slab neatly instead of breaking it out.
Additions, garages and new walls
A footing that runs under the whole length of the wall suits these, because the weight comes down along the line of the wall and not at one point. We size it to the wall it carries and the soil along that line.
Decks, porches and carports
These usually rest on separate posts, so each post gets its own footing sized for its share of the weight. It's the usual fix for posts that were set on blocks or straight into the dirt.
New footings under an existing slab
When a post or wall has to go inside a garage or under a patio, we open only that section and pour the footing there. It costs more than open ground because of the cutting and patching, but it saves tearing out the whole slab.
Get a written estimate for your concrete footings
Thank you for reaching out. We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, measure and look at the ground, and the written estimate is free with no pressure to book.
Call (360) 312-3799- Based in
- Bellingham, WA 98225
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call us about footings in Bellingham?
Here's how a footing job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through before we leave, with me on site at each stage.
Call or send the form
Thank you for getting in touch. We set a time that suits you for me to come out to your property.
I visit, measure and estimate
I look at the site and the ground, measure, and ask what the footings will carry and how you'll use the space. You then get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what the price covers before any digging starts.
We handle permits and pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the permit side with the right office, then prepare the ground, form and pour. If the weather turns cold, we'll talk with you about moving the pour date.
Walk through the finished work
Before we leave, I walk you through caring for the new concrete and when it's ready for the next stage of building. We clean up so your property is as tidy as we found it.
Why Bellingham homeowners call Craftsman Bellingham Concrete Company for footings
The owner sizes and pours
I come out to look at each job and give the estimate, and then I work it alongside our crew. The person who measured your footings is there when they're dug and poured.
Full-time concrete work since 2020
We've run this business full time since 2020, and we're known for careful groundwork. That matters here, because the long wet season is hard on any footing set on ground that wasn't dug and checked properly.
Licensed and insured while we dig
We're licensed and insured. That protects you and your property while our crew is digging and pouring right next to your house.
When you're ready, please tell us about your project or call (360) 312-3799, and I'll set a time to come out and take a look.
Footings, foundations and soil work in Bellingham
The permit question needs an answer before any footing goes in, and the city's own list doesn't give one for this job. The City of Bellingham's permit center takes building project applications by email at permits@cob.org, and its online permit list names smaller jobs like signs and reroofs but not footings, so the city is the place to ask about yours. We check with you whether your lot is inside city limits or in the county, and we handle the paperwork with that office when the job calls for it. If you'd rather apply yourself, we'll give you what you need from our side, and inspections are booked through the city's same online system.
The ground here varies more than people expect. The city treats slopes of 40 percent or steeper with at least 10 feet of rise as landslide hazard areas, its code lists fill and river-laid soils on the county's older 1995 hazard maps as shaking hard in an earthquake, and Whatcom County notes small pockets of expansive soil, high groundwater and buried debris. Since the soil helps set how wide a footing has to be, I look for these at the estimate and tell you plainly if your lot needs a closer look. We're based in Bellingham and work across Whatcom and Skagit counties, and we check for the same things on hillside lots in Sudden Valley and on low ground in Mount Vernon.
Questions about concrete footings in Bellingham
Call (360) 312-3799How do I know what kind of footing my project needs?
The type follows what the footing carries, either a whole wall or one post. A continuous footing runs the full length of a foundation, and a pad footing sits under a single pier or column. I'll look at your plans or your idea on site and tell you which fits, or whether you need some of each.
How much do concrete footings cost in Bellingham?
Across the US, concrete footings usually cost about $500 to $2,000 per project, and that's a national figure for the work, not our price. Width moves it most, so heavier loads or poorer soil push it toward the high end. Your written estimate spells out the scope for your lot so you can see what's included.
How wide do footings need to be in Whatcom County?
Washington's residential building code sets a minimum footing size and bases the width on how much weight your soil can carry, so the soil on your lot helps decide it. Whatcom County uses 1,500 pounds per square foot as its allowable soil bearing value, which it calls satisfactory for most homes, and a structure that needs more requires a geotechnical report, a soil study from an engineer. It isn't clear whether the City of Bellingham uses the same figure, so for lots inside city limits we'll check that for you.
Can concrete footings be poured in winter in Bellingham?
Yes, once the ground and the forms are clear of frost. One residential concrete standard requires the concrete materials, the forms and any ground the concrete touches to be free of ice, snow and frost, so a cold snap usually moves the pour date and doesn't stop the job. We'll watch the forecast with you and let you know when a date looks right.
How deep do concrete footings need to go?
A footing's base usually goes below the frost depth where you build, because wet soil that freezes expands and heaves the ground. That guidance was written for Pennsylvania, so treat it as a general rule and not a figure for Bellingham. We'll check what applies to your project before we dig.
What causes concrete footings to settle or crack?
Usually it's the ground under them, such as soft or loose fill, water collecting around the foundation, or a footing too narrow for the weight on it. Freezing soil can add to it where a footing sits too shallow. If your house is already showing it, I'll come look and we'll check what's going on before suggesting anything.
Related concrete work around your footings
Foundation raising
When a corner of the house has dropped and doors start sticking, raising the foundation back up and supporting it can stop the damage from spreading.
Concrete cutting
When new footings go under a garage floor or patio, a clean saw cut opens only the section we need and leaves the rest whole.
Areas we serve for concrete footings
Craftsman Bellingham Concrete Company is based in Bellingham, WA, and the 9 cities with their own pages here include Ferndale and Lynden. We also work in other cities nearby across Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Bellingham, WA
Book an on-site look at your footings
Have your project type, where the footings will go and a few photos of the site ready when you call (360) 312-3799 or use the form, so I arrive knowing what to look for.