Concrete footings in Agawam MA - a solid base that carries the weight above it
Building a deck, porch, shed or addition and need solid ground under it? We pour footings that carry the load down into the soil.
What does a concrete footing job in Agawam involve?
Concrete footings are the base that takes the weight of what you're building, a deck, porch, shed or addition, and carries it down into the ground. We pour footings in Agawam and the cities around it, from a single pad under a post to a long strip that runs under a wall.
Most people call because they're planning something on top, and the footing is the part they'd rather not think about. The price mostly comes down to how many feet of footing you need, how easy the spot is to dig and reach with a truck, and what the ground looks like once it's open, which we usually only know after the first shovels. The schedule turns on the permit, when the job needs one, and on the weather, since a cold stretch can push the pour back. Your own figure comes from a written estimate that lists the prep, materials and any permit steps, so you can see exactly what it covers.
What happens after you call about footings in Agawam?
Call or send the form
Call (413) 789-3945 or send the form and tell us a little about what you're building. We'll set a time for me to come out to the property.
Walk the site and measure
I come out myself, look at the ground and how we'll get to it, measure, and talk through what the footings will carry. You get the estimate in writing, so you know what the number covers before you decide anything.
Line up permits and pour date
Once you say yes, we file any permit the job needs and keep you posted while it's under review. We set the pour date around the forecast, since cold weather can move it.
Pour and walk the finished job
Our crew digs, forms and pours, and I'm on site running the work the whole time. When it's done, I walk you through the finished footings and how to treat them while the concrete keeps gaining strength.
How we pour concrete footings, and the work that comes with them
A footing carries everything above it, so the first thing I do is confirm what it's supporting, whether that's a few deck posts or the wall of an addition. Then I check that the ground is ready. Our crew digs it out, and I make sure the bottom is firm ground before any concrete goes in, because a footing set on loose fill or soft spots will settle right along with them. We build the forms, set rebar where the job calls for it, which is the steel inside that keeps the concrete from pulling apart, and then we pour. On cold days we hold the pour until the concrete can be properly protected, even when that pushes the date. Nobody sees any of this once the deck or the wall is up, which is why it's the first thing people want to trim. It's the last place I'd save money, because you can redo decking or siding later, but you can't easily redo what's holding them up. I spent my first career checking machine parts against drawings, and I still measure twice here.
Some footing calls turn out to be about a house that has already moved. If a corner has dropped, foundation raising is usually the first step, and new support goes in after it. When a footing has to go down through an existing garage floor, patio or basement slab, we use concrete cutting to saw out just the section we need, so we're not breaking out more of the slab than we have to.
Get a written estimate for your footing job
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and see the site. The estimate is free, done on site and written out, and there's no pressure to book.
Concrete footing questions from Agawam homeowners
How much do concrete footings cost in Agawam, MA?
Installed residential strip footings, the long continuous kind that run under a wall, usually cost about $5 to $19 per linear foot across the US, with concrete, labor, excavation and forms included. That's a national market figure, not our price. Your own number comes from the written estimate after I've measured the run on site.
Do I need a building permit for concrete footings in Agawam?
Plan on checking before anything gets dug, because the Agawam Building Department issues permits for any type of construction and for putting up an accessory structure such as a shed, and the city fines any work done without a permit. You can apply through the online permitting portal, and the department answers permit questions at 413-821-0632. We're based in Agawam and work in many cities around it in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, and I check each building office's rules before we start, since they differ from place to place.
How do I know if my footing contractor has to be registered in Massachusetts?
If the work is on an existing home you live in, with one to four units, the contractor has to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. New construction, and investment, vacation or second homes, fall outside that law. The state's homeowner resources page lays out the rules for homeowners.
Should I or my contractor pull the permit for footing work?
In most cases your contractor should. On jobs with a registered home improvement contractor, state guidance says the contractor agrees to pull the building permit and any other permits needed, and an owner who files it themselves may not be eligible for compensation from the state's Guaranty Fund. When your job needs a permit, we handle the application and keep you posted on it.
Does the person running a footing job need a license in Massachusetts?
Yes. The state requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee construction on one- and two-family homes and the structures that go with them, of any size. That license takes passing an exam on the state building code, so it's fair to ask who on your job holds one. We're licensed and fully insured, and the state's construction supervisor page points to separate exemption language for homeowners, so if you plan to do the work yourself, call the Building Department at the number above.
What is the best way to pour concrete footings in cold weather?
Pour only when the concrete can be protected, because concrete placed in the cold still gains enough strength and durability when it's properly mixed, placed and protected. Industry guidance counts it as cold weather once the air falls, or is expected to fall, below 40°F while the fresh concrete still needs protection. One trade group's guide adds that the ground under the pour must be unfrozen, at least 40°F and within 20°F of the concrete's temperature, which can move a pour date until the ground warms. Where the Agawam soil series occurs, the ground is very deep, well-drained sand laid down by water on outwash plains and high stream terraces, but I still look at what's under your footing before we set a date.
Other work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When a corner of the house has dropped and floors slope or doors stick, the house needs lifting back to level before new footings can help.
Concrete cutting
Clean saw cuts open a slab, wall or floor where a new footing or post has to go, so the concrete you're keeping isn't broken up around it.
Tell us what your footings will carry
Call (413) 789-3945 or send the form with the property address, what the footing will hold up and a rough length in feet, so I come out already knowing the job.