Concrete footings in Fayetteville AR - a solid base for whatever you build on top
Planning an addition, a garage or a deck? We dig, set the steel and pour footings that keep everything above them sitting level.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into pouring concrete footings for an addition, garage or deck?
Concrete footings are the buried strips of concrete under the walls and posts of whatever you're building. In Fayetteville, our crew digs the trench, sets rebar, the steel bars that give the concrete its strength, and pours the footings so the weight above has solid ground to sit on. Footings usually come first on an addition, a garage, a retaining wall or a deck, and sometimes the job also means cutting through an old slab or lifting part of a house that's already settled.
Most people who call about footings already have something in mind, like a garage, an addition, a retaining wall or a deck, and the footings are the first pour of any foundation installation. The price depends on how much trench and concrete the job needs, how the soil holds once it's dug, whether it needs lumber forms and how much steel goes in. The schedule mostly depends on the permit, the city's inspection and the weather. Before we set a date, I check with the city's building office, and if a permit's needed we handle the paperwork and line up the inspections. You'll see your own figure in the written estimate after I've walked the lot.
How do you know it's time for new footings?
Deck posts sinking or leaning
If the deck slopes or bounces, or the posts have tipped, they're usually sitting on loose dirt or on a block set on top of the ground instead of a real footing. If you wait, the framing twists and pulls at the ledger, the board that ties the deck to the house, and that's a bigger fix than the footings ever were.
Cracks running from the corners
Cracks that start at the corner of a garage, a shed or an older addition, or doors that begin to stick, usually mean one part has dropped because its footing was skipped, sat on fill dirt or got washed out underneath. The longer it moves, the more the walls and slab above it crack along with it.
Plans with footings drawn in
If you've got drawings for an addition, a garage or a wall, the footings are the first thing that has to go right, because every wall, post and slab after them follows their height and line. A footing that's off level or out of square gets carried into everything built on it.
Work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
If part of your house has already settled and the floors slope or doors stick, lifting it back level comes before or alongside any new footing work.
Concrete cutting
When a new footing runs under an old patio or garage floor, we saw out a clean section so the rest of the slab stays intact.
How we pour concrete footings
Footings carry everything above them, so I don't pick the method until I've seen the ground. Our crew digs the trench first, and once it's open we can see how the soil holds, which decides whether we pour straight into the trench or build lumber forms. We keep the trench clean and dry because a footing is only as good as what's under it, then we set and tie the rebar and brace any forms. I set the pour date around the city's inspection, not the other way around. After the pour, we bring the tops up level for whatever goes on next and clean up the site.
Footing jobs don't always start on open ground. If the new footing has to go through an existing slab, we start with concrete cutting to open a clean strip. If the real trouble is a part of the house that has already sunk, that's foundation raising, and new footings may be just one piece of that fix.
Trench footings
These are poured straight into the dug trench. They suit clay that holds its shape once it's cut, and where the soil allows it, they're usually the least expensive way to go because there's no form lumber to buy. They're not a fit for sandy or gravelly ground that crumbles back into the trench.
Formed footings
Lumber forms let us set a footing more precisely and get the top more level, which helps when a wall or block goes right on it. The trade-off is the time it takes to build and brace the forms and the cost of the lumber, so we use them when the soil or the plans call for it.
Get a written estimate for your footings
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation. Calling (479) 598-4435 works just as well.
Call (479) 598-4435Why Fayetteville homeowners call AJ Fayetteville Concrete Construction for footings
I walk your lot myself
I come out to look at the job, and I'm on site running the crew through the dig, the forms and the pour. The person who measured your trench is the one watching it get filled.
Public works roots, since 2020
I learned concrete on a city public works crew. I started this business in 2020, and we've spent the six years since pouring in Fayetteville and across Northwest Arkansas. Public work gets inspected at every step, so building our schedule around an inspector's is normal for us.
Licensed, insured and glad to show it
We're licensed and fully insured. Arkansas law counts anyone who bids on or manages repairs or additions to an existing single family home, including the structures on that property, as a home improvement contractor, so footings for an addition or a deck fall under it.
On footings, what counts is the trench nobody sees once it's filled. Tell me what you're building and where it sits on your lot through our contact page, or call (479) 598-4435.
What happens after you call about footings in Fayetteville?
Call or send the form
You reach us by phone or through the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps to know what you're building and roughly where it will sit on the lot.
I walk and measure
I walk the spot with you, look over any plans and measure, then talk through your options. You get a written estimate you can take your time with before you decide anything.
Permit, dig and inspection
Once you say go, I check with the city, and our crew digs, ties the rebar and braces any forms. Fayetteville inspects at that point, before any concrete goes in, and the trench has to be clear of debris, roots and plant matter, and water or ice. The city needs at least a day's notice and books inspections by availability, so we keep the pour date loose until the inspection is set.
Pour, finish and walk-through
After the inspection, we pour, finish the footings level and clean up the site. Then I walk it with you, so you see what's going in the ground before it's covered for good.
Common questions
How do I know if my footing job in Fayetteville needs a permit?
Plan on asking the city, because footings aren't on its list of permit-exempt work, which names things like painting, playground equipment and flooring. The city's building official issues permits to build, alter or repair a structure. For deck footings, the city says it depends on the deck's size and where it sits, and the city's building inspectors at 479-575-8238 can tell you. If you hire us, that check is part of our job.
How much do concrete footings cost in Fayetteville, AR?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the lot and the plans. Footing cost depends on how much trench and concrete the job needs, how the soil holds once it's open and how much rebar goes in. Ground that allows the trench method usually saves on lumber, and a truck that can back right up to the trench saves labor over hauling concrete across a yard. The written estimate after my visit gives you the figure for your job.
Does clay soil in Fayetteville cause problems for footings?
It can. Expansive clay in Arkansas shrinks and swells as it dries out and soaks up water, and houses can break apart when that isn't accounted for during construction. By one estimate, Washington County has about the same share of that kind of clay as the rest of the state. Engineering steps taken before construction handle many of these problems, which is one more reason I look at the open trench before we settle on how to pour.
Can concrete footings be poured in cold weather?
Yes, as long as the fresh concrete is protected. A national standard for residential concrete says that when air temperatures of 35°F or lower are expected, the concrete has to be kept above freezing until it reaches a set strength. If your job lands in winter, ask any contractor how they'll protect the pour, and I'll go over it with you at the estimate.
What causes concrete footings to crack or settle?
Most of the time, it's what's under them: loose dirt left in the trench, a bottom that was soft or wet when the concrete went in, or clay that moved because nobody planned for it. A footing looks the same the day it's poured whether the bottom was done right or not, which is why most of our time goes into the trench.
What license should a contractor have to pour footings in Arkansas?
Under Arkansas rules, a licensed residential building contractor or residential remodeler counts as a general contractor and can do the specialty work under that class. A residential specialty contractor can do only the specialty its license covers. It's worth asking every bidder which license they hold before you sign.
Book a footing estimate for your lot
Footings go in before anything else on your build, so if you call (479) 598-4435 or send the form early, the framers, block crew or deck builder won't be left waiting on concrete.