Foundation raising in Berkeley CA - a house set back on a sound foundation
Doors sticking, floors sloping or cracks spreading? We find out why your house moved, then plan the smallest job that solves it.
Finding the cause
We learn why the house moved before suggesting any fix.
Smaller fixes first
Drainage work or crack sealing when the footing and soil are sound.
Lifting and underpinning
Jacks, temporary supports and a new or deeper foundation underneath.
A plan for moving out
We talk early about when you'll need to stay elsewhere.
Does my settling house need to be raised?
Foundation raising in Berkeley means lifting a house off its foundation with hydraulic jacks, holding it on temporary supports and building a new or extended foundation below it, so the house ends up sitting on something sound again.
Not every settling house needs a lift, so the first thing I do is find out why yours moved. If the footing under your walls is sound, the soil is fine and the cracks are only cosmetic, the usual fix is drainage work, sealing the cracks or keeping an eye on them. When a lift is the answer, we work from the engineer's design.
The price and the schedule turn mostly on the house. A bigger house with a complicated shape is harder to lift, a house with more than one story is harder to keep steady, and stucco or brick veneer has to come off or be braced first. How much of that work sits in the contract matters as much, so the estimate I write lists what's included.
- The cause found before any fix
- A fix sized to the problem
- Work built from the engineer's design
- An early talk about moving out
How do you know your foundation has moved?
It's worth a look when your house starts showing you that something underneath has shifted, especially when those signs keep getting worse.
Doors and windows sticking
Doors that used to close fine start rubbing or won't latch, because the frame around them has been pulled out of square.
Floors that slope
A ball rolls across the room or a chair rocks where it never did, which usually means one side of the house settled.
Cracks that keep growing
Cracks that widen or come back after patching are worth watching closely, since cosmetic cracks usually stay the size they are.
Gaps at trim and baseboards
Baseboards pulling away from the floor or trim splitting at the corners can show the house moving under the finish.
Stucco or brick cracking
Stair-step cracks in brick veneer or long cracks running through stucco often follow movement in the foundation below them.
Plans to add a story
Adding a story or other heavy load can mean the foundation has to be deepened first, even when nothing has settled yet.
Ask for a foundation estimate
Send your address, the size and stories of your house and what covers its walls. We reply within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free, no obligation.
What I look at before foundation raising
Before I recommend anything, I want to know why the house moved and what it would really take to fix it, whether that's a lift or something far smaller.
Footing and cracks
I check whether the footing is sound and whether the cracks are cosmetic or still moving, because that decides between a lift and a smaller fix.
Where the water runs
Water running toward the house can be the whole problem, so I follow the downspouts, the grading and the paving to see where it goes.
Earthquake loads
Guidance for raised houses in earthquake country calls for a design professional to check that the house and new foundation can take sideways and up-and-down forces.
What's in the way
A driveway or walk tight against the foundation may need concrete cutting to reach it, and we can pour a new driveway once the house is set.
How a foundation raising job runs
A lift can mean you're out of the house for part of the job, so we plan the work around your household and talk that through at the first visit.
Call or send a request
Call (341) 209-8254 or use the form and tell us what you've noticed, so I know what to look for when I come out.
I come out
I walk the house and the ground around it, listen to what you need and work out why it moved.
Your written estimate
You get a written estimate that shows what's included, and we sort out permits with the city before any work starts.
The lift and foundation
Our crew builds from the engineer's design while I run the site, explaining the pour and the curing, the wait while concrete gains strength.
The walk-through
Once the house is set down, we walk it together and I tell you what to watch for after we leave.
Why Berkeley homeowners call Heartland Berkeley Concrete Company about foundations
I'll explain why your house moved and what each option involves, so you understand your own project well enough to ask good questions of us or anyone else.
I see it, price it and run it
I come out and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running our own crew when the work starts.
In business since 2023
I worked concrete crews every summer through school, then started this business in 2023, and I still explain the why behind each step.
Ask every bidder about licensing
We're licensed and insured. The state has a separate contractor class for foundation jacking and piles, so ask every bidder which license covers the lift.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's the promise we make on every job. To start yours, call (341) 209-8254 or send a request through the form on this page.
Foundation raising in Berkeley and the cities around it
In Berkeley, the city's Permit Service Center issues permits, and any change to an existing house needs some permit from the city. Zoning usually comes before the building permit, and some jobs need a separate zoning permit first, which can push back the start. We find out what yours needs, file the paperwork and meet the inspector.
Two checks help before I visit. Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map to see if the lot sits in a mapped fault, landslide or liquefaction zone, where soil briefly acts like quicksand in a quake, and ask about the city's Seismic Retrofit Rebate for foundation repair. We do this work across the East Bay too, from Oakland to El Cerrito.
Wondering whether your Berkeley house needs a lift at all?
(341) 209-8254Foundation raising questions from Berkeley owners
How much does it cost to raise a house in Berkeley?
Raising a typical single-family house usually costs about $20,000 to $80,000 across the US, and that's national guidance, not our price. Where yours lands depends on the house and on how much of the work the contract covers, so ask every bidder to list what's included, the way my written estimate does.
How long does raising a house take, and will I have to move out?
National guidance puts most house-raising projects at 6 to 12 weeks, with you out of the house for part of that time. Temporary housing rarely shows up in a contractor's bid, so budget for it on its own, and we'll talk through the timing with you early.
Does every settling foundation need to be lifted or underpinned?
No, and plenty don't. Underpinning moves the foundation's load down to deeper, stronger soil or onto piers, and it's meant for a foundation that has settled, not for stable cosmetic cracks. That's why the first step is finding out why your house moved.
What permits does Berkeley require to raise a house?
Raising a house changes an existing structure, so it needs a permit from the city, usually zoning and then building, as I laid out above. If the approved plans change partway through, the changes get checked with the city's zoning and building staff, and we take that to them with you.
How do I know who should design my foundation repair?
A trade guide advises finding why the foundation moved and having a structural or geotechnical engineer design how the load moves to the new support before anyone digs. Ask each bidder who does that design, because on our jobs a lift is built from the engineer's design.
How do push piers lift a house back to level?
Once the piers are down and confirmed, hydraulic jacks can lift the house back toward level as far as the engineer allows. Then the weight is locked onto the piers, so they carry the house from then on.
Ask Heartland Berkeley Concrete Company for an estimate
The sooner I see the cracks, the sooner you know whether you need a lift or something much smaller, so call (341) 209-8254 or use the form.