Concrete footings in Alabaster AL - a solid base set on undisturbed ground
Building an addition, a garage or a new home? It starts with footings dug to solid ground, so the walls above don't shift.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a footing job in Alabaster?
Alabaster Concrete digs and pours concrete footings in Alabaster. A footing is the concrete base in the ground under an addition, a detached garage or workshop, or a new home. We set footings on undisturbed soil, so the weight above sits on ground that hasn't been loosened.
Most footing calls start with drawings for an addition, a garage or a new house, and the footing is the part nobody sees again once the walls go up. The price moves with how many footings the plans call for, how deep and wide they go, how easy the spot is to reach and what turns up in the ground. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and how fast the lot dries out after rain, and your estimate lays out what's included for your job.
How do you know it's time for new footings?
Plans that call for footings
If the drawings for an addition or a garage show a footing line, that's the first concrete on the job. It's worth pricing early, because a footing that's dug wrong throws off everything built on top of it.
A post or corner sinking
A porch post, a carport corner or an old shed that has dropped is usually sitting on a shallow pad or loose fill instead of firm ground. The longer it goes, the more it leans and pulls on whatever it's tied to.
Stair-step cracks in brick
Cracks that step up through brick, or a wall that has gone out of line, can mean the footing under it has moved. Those cracks tend to open wider over time, and the repair grows with them.
How we build concrete footings
Before the first shovel goes in, I walk the spot looking for septic lines, meters and soggy ground, because a footing in the wrong place has to be dug out and moved. We lay out the footings from your plans, dig past loose fill and topsoil to undisturbed soil, and clean out the bottom of the trench so the concrete bears on firm ground. Then we set the rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart under load, and pour. After that it cures, which is the wait while the concrete gains strength before anything heavy goes on it. When budgets get tight, the dig is the first thing people want to trim, and I'd rather tell you that up front than pour over soft dirt, because once the walls go up nobody gets another look at the bottom.
Some footing jobs run into work that's already there. If part of the house has dropped and the addition has to meet it, foundation raising can bring that side back toward level first. When the footing line runs under an old patio or walk, concrete cutting lets us saw out just the strip we need.
Continuous footings under walls
A trench footing runs the length of the walls, which suits additions, new homes and garages that carry their weight along the whole edge. It's the footing most house jobs use.
Pad footings under posts
A square pad under each post or pier suits porches, carports and small outbuildings, where the weight comes down at points instead of along a wall. There's less digging, but each hole has to reach firm ground on its own.
Get a footing estimate written for your lot
We reply within one business day to set a visit. I come out, walk the spot and look at the ground, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
(659) 901-5011- Based in
- Alabaster, AL 35007
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call us about footings?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the day the crew packs up.
- +01
Call or send the form
Call (659) 901-5011 or use the form, and tell us what you're building and where. If you know of septic lines, utilities or wet spots, mention them, and we'll set a time to come out.
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I look at the ground
I come out, look at the spot and the soil, and write an estimate that spells out what's included. You'll see what the dig, the steel and the pour cover before you decide anything.
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We set permit and date
Once you say go, we line up any permit the job needs and pick a pour date that fits the weather. Open trenches don't sit well in rain, so the date can move if a storm parks over us.
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Dig, pour and clean up
I'm on site with the crew from layout through cleanup. When the pour is done, we haul off what we dug and leave the spot ready for the next trade.
Why Alabaster homeowners call Alabaster Concrete for footings
On footings, the ground at the bottom of the hole decides how everything above it holds up. Tell us what you're building and where, and I'll come take a look.
I estimate it and run it
I write your estimate myself, and I'm the one running the crew when the work gets done. What we talked about at the end of your driveway is what gets built.
In business since 2023
I learned this trade on side jobs for neighbors around Alabaster and turned it into a real business in 2023. People kept calling because the work stayed put, and that's still how I judge a job.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters on a dig, where open trenches and heavy equipment sit right beside your house and your neighbor's.
We find the right permit office
The office that handles your permit depends on your address, so we check with that one before we set a date. Inside the city limits, that's Alabaster's Building and Engineering Services, which takes permits online.
Footing work, permits and soil around Alabaster
Inside Alabaster, if a dig could wash soil into the street, the city wants an erosion control plan before it issues any permit. The Building Official reviews that plan and sends it back for changes when something's missing. The plans for an addition, an accessory building or a new home also carry a footing and foundation plan. We take care of that paperwork, or walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor, and we plan where the dirt goes before the trench is opened.
The Shelby County soil survey names a high water table, flooding, soil that shrinks and swells, and organic layers as things that can make footings move. We run into that kind of wet, shifting ground on jobs in Pelham too. Near Calera, there's a history of sinkholes over soft limestone, including the largest one in the state. That's why I ask how wet your lot gets and what's been seen nearby before I price a footing.
Questions about concrete footings in Alabaster
How do I know how deep my footings need to go in Alabaster?
Your footings go below the frost line, and the local building office sets where that line sits. That comes from a national building guide, so ask us what depth figure your job uses, and we'll confirm it with the office over your address before we dig.
Who do I call before digging for footings in Alabama?
Call 811 before anyone digs, so buried utility lines get marked first. National guidance also keeps footings clear of septic systems, leach fields, utility lines and enclosed meters. We call 811 or make sure it's been called before the first hole goes in.
What is the best way to pour concrete footings in cold weather?
Plan how you'll protect the concrete before you pick the date. Industry guidance treats it as cold weather work when the air turns cold, or is forecast to, while the new concrete still needs protecting. If cold weather is coming, we talk through how we'll protect the fresh concrete before we set a pour date.
Who needs a license to build footings for a home in Alabama?
Anyone paid to build or improve a home for someone else needs a license from the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board when the job is over $10,000. The license is renewed each year.
Can I do my own footings as the homeowner in Alabama?
Yes, state law lets you do this kind of work on your own home or other property you own. The licensing board warns that claiming that homeowner exemption puts at risk your right to file a consumer complaint and collect from the Homeowners' Recovery Fund. If you hire help as your own contractor, a subcontractor still needs a license when their part of the job is over $10,000.
How much do concrete footings cost in Alabaster?
There's no fair price for footings until I've seen the lot, because the number of footings, how deep they go, how easy the spot is to reach and what's in the soil all change the work. I walk the job and write an estimate that spells out what's included. Call (659) 901-5011 to set a time.
Other services that go with footing work
A house corner or wall that has settled and cracked can often be lifted toward level, which is worth sorting out before anything new is built against it.
A clean saw cut through an existing slab, driveway or wall makes room for new work without cracking the concrete you're keeping.
Service areas around Alabaster for footing work
Alabaster Concrete is based in Alabaster, AL, and pours footings in the cities around it, including Helena and Chelsea. The 12 cities below have their own pages, but they aren't the only places we work, so if you're not sure we come out your way, call and ask.
Get your footing job on the schedule
Calling before your plans are final lets me look at the ground while there's still time to adjust where the footings go.
Alabaster, AL