Foundation installation in Alabaster AL - plans lined up before the first shovel
Planning a new house or addition? We help you pick slab or crawl space, line up the paperwork and build a base that holds.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a new foundation in Alabaster?
Foundation installation in Alabaster means building the base your new house, addition or accessory building stands on, from the footings to the foundation walls, so everything above it stays sound.
If you're building on a lot in Alabaster or one of the cities around it, the foundation is the part you can't redo later. The price mostly moves with the size and shape of the footprint, whether you go slab or crawl space, and how much digging and drainage work the ground needs. The schedule turns on the city's review of your plans and the weather on pour day. My written estimate spells out what's included for your job, so you'll see your own numbers before anything starts.
What on your lot changes how the foundation gets built?
Water pools where you'll build
If rain sits in puddles on the spot where the house will go, the lot usually drains toward it instead of away. That has to be planned into the grading and the foundation now, because water working under a new foundation is much harder to fix once the walls are up.
Ground cracks in dry weather
Wide cracks in bare dirt during a dry spell usually mean clay that shrinks when it's dry and swells when it's wet. That movement pushes on footings, so I'd rather plan for it in the design than have you chase cracks in your walls later.
Big trees near the footprint
Large trees close to the house spot pull water out of the soil and send roots right where the footings need to go. Decide about them before the pour, because taking out a tree is a small job next to fixing a foundation.
How our foundation installation works, start to finish
We start with paper, not shovels. We get the plans and paperwork lined up before the first shovel goes in so your job doesn't stall waiting on review, and we talk through slab or crawl space with you and how water will drain away from the new foundation. Then we lay out the footprint, dig the footings and pack the subgrade, which is the ground everything sits on. We set the rebar, the steel that ties the concrete together so a crack can't pull it apart, then form and pour the footings and walls or slab. Where a slab needs them, we cut control joints, shallow cuts that give the concrete a place to crack where we chose. Then we let it cure, keeping it damp and protected while it gains strength, before anything heavy goes on it. If the budget gets tight, the base and the steel are the last places I'd cut, because once the house goes up nobody can get back under it.
Some foundation jobs come with work on either side. If your project only calls for footings under a porch or a set of deck posts, our concrete footings work handles that without a full foundation. If you're a business owner putting up a new building, we also do concrete parking lot building once the building's base is in.
New house foundations
For a new house, the foundation is the biggest piece of concrete on the job and the one you can't change later. We plan the type, the footings and the drainage around the whole footprint before anything gets dug.
Additions and accessory buildings
An addition has to meet your existing house at the right height and drain the same way, so we look closely at the old foundation before we tie into it. A garage, workshop or other accessory building gets the same planning on a smaller footprint.
Get a written estimate for your new foundation
We get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, walk the lot, look at the ground and write a free estimate of what's included, 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 about a foundation?
Here's how a foundation job runs with us, from your first message to the day the crew packs up and leaves.
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Call or send a message
Tell us what you're building and where, and we'll get back to you to set a time to come out. Have the lot address handy, since that tells us which permit office we'll be dealing with.
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I walk the lot
I come out, look at your plans, the lot and the ground, and write up an estimate of what's included. That's the time to ask every cost question you have, because the answers depend on what I find on your lot.
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Permit first, then pour date
Once you say go, we line up the permit and pick a pour date that fits the weather. The city doesn't allow any digging until its land disturbance permit is issued, and if the review finds problems in the erosion plan a revised plan is needed, so we start this step early.
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Build it and clean up
We're on site from prep through cleanup, digging, setting steel, pouring and letting it cure. When the concrete's done, we haul off the forms and scrap so your lot is ready for framing.
Why Alabaster homeowners call Alabaster Concrete for foundations
The best time to call is while your plans are still being drawn, so send us your project details or call (659) 901-5011.
The estimator runs the crew
I come out to look at your lot and write the estimate myself, and I run our crew on site when the work gets done. Nothing you told me gets lost between a salesperson and a foreman.
Fully licensed and insured crew
We're fully licensed and insured. That's worth checking with anyone who'll be digging under your house, because the foundation carries everything above it.
Started with Alabaster neighbors
I learned this trade pouring walks and small pads for neighbors around Alabaster and made it a real business in 2023, so we've been at it three years. I'd still rather tell you a job isn't worth doing than sell you one that won't hold up.
Foundation installation and site prep in Alabaster
In Alabaster, the city's Engineer/Building Official has to approve an erosion and sediment control plan before any permit for clearing, grading, digging or filling is issued, so a new foundation starts with paperwork here. For a new house, addition or accessory building, the city also wants a footing and foundation plan with your plot plan. The plot plan has to be signed by you as your own contractor, by the contractor in charge or by a state licensed civil engineer. You can apply for and track the permit on the city's One Stop Application website, or call Building and Engineering Services at (205) 664-6823. Since the permit office depends on where you live, we check with the one over your address before we set a date, and we take care of the paperwork or walk you through it if you're acting as your own contractor.
The ground here takes watching. Shelby County has had sinkholes open close together in the past, and the state's geological survey lists heavy weight at the surface, drainage problems and heavy rain among the causes, so how water leaves your new foundation matters as much as the concrete. Where soil swells, one engineering talk on Alabama ground lists deeper footings, moisture conditioning, chemical stabilization or removing trees and big roots as fixes. Every lot is different, which is why I look at the ground before I price it, and we watch for the same things on jobs in Pelham and Helena.
Questions about foundation installation in Alabaster
How do I choose between a slab and a crawl space in Alabaster?
Compare moisture control and access to your plumbing and wiring, because those are what separate the two most here. One cost guide for Alabama says a crawl space helps with both in this humid climate, while a slab sits right on the ground. We talk it through with you on the lot, since your plans and your ground can tip it either way.
How do I know if my foundation contractor needs an Alabama license?
If you hire a foundation contractor directly and the job costs more than $10,000, Alabama's licensing rules say they need a residential home builder's license without limitation. On a job that size, ask to see that license before you sign a contract with anyone.
Can I be my own contractor on a new foundation in Alabaster?
Yes, you can claim the homeowner exemption, but any subcontractor you hire has to be licensed when their part of the work costs more than $10,000.00. If you pay someone to supervise the job, the state no longer counts you as your own contractor. If you go this route, we walk you through the permit paperwork.
Are cracks in a new concrete foundation a problem?
Most aren't, because cracks in concrete walls and slabs are common and usually no cause for alarm. They can't be prevented outright, but the steel, joints and curing we covered above cut down how many show up and where. If a crack worries you, ask us about it, because satisfaction guaranteed on every job is how we work.
How should foundation walls be supported before backfill?
A national foundation trade group says the building standards it summarizes call for foundation walls to be supported at the top and bottom, or braced for the time being, before the backfill, the dirt that goes back against them, is placed. Unbraced walls can crack or shift when that dirt pushes on them, so ask us how we'll hold the walls on your job before that step.
How much does foundation installation cost in Alabaster, AL?
Your number comes from the written estimate after I've seen your lot and your plans, since no two lots dig the same. Beyond the footprint and the foundation type, a sloped lot, soft or swelling soil, trees to clear and how far the concrete truck has to reach can all add cost.
Other concrete work that goes with a foundation
If you're adding a carport, a garden wall or a heavy outdoor kitchen, it needs footings sized for the load, and we dig, set steel and pour them.
Business owners putting up a new shop or office often need a parking lot too, and we pour it with a packed base that handles daily traffic.
Cities we work in around Alabaster
Alabaster Concrete is based in Alabaster, AL, and we build foundations across the cities around it, including Calera and Chelsea. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask whether we come out your way.
Get your foundation planned before you dig
Call (659) 901-5011 or send the form with your lot address, any plot plan and whether it's a new house, addition or accessory building, so the first visit covers your job instead of the basics.
Alabaster, AL