Foundation raising in Montrose CO - a new foundation under the house you have
Walls cracking and floors tilting as the old foundation gives out? We lift the house so a sound new foundation can go in underneath.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Is lifting your house the right fix for a failing foundation?
Foundation raising in Montrose, CO means we lift your house off its old foundation with hydraulic jacks, hold it on cribbing, stacked supports under the frame, and build a new foundation beneath it before we set the house back down.
Most people who call about this have watched cracks grow for a few years and want to know if a new foundation is worth it. The price moves with the size of the house, what it's built of, what the soil review turns up and how much foundation goes back in. The schedule mostly turns on getting that soil review done and checking what the local office asks for. At the estimate I go over your own figure line by line, so nothing in it surprises you later.
How do you know your foundation needs more than a patch?
Cracks over doors and windows
Diagonal cracks running up from the corners of doors and windows, or doors that suddenly drag, usually mean part of the foundation has dropped or lifted under that wall. Left alone, the cracks widen and the fix grows from patching to a new foundation.
Floors that slope
If a ball rolls across the room or the floor dips near an outside wall, the foundation under that side is likely settling. A lot of houses here sit on light foundations that move with the soil, and the longer it goes, the farther it drops.
Crumbling foundation walls
Concrete that flakes, breaks off in chunks or has cracks wide enough to see light through means the foundation itself is worn out. Patching buys some time, but it doesn't give the house anything new to sit on.
How our foundation raising works
I start by asking what your house is built of, because brick and stone lift very differently from a wood frame, and by getting your soil looked at by a professional before we talk about a new foundation. Once we know both, we separate the house from the old foundation, raise it with hydraulic screw jacks and set it on cribbing so the new foundation can go in underneath on ground we understand. When the new concrete has cured, which is the wait while it hardens enough to carry the house, we set the house back down. Then we grade the ground next to it, and I'll explain how that grading works so you know what to watch for.
Old concrete tied into the house sometimes has to come out in sections, and concrete cutting gives us clean edges instead of broken ones. If the drive has broken up at the garage along with everything else, we can pour a new concrete driveway after the lift so it meets the new foundation at the right height.
Full new foundation
This suits a house whose old foundation is cracked or crumbling all the way around, because a repair on one wall won't hold up the rest. We lift the whole house and build a new foundation under all of it.
Raising the house higher
Some owners use the lift to set the house up higher on the new foundation, for more room underneath or to get the ground sloping away better. It adds concrete and cost, so it's worth deciding before the estimate instead of halfway through.
Get a free on-site look at your house and soil
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the house and ground, and give you a free estimate on site with no pressure to book.
(970) 964-6176- hello@montroseconcrete.com
- Based in
- Montrose, CO 81401
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about raising your house?
Here's how a house lift goes from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send a message
Call (970) 964-6176 any day from 7 AM to 11 PM, or use the form. We'll set a time for me to come out to your house.
I walk the house and ground
I look at the foundation, the walls and the ground around them, ask how you use the house and explain what I see. Your estimate lists what we'd do and why, and I go through it line by line so you know where the money goes.
We check, prep and lift
Once you're ready, we check with the city or county office that covers your address, line up the soil review and prep the site. Then we raise the house and build the new foundation underneath.
Set down and walked through
We set the house back down, grade the ground beside it and clean up. Before we leave, I walk you through how to take care of the ground and drainage around your new foundation.
Why Montrose homeowners call Montrose Concrete to raise a house
I see it and I'm there
I look at your house myself before you get a number, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done. The person who sized up your job is the one watching your house go up and come down.
In business since 2013
We've been in business since 2013, pouring footings, slabs and foundations on the clay ground around Montrose and Delta. A lift depends on what's under the house, and that ground is what we work on.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured. When your house is sitting up on supports, you want the crew working under it covered.
Explained until it makes sense
Before anything moves, I explain why we lift the way we do and what the new foundation has to handle, and I'll go over it again if it didn't land. I'd rather explain something twice than have you surprised by it later.
If your house is moving, the first thing I want to understand is the ground under it. Send us a message or call (970) 964-6176 and I'll come out and take a look.
Foundation raising, permits and soil around Montrose
Inside Montrose city limits, the city's Building Services issues building permits. Its list names structural, plumbing, heating and cooling, insulation and drywall work but doesn't name foundation raising, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your lift needs a permit. Outside the city, Montrose County's Building Department handles plan review and inspections. Before we schedule, we check with whichever office covers your address and walk you through what it asks for, and if a permit is needed, we help you sort out the paperwork and keep you posted.
The county's hazard maps flag swelling soil and collapsible soil, which is ground that sinks when it gets wet, across the Uncompahgre River valley and the highlands to the east and west. They show where trouble might be on private land, not what's under your lot, so we still get a professional soil review before the new foundation is designed. We run into the same kind of ground on jobs in Montrose and Delta, and we're based in Montrose and work the cities around both.
Questions about foundation raising in Montrose
What does it cost to raise a house in Montrose?
Across the US, raising a house usually runs about $10,000 to $60,000 per job for a house of 1,000 to 2,500 square feet, and the price climbs as the house gets bigger. That's a national figure, not our price. What your house is built of, what the soil review finds and how much foundation goes back in decide where your job lands.
Can a masonry house be lifted?
Yes, a brick or stone house can be lifted, but it's much harder than a lighter house because of how it's built and how much it weighs. Plan on a bigger job than a wood-frame house needs, which is why I ask about it on the first visit.
Who should check my soil for swelling clay?
A professional soil engineer and engineering geologist should be the ones to say whether your ground has clay that swells. Looking at the dirt yourself doesn't settle it, so we plan for a professional soil review as part of the job before the new foundation is designed.
Which offices handle building permits and inspections around Montrose?
Inside Montrose city limits, the city's Building Services issues building permits, and outside them, Montrose County's Building Department does plan review and inspections. Give us your address and we'll check which one covers your house before we schedule.
What causes problems when a new foundation is poured on clay soil?
Letting the clay dry out too much before the concrete goes in, and letting water pool near the foundation during and after the work, both make swelling soil worse. Ask any crew how they'll prevent both, and I'll show you how we'd handle it on your lot.
How do I keep water away from my foundation after the house is lifted?
Keep an eye on the dirt beside the new foundation, because filled-in soil usually settles over the first few months or years and can flatten or reverse the slope away from the house. Colorado State University Extension also advises keeping sprinklers from spraying closer than five feet to the foundation and planting trees no closer than fifteen feet.
Related concrete work around a house lift
Concrete cutting
When a porch slab, walk or step is poured tight against the old foundation, a clean saw cut lets the house lift without tearing that concrete apart.
Concrete driveway building
A driveway that heaved or cracked along with the house can be replaced once the foundation is done and the ground beside it is graded right.
Service areas around Montrose and Delta
Montrose Concrete is based in Montrose, Colorado, and we raise houses and pour foundations in Montrose, Delta and the cities around them. Those two cities each have their own page on this site, but they aren't the only places we work.
Montrose, CO
Get your house and soil looked at
Have the square footage, what the house is built of and whether it's inside city limits or in the county ready when you call, so the first visit gets right to your job.