Foundation repair in Riverside CA - a house that sits level and stays put
Cracked brick, sticking doors or a floor that slopes? We find what's moving the house and fix the cause, not just the crack.
Find out what's moving your house
Call (951) 462-2880 or send the form, and I'll tell you straight whether that crack needs fixing now or can wait.
When does a Riverside house need foundation repair?
Foundation repair in Riverside, CA stabilizes the foundation your house rests on, by underpinning, pile driving, raising or lowering the house, or injecting concrete or mortar into the foundation, so the walls, floors and doors stop moving with the ground.
Most people call after a crack shows up in a brick wall or a door stops latching, and the first job is finding out whether the house is still moving. What moves the price is how much of the foundation needs work, how far it's moved, how hard it is to reach and whether drainage gets fixed in the same job. The schedule turns on the permit and on what we find once the ground is open. Foundation repair isn't on the city's list of work exempt from a permit, so we settle that question with the city before anyone digs. You'll see your own number on the written estimate.
Why Riverside homeowners call us about their foundations
Built to the drawings since 2017
I laid block and brick for a big commercial outfit before starting this company in Riverside in 2017. We build foundations to the drawings and an inspector's eye, not to the photo.
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself, look at the house and write the estimate, and a lead mason runs the crew on site. The person who priced your job is the one who answers for it.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured on every foundation job we take. Ask us for proof before we start, and ask the same of anyone else you're considering.
Under a house, the work that counts is the work you won't see once it's backfilled. Call or send the form, and I'll come out and take a look.
How we handle foundation repair
I start by looking for what's moving the foundation, and that includes where the water goes around your house, because a repair that ignores the water is a repair you pay for twice. On expansive soil, drainage around the edge of the foundation is critical to how it holds up over the years, so on those lots drainage goes into the plan, not after it. The written estimate names the work and who does each part of it. Then the job runs in that order, digging out, the foundation work itself, drainage, backfill and cleanup.
Settling usually leaves marks above ground too. A chimney that's pulled away from the house gets chimney repair, and brick walls with cracked joints get tuckpointing once the foundation under them has stopped moving, since repointing a wall that's still on the move just buys you fresh cracks. Mortar makes a lousy shock absorber.
Houses on a slab
If your house sits on a concrete slab, the work usually centers on the slab edge and the ground and water around it. That's where pile driving, underpinning or raising a settled section comes in, and the estimate says which one and who does it.
Raised houses on cripple walls
If there's a crawlspace with short wood walls between the foundation and the floor, those cripple walls get looked at along with the concrete. Repair there can mean raising or lowering the house, underpinning, or injecting concrete or mortar into a cracked foundation.
How can you tell your foundation is moving?
Stair-step cracks in brick
Cracks that zigzag up through the mortar joints usually mean the foundation under that wall has dropped. Left alone, they widen and let water into the wall.
Doors that stick or swing
A door that used to latch and now sticks, or swings open by itself, usually means the frame has racked because the house moved. It gets worse, not better.
Floors that slope
A floor that tilts toward one wall, or a crack running across a slab floor, often points to a settled section. The longer it sits, the more lifting it takes.
Water standing by the house
Water that pools along the foundation after rain or watering is soaking the ground your house sits on. Fixing where it goes now costs less than chasing cracks later.
What happens after you call about foundation repair in Riverside?
I look and write it up
Call or send the form, and I come out to look at the house and measure. You get a written estimate that says what we'll build and how.
We handle permits, then build
If the job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and some Riverside applications need construction drawings for the city's plan check first. Then our crew does the work.
I check it before finishing
When the crew is done, I check the work myself before we call it finished, because that's the last time anyone sees the footing. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Foundation repair questions we hear
These are the questions Riverside homeowners ask most before foundation work. If yours isn't here, call or send the form and ask about your own house.
How much does foundation repair cost in Riverside, CA?
Foundation pier installation in Riverside usually runs about $13,000 to $38,000 for a 12-pier job, and that's the going rate around here, not our price. Your figure depends on how many piers or how much of the foundation your house actually needs, plus any drainage work. The written estimate after I've seen the house is your real number.
Who issues foundation repair permits in Riverside, and where do I apply?
Riverside's building official issues permits for repairing or altering a building, and applications go to the Permit Services counter at the city's One Stop Shop. The owner, an authorized agent or a properly licensed contractor can receive many permits, and a contractor has to show proof of license and a current City of Riverside business license. You can read the details on the city's permits page.
What happens if I do foundation repair in Riverside without a permit?
You put the value of the work and your insurance at risk. The city says work that falls short of code may lose much of its value, and that insurers may not cover work done without permits and inspections, so plan for both from the start.
How do I check a contractor's license for foundation work in California?
Look the contractor up with the California Contractors State License Board, which can confirm a license. Foundation work has its own specialty licenses, a pile driving and pressure foundation jacking contractor for injecting concrete or mortar, and a building moving and demolition contractor for underpinning. A general building contractor hired only for foundation work needs the matching specialty license or a licensed specialty subcontractor, which is why our estimate names who does each part.
How long do I have to cancel a home improvement contract in California?
Owners 65 and older get five business days to cancel a home improvement contract, instead of the usual three. Your contract should also carry a Mechanics Lien Warning unless it meets the rules for a service and repair contract, so look for it when you read through.
How do I keep a raised house from sliding off its foundation in an earthquake?
Ask whether anchoring and bracing the cripple walls belongs in your repair plan, because cripple walls with weak anchorage can let a house slide off its foundation in an earthquake, and poorly braced ones can collapse. Those are the short wood walls between the foundation and the first floor. With the foundation already open, it's the right time to ask.
Get a written foundation repair estimate
Send your address and a note on whether the house sits on a slab or on cripple walls, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out for a free, written estimate on site, with no obligation.
Foundation and block work
Work that often comes with it
Chimney repair
A chimney usually sits on its own footing, so when the house shifts it can crack or lean away from the wall and needs its own look.
Learn moreTuckpointing
Once the foundation is steady, raking out cracked mortar joints and packing in fresh mortar seals the brick so water stops working into the wall.
Learn more