Foundation raising in Rialto CA - a steadier house and a fix for what moved it
Cracks over doors, sticking windows or a floor that slopes? We find what moved your house, then steady it and bring it back up partway.
Can a settled house in Rialto be raised back up?
Foundation raising in Rialto, CA fastens steel piers called helical piles to the foundation of a house that has settled, so the house is held against more settling and, where it makes sense, lifted back close to where it started.
Most people call us after they notice a crack running up from the corner of a door, a door that won't latch anymore or a floor that tilts toward one side of a room, and they want to know if it's the foundation. The price mostly turns on how many piers your house needs, how much digging it takes to reach them and what it takes to fix whatever moved the house in the first place, and the schedule turns on the city's permit review, the weather and whether that cause has to be fixed first. Your written estimate lays all of that out for your house, so you're not guessing.
What happens after you call about foundation raising in Rialto?
Call and set a visit
When you call or send the form, we set a time for me to come out to your house myself. It helps if you can be home, since I'll want to look inside as well as outside.
I look, measure and write it up
I walk the house, check where water runs and whether anything is leaking, take measurements and talk through your options with you. You get a written estimate that says how many piers we plan, what fixing the cause involves and what's included.
We pull the permit
If the job needs a permit, we pull it from the city and stay with it through the inspections, and we're licensed and fully insured. When a project goes through plan review in Rialto, the city lists that review at 30 days, so it's worth building that wait into your plans.
We dig, set piers and walk it
We plan the dig around the weather, our crew sets the piers, and I'm there checking the work as the house comes up. When we're done, we walk the house together and I go over what to watch for, like keeping water draining away from the walls.
How we handle foundation raising, and the concrete work around it
Before anyone talks about lifting, we look for what made the house settle, because a house that moves a little every season has something still pushing on it, like a leaking supply line, poor drainage, clay soil that swells and shrinks, or soil washing away. Lifting it without fixing that only buys time, so our plan covers the cause and the lift together. Then our crew digs down beside the walls to the footing, the wide concrete base the walls sit on, turns in the helical piles, which are steel shafts with screw-shaped plates that bite into firmer ground, and fastens them to the footing with brackets. We bring the house up slowly and stop when it's steady rather than chasing dead flat, then pack the soil back against the walls and clean up. Like all our work, it's backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Foundation raising often touches the concrete around the house. When a patio, walkway or garage slab sits right where a pier has to go, we use concrete cutting to take out a clean section instead of breaking up the whole slab, then pour it back once the piers are in. If the driveway along that side cracked with the settling or slopes water toward the house, a new concrete driveway built to fall away from the walls can be part of fixing the drainage.
Get a written estimate for raising your foundation
I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time to come out, look at the settling and take measurements. The estimate is free, it's done at your house and you get it in writing, with no obligation to go ahead.
Foundation raising questions from Rialto homeowners
How much does foundation raising cost in Rialto?
Leveling a house across the US usually costs about $3,500 to $30,000 per job, and that's the going range for the whole leveling job, not our price. A slab house is usually priced higher than a pier and beam house, the kind with a raised floor on posts and beams, and the number of piers and the work to fix the cause move it too. I'll give you a written figure for your house after I've seen it.
What is the best way to fix a sinking foundation, piering or slab lifting?
If the walls of the house and the footings under them are sinking, the fix is piering, not slab lifting. Slab lifting raises a sunken slab like a patio or walkway, but it doesn't hold up the walls, and one maker of helical piles says they can back up or replace foundations hurt by settling, cracking or heaving. Ask any contractor what kind of settling they see and why their method fits it, and I'll answer that same question at your house.
Will my house be perfectly level after foundation raising?
Usually not, and most experienced crews don't try to make it perfectly flat. Pushing a house up hard can crack plaster, tile and plumbing in other rooms, so expect a partial lift that leaves the house steady and close to where it was. I'll tell you how far I think yours can come up before we start.
How long does foundation raising take?
The work itself usually takes 1 to 3 days on a pier and beam house and 3 to 7 days on a slab. If the city has to review plans first, that review comes before any digging, and fixing a leak or a drainage problem can add time on top.
Can I stay in my house while the foundation is being raised?
Yes, you can normally stay home the whole time. Slab work is loud, and there's digging beside the foundation walls, either a trench along a wall or a square hole at each pier, so plan on part of the yard being torn up for a while. One pile maker says small portable equipment can set its piles in tight spaces inside a house without the shaking that driven piles cause, so indoor work is less of a bother.
Do I need a permit for foundation raising in Rialto?
Building permits inside the city come from Rialto's Building Department, and it's the office we work with when your job needs one. If you'd like to ask about your house yourself, it answers at rialtobuilding@rialtoca.gov or 909.820.2505, option 1.
Other concrete work that often comes with it
Concrete cutting
When a pier has to go under a patio, walkway or garage floor, a clean saw cut lets us reach the footing and patch the slab neatly afterward.
Concrete driveway building
A driveway that cracked as the house sank, or one that sends rainwater toward your walls, is worth replacing once the foundation is steady again.
Have your settling foundation looked at
When you call (909) 546-5019 or send the form, mention any cracks, drainage trouble or leaks you've noticed, so I know what to check first when I come out.