Planning a new home or addition and not sure what's under the dirt? We start with your soil and build a foundation that suits it.
Foundation installation in Redmond means digging out, forming and pouring the footings, walls or slab that carry your house, sized for the soil under your lot so the house stays level and the walls stay dry. Most of the work happens before the first truck shows up, in figuring out that soil.
Most people who call about a foundation are building a new home, an addition or a garage, and they have a plan in hand but a lot of questions about the ground. The price mostly follows which foundation type your lot calls for, whether that's a slab foundation or poured walls for a crawlspace or basement, plus how deep we dig, how much water protection the walls need and how easily an excavator and a concrete truck can reach the spot. The schedule turns on the soil report, the permit and its inspections, and the weather, because concrete has to cure, which is the slow hardening that gives it strength, before anything goes on top of it. The estimate is where your own number comes from.
I do the estimate myself, so the person who looked at your soil and your slope is the one who plans the dig. Our own crew does the work with me running it, so nobody shows up on pour day asking what the plan was.
We've been at this since 2013, and I learned the trade by asking older finishers a lot of questions and breaking up old slabs to see why they failed. Usually it was what sat underneath. That's why I'd rather spend a day on your soil than pour something that fails the same way.
We're licensed and insured, which matters on a foundation more than most jobs, because you've got an open excavation, heavy forms and a lot of concrete on your property. If you're ready to talk about your lot, call (425) 285-8618 or use the form on this page.
We reply within one business day to set a time for a free estimate on site, with no obligation. Have your address, what you're building and any soil report ready, because that report shapes which foundation fits. After the visit you'll know what you're paying for before we start.
Redmond requires a building permit for any project that isn't on its no-permit list, and its residential permits page lists new homes, additions and alterations, though it doesn't list foundation work by itself. So ask the city how your foundation fits in. Before we set a date, we find out which office covers your address and what your project calls for, then tell you plainly who'll handle the permit and the inspections.
The ground here takes some figuring out. The city's zoning code marks seismic hazard areas where loose soil sits over shallow groundwater, ground that can settle or turn soft and runny in an earthquake, so the soil testing on those lots counts for even more. The city's hazard maps are only a general guide, and a qualified consultant decides the real boundary in the field, so a lot near a mapped area may need that study before the design is settled. Near a landslide hazard area, the city requires a 50-foot buffer with no construction plus a 15-foot building setback from its edge, which a qualified professional's studies can support cutting to 25 feet unless the slide is active. On jobs around Redmond we see plenty of sloped lots and ground that stays wet through the rainy months, and we do the same work in Sammamish and Woodinville.
The best type is the one your soil and your budget can both support. It depends on how much weight the soil can carry, what kind of soil it is, how deep the groundwater sits, how heavy the building is, the frost depth, the earthquake zone and cost, which is why the soil results come first. We go through the options with you once we've seen the report.
You get a geotechnical investigation, which is borings or test pits dug on your lot with the soil samples tested in a lab. Foundation design starts there, and the finished foundation is matched to what it finds. If you already have a report, send it along before the estimate.
For most poured walls below ground, dampproofing is the standard, a coating that sheds water and resists moisture from the soil. Lots with slow-draining soil or a high water table need waterproofing instead, which holds back water under pressure, so your site makes that call. We look at the soil report and where the water runs before we choose.
Yes, as long as the fresh concrete is protected from freezing. Concrete that freezes below about 25°F can lose more than half its potential strength, and it should stay protected for about two days after it's placed. Any contractor pouring in winter should tell you how they'll protect it, and we'll go over the plan for your pour at the estimate.
The cost comes down to the foundation type, the size and depth of the dig, and what the soil and water on your lot call for. A slab on flat, well-drained ground usually costs less than poured basement walls on a slope that need full waterproofing and an extra study. I'd rather give you a number for your lot than a guess, so call (425) 285-8618 to set up the estimate.
Planning usually takes longer than the pour, because the soil report, the design and the permit all come first. In Redmond you request inspections throughout the project and before any work gets covered up, and skipping one can delay the job, so we sort out early who schedules each inspection. Weather and cure time set the rest.
