Planning a new home, addition or garage on a slab? We pack the ground firm first, so the concrete settles evenly and resists cracking.
Slab foundation building in Redmond means we prepare and pack the soil, then pour a concrete slab on it, so your house, addition or garage sits on ground that settles evenly and the slab holds up against cracking.
Most people who call about a slab are planning a new house, an addition or a detached garage, and the first thing I want to know is what the ground is like, because that decides most of the job. The price moves mostly with the size of the slab and how much work the soil needs before any concrete shows up, like digging out soft dirt, bringing in and packing base, and sorting out where the water runs. The schedule turns on the permit and its inspections, the weather and how the soil work goes once we're digging, and if the lot needs more support than a slab gives, concrete footings may come into the conversation. We check the permit side for your address before we set a date, and the estimate gives you a figure for your own lot.
I come out for the estimate myself, because a slab job is decided by the ground and the water, and I want to see both before giving you a number. I'll ask a lot of questions, and you'll know what you're paying for before we start.
Our own crew does the work, and I run the job, so the person who looked at your soil is the one watching it get packed. Nobody new shows up on pour day wondering why the plan says what it says.
We've been at this since 2013, and a lot of what I know came from breaking up old slabs to see why they failed. Break up a cracked slab and the reason is usually sitting right under it, which is why we spend our time there.
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state, and it's a fair thing to ask anyone you hire about. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over it when you call (425) 285-8618 or at the estimate.
Send the form or call (425) 285-8618, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. It helps to have your project type, a rough idea of how your lot slopes and the flooring you plan to put over the slab ready.
The City of Redmond issues building permits for new homes, additions and garages, and a slab usually goes in as part of one of those projects, but the city's list names those projects and not slab foundations on their own, so it doesn't settle whether your slab needs a permit. 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. That matters here because the city wants inspections requested throughout a permitted job and before anything is covered up, and on a slab the base and the steel get buried on pour day, so a skipped inspection can hold the project up. If the work also means clearing or rough grading the lot for a development project, owners apply to the city for clear and grade approval as well.
Parts of Redmond are mapped as seismic hazard areas, where loose, low-density soil with groundwater close to the surface can settle or liquefy, meaning lose its strength, in an earthquake. The city's maps are only a general guide, and a qualified consultant decides in the field where a hazard area actually runs, so if your lot is near one, that's worth settling before you commit to a slab. Around here we see plenty of lots that fall toward the street and soil that stays wet through the rainy months, and we're based in Redmond and do the same work in Kirkland, Sammamish and the other cities around it. If your city isn't on our pages, just ask.
A slab works where the ground is level across the property and the soil is well packed, so a sloped lot is the main reason to think twice. Seattle-area guidance says a slab is quicker and easier to build than other foundations, which brings labor costs down considerably, but only when the ground suits it. Thicker slabs and stronger concrete still crack on poorly packed soil, so ask any contractor how they'll compact the ground before the pour.
A slab foundation in the Seattle area usually costs about $9 to $17 per square foot installed. That's what the market charges for the finished foundation, not our price. Where your job lands depends mostly on the size and the ground work your lot needs, which I'll look at when I come out.
If the slab is for a new home, an addition or a garage, it falls under that project's building permit from the city. The city's list doesn't name slab foundations on their own, so for anything else we check what your address calls for before we set a date.
Seattle-area guidance says a new slab should be walkable within 48 hours, and waiting a week before putting heavier loads on it is the safer choice. That means layout and foot traffic can start early, but lumber piles, equipment and vehicles should wait out that first week. Concrete takes a month to fully cure, so ask us which later work fits into that month.
Water vapor rising through the slab can make moisture-sensitive flooring adhesives and coatings fail. Floors can then loosen, warp or discolor, turn into a trip hazard, and possibly grow fungus and start to smell. Tell us what flooring you plan to put down so we can talk it through before the pour.
