Foundation repair in Davis CA - fix what's moving your house, not just the crack
Doors sticking or new cracks in the walls? We check the whole foundation and the ground around it, then fix what's actually moving it.
Foundation repair stops the shifting. The cracks are only the sign.
Foundation repair on a Davis home fixes cracked foundation walls and slabs, and the movement under them that can damage the floors above. Sometimes that means steel piers set down at the footing, the wide base the house sits on. The price turns on how many piers and how much digging, and the timing on drawings and the permit.
Most calls start with something you notice inside. Doors and windows stick, cracks run out from the corners of plaster walls, a foundation wall cracks or bows, or the soil pulls away from the house. Any of those is a good reason to have the foundation checked early.
Davis sees these signs a lot because much of Yolo County sits on high shrink-swell clay, the kind that swells every wet season and shrinks every dry one. Each of those cycles works on the foundation, and the cracks show it.
Foundation repair starts with a look. We find the cause first.
I come out myself, and I don't stop at the crack you called about. Cracks and sticking doors tell me where to look, so I check the whole foundation and the ground around it before I suggest a fix. Sometimes the honest answer is that it can wait, and I'll tell you that.
If a repair needs engineered drawings, we say so in the estimate and get them lined up before anyone digs, since pier makers want the layout to follow those drawings. A lead mason and I run the crew, and I check the work as it goes.
Foundation repair is more than patching. Here's the work involved.
A full foundation check
We look at the foundation walls, the slabs and the ground around them to find what's moving, not just where it cracked.
Wall and slab cracks
Once the movement is dealt with, we clean out and repair cracks in foundation walls and floor slabs so water and soil stay out.
Helical piers
Steel piers turned down to firm ground carry the house. One maker's manual notes they go in with portable equipment and no vibration, even in tight indoor spaces.
Digging to the footing
Outside piers need a trench along the wall or a hole at each pier, dug to the footing, so that part of the yard gets opened up.
Bowed or leaning walls
When a foundation wall bows, we find what's pushing on it first, then repair or rebuild that section so it carries the house again.
Brick and mortar damage
Movement often cracks the brick and mortar above the foundation, so we can follow the repair with tuckpointing or chimney repair where the house pulled apart.
Fix the foundation first. Then brick and plaster repairs hold.
When foundation work only fills the crack, the clay keeps doing what it did, and the crack opens again, usually right beside the patch. The movement keeps working up through the house into doors, plaster and brick, so you end up paying to fix the same wall twice.
So we plan the repair around what moved it. That means the right support at the footing when the house has settled, crack repair once the movement is handled, and then the brick and plaster above, in that order.
From your call to the final walk-through. Here's how it runs.
You call or write
Call or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, and we'll get back to you to set up a time to come out.
I come out and look
I walk the foundation and the ground around it with you, and tell you what I think right there, including whether it can wait.
Your written estimate
Your written estimate says whether the job needs drawings or a permit, and Davis permits typically take 20 to 35 business days to process.
The work and walk-through
Once you say go, we do the work, leave each stage open for the city inspector, then clean up and walk it with you.
Tell us what you're seeing. We'll come look at your foundation.
Send photos of the cracks, which doors stick and when you first noticed it. We reply within one business day to set up a free estimate visit, no obligation.
(530) 298-0279Based in Davis. Working in the cities around it.
- Davis, CA
- Vacaville, CA
- Woodland, CA
- West Sacramento, CA
- Dixon, CA
- Winters, CA
- Elk Grove, CA
- Fairfield, CA
- Roseville, CA
- Rancho Cordova, CA
- Florin, CA
- Arden-Arcade, CA
We're based in Davis and work across the cities around it, including Woodland and Vacaville. If your city isn't listed, give us a call and ask.
Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Foundation repair questions, answered plainly. Call if yours isn't here.
Read through the answers below, and if your question about your foundation isn't covered, call us and ask.
Why is clay soil so hard on foundations in Davis?
Clay swells when it gets wet, with enough force to crack concrete walls and slabs and even shift a foundation, then shrinks back as it dries. That's why keeping the soil around the house evenly moist through dry spells helps, with plantings along the foundation or a soaker hose.
How much does foundation pier repair cost near Davis?
Foundation pier installation in Sacramento usually costs about $4,500 to $12,500 for a 4-pier job, which is a nearby figure, not our price. The written estimate after my visit gives you your own number, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Who handles the building permit for foundation repair in Davis?
We do, when the job needs one. We pull the permit, set up the inspections and keep you posted, or give you what you need if you'd rather file it yourself. The City of Davis Building Division reviews and issues permits, takes plans online, and sends an inspector to check each stage before it's covered.
Does a foundation repair contractor in California need a license?
Yes, for nearly any foundation job, because California only lets unlicensed workers take jobs up to $1,000 that need no permit and where they employ no one. Foundation work rarely fits that. We're licensed and fully insured.
Not just foundations. See the rest of our masonry work.
Cracks in your Davis foundation or brick? Call for a free estimate.
Tell us where the cracks are and when you first noticed them, and we'll set a time to come look and tell you if it can wait.
(530) 298-0279