Service 07 / Structures
Foundations & Basements
Footers, block and poured walls, basement floors, steel beams and foundation repair.
01Overview
What holds it all up.
A foundation is the one part of a building you cannot easily fix later. We set footers below the frost line, lay up block or form poured walls, set steel, and pour basement floors with drainage and damp-proofing planned in.
We also repair and replace failing foundations, often alongside our house raising work, where a new foundation is built under an existing home.
02Scope
What’s included
- 01
Footers
Sized to the load and set below frost depth on undisturbed or compacted soil.
- 02
Block foundation walls
Laid true and square, with reinforcing and filled cores where specified.
- 03
Poured walls
Formed and poured concrete walls for basements and frost walls.
- 04
Basement & crawlspace floors
Slabs on a stone base, with vapor retarder where specified.
- 05
Beams & steel
Main beams and posts set so framing starts on a level line.
- 06
Repair & replacement
Cracked, bowed or failing walls assessed and repaired or rebuilt.
03Process
How it goes
- 01
Excavate & footer
Dug, formed and poured below frost depth.
- 02
Walls up
Block or poured walls built to height and checked for square.
- 03
Damp-proof & drain
Exterior damp-proofing and footer drains installed before backfill.
- 04
Floor & backfill
Basement floor poured and walls backfilled in compacted lifts.
04From the archive
Recent work
05Questions
Foundations & Basements: common questions
Don’t see yours? Ask us directly or browse the full FAQ.
Block or poured walls — which is better?
Both perform well when built right. The best choice depends on the design, the site and the schedule. Our Field Notes article on block versus poured walls covers the trade-offs.
How do you keep a basement dry?
Dry basements start outside: footer drains, exterior damp-proofing or waterproofing, clean backfill and grading that sends surface water away from the walls.
Can you fix a cracked or bowing foundation?
Often, yes. It depends on the cause and how far it has gone. We will look at it and tell you honestly whether it needs a repair or a replacement.
Related services
House Raising
Lifting homes to replace a foundation, add a basement or get above flood-prone ground.
Explore
Excavation
Basements, footers, utility trenches, backfill and spoil hauling with experienced operators.
Explore
Homes, Additions & Remodels
New homes, additions and remodels, with the excavation, foundation and concrete handled in-house.
ExploreLet’s get to work
Your next project starts here.
Have plans in hand or just an idea? Tell us what you are building and we will talk through the next step.