Foundation raising in Ridgecrest CA - a house lifted evenly and set back down level
Sloping floors or a settled, cracked foundation? We raise your house slowly and evenly so what's under it can be repaired or replaced.
I look at the house myself
I come out to look at your house and give the estimate myself, so the person who sizes up the job is the one who runs it. Our own crew does the work, and I'm on site running it.
Learned the trade, in business since 2017
I started as a helper hauling forms and pushing mud, and learned this work one pour at a time before starting the business in 2017. I still answer my own phone, so you're talking to the person doing the job.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured, which matters on a job where your whole house comes off its foundation for a while. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. To set up a look at your house, call (442) 294-1117 or use the form below.
What foundation raising in Ridgecrest involves
Foundation raising means digging tunnels under your house, setting beams in them and lifting the house slowly and evenly on hydraulic jacks, so the foundation under it can be repaired or replaced before we set the house back down. It's for Ridgecrest owners whose foundation has settled or failed.
The price turns mostly on what your house sits on and what it's built of. A pier-and-beam or crawl space house is usually cheapest to raise because there's less digging to get under the floor, while a house on a slab costs more because the slab has to be separated from it or lifted with it. Wood framing lifts well, but brick, stone or other masonry needs more support points and often bracing inside, and rotted sills or failing framing may need reinforcing first.
The schedule turns on the permit, how high the house goes, what repairs it needs, the weather and inspections, so plan this in weeks. If your job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll take care of pulling it before work starts. Some things, like rot in the framing, don't show until the house is open, and I'll tell you that plainly instead of guessing. Your own number comes from the estimate.
Foundation raising and the work that goes with it
Looking under the house before planning
Whether a house lifts well depends on what it sits on and what it's built of, so I look at both before we set any plan, checking the sills and framing and how far things have settled. If the slab has to be separated from the house, that's concrete cutting, which we already do. Steps, porches, decks or landscaping that block the equipment come out first, and if your driveway gets torn up along the way, we can pour a new concrete driveway once the house is back down.
Raising it slowly, resting it on cribbing
We raise the house slowly and evenly on hydraulic jacks set under beams in the tunnels. One maker of lifting equipment explains that the house rests on stacked crib towers between rounds of jacking, not on the jacks alone, since the jack gives the push and the cribbing gives the weight a secure path down. Then the foundation gets repaired or replaced. California maps earthquake hazard zones for fault rupture, liquefaction, where soil briefly acts like quicksand, and quake-triggered landslides, and that's worth weighing when a new foundation goes in.
Lift-only or turnkey, spelled out up front
A lift-only bid covers raising the house and leaves the utility disconnects, the new foundation and reconnecting to separate contracts, while a turnkey bid puts all of it in one number, so compare bids on the same scope. California's contractors license board has a building moving/demolition class for contractors who raise, lower, crib and underpin houses, but that class leaves out repairs to the house itself. We'll tell you up front who handles the utilities and any repairs, and you should ask every bidder that too.
Find out how your house would lift and what it takes
We get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done at your property and comes with no obligation.
(442) 294-1117How a Ridgecrest house lift goes with us
I come out and look
Call or send the form and we'll set a time for me to come out, in Ridgecrest or the cities around it. It helps to know your foundation type, your wall material and any settling you've seen, and we'll go over the estimate together.
Clearing the way for the lift
Before the lift, you empty the crawl space or basement, the utilities get disconnected, and pipes, ductwork and wiring under the floor come out or get tacked up. Mark any well, septic tank or sprinklers, and have the utility companies mark buried gas and electric lines.
Lifting, setting down, walking it
Once we start, I'm there with our crew from the ground work to the finish, through the lift, the foundation work and setting the house back down. Before we pack up, we walk the whole job with you and you can ask about anything you see.
Foundation raising questions from Ridgecrest owners
How much does it cost to raise a house in Ridgecrest?
Across the US, raising a typical single-family house usually costs about $20,000 to $80,000 per job, and that's the market range, not our price. Where your house lands depends on its foundation and construction, how high it goes and whether the bid is lift-only or turnkey. I'll go over your number with you at the estimate.
How long does it take to raise a house?
The whole process takes 4 to 8 weeks on average, and the lift itself takes 2 to 7 days once the prep is done. The permit, repairs, weather and the other things above can stretch it, so it's best to plan around weeks and leave some room in your calendar.
Can we stay in the house while it's being raised?
No, staying in the house during the lift isn't recommended. You can leave everything inside where it is, though, so you're packing a bag for yourselves instead of boxing up the house. Plan on a place to stay while the lift is underway.
Will raising my house crack the walls or tile?
Usually not, because a house is raised in a slow, smooth process without major damage. Some methods use holes in the walls for bracing that can be repaired, and in rare cases drywall or tile cracks, depending on how far the foundation had settled. One equipment maker says lifting all points together keeps one corner from getting ahead, which prevents that cracking.