Concrete footings in Medford MA - a base sized for what it has to carry
Planning a deck, addition or wall and not sure what goes under it? We plan the footing first, so it starts on solid ground.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and what does your project need?
Concrete footings are the wide base under a foundation wall, pier or column, and they spread that weight into the soil so your deck, addition or wall has a stable start. In Medford, we size each footing to what it carries and dig it deep enough that freezing ground doesn't move it.
Most footing calls start with a project already in mind, like a new deck, a porch, an addition or a post that's sinking, and a question about what goes underneath. The price moves with how wide and deep the footing has to be, how much digging the site takes and what the soil is like. The schedule turns more on what comes before the dig than on the pour itself, because the permit, if the city requires one, and the utility markings have to be done first. My written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't, so that's where you'll see your own figure.
How can you tell a footing isn't doing its job?
Deck posts sinking or leaning
When one post sits lower than the others or tips to one side, the footing under it usually wasn't big enough or is sitting on loose dirt. If you wait, the frame starts to twist, and then the repair covers boards and joists along with the footing.
A post that lifts each winter
If a post or step rises in winter and drops back in spring, the footing is likely too shallow and the frozen ground is pushing it up. Every season loosens the connections a little more, so the fix gets bigger the longer it goes.
Cracks along a foundation wall
A crack that keeps widening, or a wall that steps out of line, can mean the footing under it has shifted. Sometimes the answer is new support and sometimes it's lifting the house first, and it's better to find out while the crack is still small.
How we build concrete footings
I start by asking what the footing has to carry, a whole wall or a single post, because that decides the type. Then we line up the permit and the utility markings before anyone digs. Our crew digs to the depth the job needs, sets the forms and any rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete hold together under load, then pours, backfills and cleans up. A footing disappears under dirt the day it's done, which is why it's tempting to rush and why I don't. I'd rather move a date than pour on a bottom I'm not sure of.
Footings often come with other work. If part of the house has already settled because the support under it gave way, foundation raising brings it back up before new support goes in. When a new footing has to go through a basement floor or an old slab, concrete cutting opens a clean hole without breaking up the rest.
Continuous footings for walls
These run the full length of a foundation and carry a wall, so they go under an addition, a garage or a long foundation wall. If the weight runs in a line, this is the type.
Pad footings for posts and columns
A pad sits under one concentrated load, like a deck post, a porch column or a pier. Each one is sized for its own post, so a deck usually gets a row of pads instead of one long footing.
Get a written estimate for your footings
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I look at the site and send a free written estimate, no obligation. Have the project type, the address and whether you live there ready.
(781) 628-7780- estimates@medfordconcreteconstruction.com
- Based in
- Medford, MA 02155
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about footings in Medford?
Here's the order things go in, from your first call to a backfilled footing, and who handles each part along the way.
Call or send the form
Reach us at (781) 628-7780 or through the form, and we'll get back to you to set up a visit. A quick note on what you're building helps me come ready.
I visit and write it up
I come out, look at the site and ask what the footing has to carry. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know what the price covers before you decide.
We line up the paperwork
If you go ahead, I line up the permit, the materials and the pour date and tell you the order things happen in. In Medford, work starts only after the building permit card is issued, so nobody digs before then.
We dig, pour and clean up
Our crew digs, forms and pours the footing, then backfills and cleans up the site. I keep you posted the whole way, and if weather pushes the date, you hear it from me first.
Why Medford homeowners call Formcraft for footings
I write every estimate myself
I'm the one who comes out, looks at the site and writes your estimate, and a small crew I lead does the forming, pouring and finishing. The person who planned your footing is the one running the job.
A scheduler's habits since 2023
I spent years running the schedule for a busy concrete company before I started this business in Medford in 2023. Most of the trouble I saw began with a rushed date or a step nobody owned, so every step on your job is assigned before the dig.
Licensed, insured and easy to check
We're licensed and insured. The city suggests checking a contractor's license and workers' compensation insurance before you hire anyone, and that's a question we're glad to answer.
On a footing, the work that counts is the planning you can't see once it's buried. Tell us about your project or call (781) 628-7780, and I'll come take a look.
Building footings, foundations and repairs in Medford
Medford's building department issues permits to build or alter a building or structure. Its list of work that doesn't need a permit names small sheds and retaining walls, not footings, so whether your footing needs one is the building official's call. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application with the city and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it, and we check with the office before the job goes on the schedule. State rules also require a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee construction on 1- and 2-family homes, with an exemption for homeowners. If the work is on an existing home you live in with one to four units, the state requires the contractor to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor, while new construction falls outside that rule.
A lot of the footing work we're asked about goes under decks, porches and additions on older houses with tight yards, where the dig sits close to the house and the dirt needs somewhere to go. We plan the access before we start. We're based in Medford and work in many of the cities around it, and we see the same kind of lots on jobs in Somerville and Malden.
Questions about concrete footings in Medford
How much do concrete footings cost in Medford?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, and that's a national range, not our price. Concrete, labor and digging make up that figure, so a wide, deep footing on weak soil can run several times what a shallow one does. For a Medford number, I'll look at your site and put it in a written estimate.
How deep do footings need to go in Medford?
Footings usually need to reach below the frost line, the depth winter frost reaches into the ground, so freezing and thawing don't shift them. Local building officials can give you that depth, so for a Medford job we start with the city's number before we dig.
Do I need to call Dig Safe before digging footings?
Yes, state law requires contacting Dig Safe at least 72 business hours before any digging, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays don't count. On our jobs, that wait goes into the schedule before the first hole does.
Who can get a homeowner's permit in Medford?
Only an owner who lives in a single or two-family home can get a homeowner's permit for work on that home in Medford. If that's you and you plan to pull the permit yourself, tell me at the visit so the schedule allows for it.
How do I know if my soil can hold a footing?
A soil test before the work tells you, and it shows how to make up for weak soil. Weak soil calls for wider footings, which cost more, and on a heavier build it may also bring in a structural engineer, which adds a step to the plan.
What causes a concrete footing to sink?
Usually it's a footing that's too small for what it carries or one sitting on loose, disturbed dirt. One maker's guide says the bottom of each pier hole should rest on undisturbed soil strong enough to carry the load, so a hole that was dug too deep and filled back in makes a poor base. If a post has already dropped, I'll look at what's under it before we talk about a fix.
Other work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When part of a house has already dropped because the support under it failed, lifting it back to level comes before any new footing work makes sense.
Concrete cutting
Need a footing inside a basement or under an existing patio? We saw a clean opening in the old slab instead of breaking up the whole floor.
Service areas for concrete footings near Medford
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is based in Medford, Massachusetts, and builds footings in many of the cities around it. Twelve cities have their own page here, including Arlington and Woburn, and we take calls from other nearby cities too.
Medford, MA
Plan your footings before the dig
If a deck or addition builder is waiting on the footings, an early call gives everyone a date to plan around.