Foundation installation in Medford MA - a house that stays put through the winter
Planning a new home or an addition that needs walls under it? We dig, form and pour a foundation that's planned before the first shovel.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a new foundation for a house or an addition?
Foundation installation in Medford means digging below the frost line, then forming and pouring the footings and walls a new home or addition sits on, so the building doesn't shift as the ground freezes and thaws.
Most foundation calls we get are for a new house or an addition, and the walls go in long before anyone sees the building. The price moves with how big and deep the walls are, whether you want a full basement or a crawl space, how easy the site is to dig and reach, and which water protection you pick. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and the pour date. If the addition doesn't need anything below the floor, a slab foundation can be simpler, and the written estimate after my visit gives you the figure for your own job.
How do you know your project needs a new foundation?
Drawings for an addition
You have plans for a room off the back or side of the house, and they show new walls going down into the ground. That usually means the addition needs a foundation of its own, and if you leave it until the framer is booked, the whole project tends to slide back.
A lot cleared for building
The trees are down and the lot is ready for a new home, but nothing goes up until the foundation is in. If you plan it late, the permit, the weather and the pour date all get squeezed together, and every trade after us waits.
Water sitting where you'll dig
After a rain you see puddles or soggy ground right where the new walls will go. That tells you the foundation will sit next to water, so drainage and the walls' water protection matter, and fixing a wet basement from the inside later costs far more than handling it now.
How our foundation installation works
We mark out the foundation, dig down to depth and pour the footings first, which are the wide concrete base the walls stand on. Then we set forms and pour the walls on top of them. Before any dirt goes back against those walls, they're braced or tied in at the top and bottom, because a fresh wall pushed by backfill from one side can crack or lean. Then we put on the water protection and the drainage, and we backfill. Early on I ask whether you want the walls dampproofed or fully waterproofed, since those aren't the same thing and the choice changes the price. On a poured foundation I leave room in the schedule for weather instead of hoping for dry days, because I'd rather move a date than pour into a problem.
The concrete footings are part of every foundation we pour, and we also do them on their own for smaller jobs. When a new building needs parking next to it, we can take on the concrete parking lot building as well, so one crew plans the whole site and the trucks and digging happen in one order.
Full basement walls
These suit a new home or a large addition where you want usable space below. They sit deepest against the ground, so this is where the choice between dampproofing and waterproofing matters most.
Crawl space walls
Shorter walls suit an addition that only needs to get below the frost and line up with the house. They mean less digging and less concrete than a full basement, so they usually come in lower.
Get a written estimate for your new foundation
Send the address, whether it's a new home or an addition, and whether you live there. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(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 a foundation in Medford?
Here's how a foundation job runs from your first call to a cleaned-up site, and where the city's permit timing fits in.
Call or send the form
We get back to you and set up a time for me to see the site. Have your drawings handy if you have them, since they tell me how deep and how long the walls run.
I walk the site with you
I look at the ground and the access, ask what you're after, and send you a written estimate. It spells out what's included and what isn't, so there's no guessing about what you're paying for.
We line up the permit
I handle the paperwork, the materials and the pour date, and the city's building official has thirty days to act on an application, though most move fairly quickly and new homes also go through weekly Tuesday development meetings and sign-offs from several departments. Work starts only once the permit card is issued, so the pour date follows the card.
Our crew pours and backfills
Before we start, I tell you the order things happen in, and then our crew forms, pours and backfills. I keep you posted until the job is done and the site is cleaned up.
Why Medford homeowners call Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction for a foundation
I write every estimate myself
I'm the one who comes out to look at the site and write the estimate, and a small crew I lead does the forming, pouring and finishing. The person who priced your walls is the one running the pour.
Schedules planned before we dig
I spent years running the schedule for a busy concrete company before I started this business in Medford in 2023, and most of the trouble I saw began with a rushed schedule or a step nobody owned. On your job every step has someone responsible for it before anyone shows up with a shovel.
Licensed and insured, with our guarantee
We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about it when I come out for the estimate. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On a foundation, what's under the house matters more than anything you'll see later, so planning comes first. Send us your address and plans and I'll set up a time to walk the site.
Foundations, footings and permits in Medford
Medford's building official issues permits to build or alter a building or structure. The city's list names sheds, retaining walls and repairs but not foundations, so whether your job needs a permit is the official's call, and we don't guess at it. We check with the Medford Building Department before we put a foundation on the schedule, and when a permit is needed, we handle the application and tell you up front that we're the ones pulling it. If the digging or the fill comes near a wetland or its buffer zone, a stream, a river or a riverfront area, that work also falls under the Medford Conservation Commission, so I look for water nearby on the first visit.
We're based in Medford and work in many of the cities around it, where a lot of foundation calls are for additions on older houses set close to their neighbors. On lots like that, we plan where the excavator, the concrete truck and the dirt pile go before anyone digs, and we run into the same tight sites on jobs in Somerville and Malden.
Questions about foundation installation in Medford
Why does a house foundation have to go so deep?
It goes below the frost depth so the building doesn't move. Soil above that depth freezes and swells in winter, then settles when it thaws, and footings sitting in it ride up and down with it, which shows up later as cracks and sticking doors. We dig to depth before any forms go in.
Does dampproofing keep water out of a basement?
No. Dampproofing isn't meant to stop liquid water, and it doesn't bridge the small shrinkage cracks every concrete wall gets as it dries and hardens. If you want that level of protection, a full waterproofing system is the choice, so tell us when you ask for the estimate and we'll price it in.
Who has to oversee foundation work on a house in Massachusetts?
On a one- or two-family home of any size, Massachusetts requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee the construction. The state code also includes a homeowner exemption, and the Building Department can tell you its terms. For an addition to a home you live in with one to four units, the contractor also has to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor, though new construction and investment, vacation or second homes fall outside that law.
How much does foundation installation cost in Medford?
The price comes down to the size and depth of the walls, how much digging the site takes and the water protection you choose, so I give you a number after I've seen the site. A full basement costs more than crawl space walls, a tight lot that's hard to reach adds digging time, and full waterproofing costs more than dampproofing. The written estimate spells out what's included and what isn't.
How long does a poured concrete foundation take?
It takes longer than many people expect. One precast foundation maker points out that poured concrete needs time for forms, pouring and curing, which is the stretch the concrete needs to gain strength, and rain or freezing temperatures can delay it. That's why we leave room for weather, as mentioned above, and I give you the order of things once the permit card is in hand.
How do I keep groundwater away from a new foundation?
The main way is to drain it away from the outside face of the walls with sand, gravel or drainage boards before the dirt goes back in. That gives water an easy path down and away instead of pressing against the concrete. We go over the drainage at the site visit, along with the water protection you want on the walls.
Other concrete work that goes with a foundation
Concrete footings
If you're adding a porch, a deck or a small addition, concrete footings put solid support under the posts or walls without a full foundation.
Concrete parking lot building
When a new building on your property needs parking beside it, a concrete lot gives cars and delivery trucks a firm surface that sheds water.
Cities where we put in foundations
Formcraft Medford Concrete Construction is based in Medford, MA, and works in many of the cities around it. The 12 cities listed here, including Arlington and Winchester, each have their own page, and we take jobs in other cities nearby too.
Medford, MA
Send your plans for a foundation estimate
Call (781) 628-7780 or send the form with your address and any drawings, so I can price the walls from the first visit.