Concrete footings in Boston MA - a base sized for your soil and what it carries
Building an addition, porch or deck, or chasing a post that keeps sinking? We pour footings sized for the load and the ground underneath.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Concrete footings we build for houses
Continuous wall footings
A continuous footing runs the full length of a foundation wall, so the weight of the whole wall spreads evenly into the ground underneath it.
Pad footings for piers and posts
A pad footing sits only under a single point of load, like a pier, post or column, which suits decks, porches and beams carried on posts.
What goes into building concrete footings in Boston?
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base under a wall, pier or column that spreads its weight into the soil, and at Ironset Boston Concrete Construction we build them for houses across Boston and the cities around it.
Most calls start with something new going up, like an addition, a porch or a deck, or with an old post or wall that's started to sink. The price moves with how wide and how deep each footing has to be, which comes down to what it carries and how firm the ground is, because weaker soil needs a wider footing. The schedule turns mostly on the permit and the weather, and when a job needs a permit we help line it up before anyone digs. Your estimate shows what goes into the ground for your job, not just what you'll see above it.
What goes into a concrete footing job
Before we size anything, I ask what each footing has to carry and what the ground is like, because a pier under a deck and a wall under an addition need very different bases.
Finding out why it moved
If an old post or wall has sunk, we work out why before pouring anything, and sometimes foundation raising comes first.
Cutting and digging out
We open old slabs with concrete cutting and dig each hole to firm, undisturbed soil, because loose dirt at the bottom settles under weight.
Forms and steel
We set forms to the width the soil calls for and tie in rebar, steel that keeps the concrete from pulling apart.
Pouring and curing
Our crew pours each footing in one go and keeps it covered while it cures, the few days concrete needs to firm up.
Why Boston owners call Ironset for footings
Before I started Ironset in 2023, I spent years patching steps, walks and slabs on rental buildings around Boston and kept asking why they failed. Most of the time the answer was underground, so that's where I put the most care.
The person who quotes it builds it
I come out to look at the site and write the estimate myself, then I work alongside our crew while they form, pour and finish, so nothing gets lost between quote and pour.
Proof of coverage before you book
We're licensed and fully insured, and you're welcome to ask for proof of both before you book, which is worth doing with anyone who digs near your house.
We don't trim what goes underground
When a budget gets tight, the footing is the last place I'd cut, because it's buried on day one and everything you build sits on it. Call (617) 226-2081 to talk it through.
What happens when you call us about footings in Boston?
Every footing job is planned around what you're building on it, so the first thing I want to know is the plan for the structure and anything that's gone wrong on the property before.
or call (617) 226-2081
Call or send the form
Call (617) 226-2081 or use the form and tell us what's going on top of the footings, plus your address and the type of home.
I look over the site
I come out, look over the ground and any old footings or posts, and ask what's failed there before, since that usually points to the cause.
Your written quote
The quote shows what goes into the ground as well as what you'll see, and if a permit's needed we line it up before our crew pours.
Get a footing estimate that shows what goes underground
Send your address, what you're building and whether you have a plot plan, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll set up a free estimate at your property, with no pressure to book.
Questions about footings in Boston
How much do concrete footings cost?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, with the concrete, labor and digging all in that number. Where yours lands depends on size and soil, since a wider, deeper footing on weak ground can cost several times what a shallow one does. I'll give you a figure once I've seen the site and know what the footings have to carry.
How deep do footings need to be in Boston?
Footings need to go deep enough that frost can't get under them, which is what one footing form maker's guide tells installers. The same guide says local building officials can give you the frost depth, so we go by what the local building office tells us for your address rather than a number off the internet.
Can I build my own footings for a house in Boston?
Only in some cases, because Boston lets homeowners apply for a Long-Form Permit to do the work themselves only on a one- or two-family home they live in. If you own a unit in a building with three or more homes, you have to hire a licensed contractor. Massachusetts also requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee work on one- and two-family homes, though the state rules include a homeowner exemption.
How long does new concrete for footings need to cure?
One footing form maker's guide says to keep new concrete damp or covered with plastic for at least three days and to protect it from freezing for at least 48 hours. Late in the fall or early in spring, that means planning the cover before the pour, so we watch the forecast and set the pour date around it.
What causes old footings and porch posts to sink?
Usually the footing was too small for the soil under it, or it sat on loose dirt instead of firm ground, and frost can also lift one that wasn't dug deep enough. When I see one that's moved, I want to know which of those it was before we pour a replacement, because the fix depends on the cause.
How do I check a contractor before hiring them for footings in Massachusetts?
Ask for their Home Improvement Contractor registration, because Massachusetts requires it for contractors working on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units. It's a fair question to put to anyone, us included, before they start digging.
Work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When part of a house or porch has already dropped, lifting it back toward level can be the first step before new footings go in under it.
Explore Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
Getting a footing under an existing basement floor, garage slab or walk means opening the old concrete neatly, with straight cuts that leave the rest sound.
Explore Concrete cuttingFoundation installation
If the footings are the start of a new addition or garage, the foundation walls that sit on them can come from the same crew and plan.
Explore Foundation installation
What changes for concrete footings in Boston
The City of Boston issues permits to build, repair or change a foundation, and while you can start the application online, it still takes a trip to the office. The paperwork includes proof of work with a licensed rodent control exterminator and approval from the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, so we help gather those early rather than let them hold up the dig. Parts of the city also sit in a groundwater conservation overlay district, a zoning area that protects buildings on wood piles from damage when groundwater drops, and if your property is in one I ask the city what it means for your footings before we plan anything. Whenever it isn't clear whether your job needs a permit, I check with the local building office instead of guessing.
A lot of the ground near the surface around Boston is old fill, a mix of rubble, wood, sand and gravel, and it can be soft in one spot and firm a few feet away. That's why I'd ask about a soil test before we size anything here, and we run into the same mixed ground on jobs in Chelsea and Revere.