Concrete footings in Saint Charles MO - a solid base set below the frost line
Deck posts sinking or an addition on the way? We set footings at the depth your address calls for and pour when nights allow.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete footing job in Saint Charles?
Concrete footings are the buried base under a deck, porch, garage or room addition. In Saint Charles we set them below the frost line so that freezing, expanding moisture in the soil can't heave the ground and push unevenly on whatever you build on top.
The first thing I'll ask is what's going on top of them, because a few deck posts and a garage wall are very different jobs. What you're paying for is mostly digging, concrete and labor, so the price climbs with how wide and deep each footing has to be and how soft the ground turns out to be. The schedule turns on what the office for your address requires and on night temperatures before the pour, and my written estimate lists each part of the job separately so you can see where the money goes. If the footings are part of a bigger build, we can pour the rest too, from foundation installation to a full slab.
How we build concrete footings
Footings get buried and forgotten, which is exactly why I take them seriously, from where they sit to when we pour. I mark out each footing with you, then we dig past the loose topsoil to firm ground at the depth the office for your address asks for, because a footing sitting on loose fill settles the same way the sunken steps I used to repair did. We square up the holes or trenches, set forms where they're needed and place rebar, the steel bars that tie the concrete together, then hold off pouring until any required inspection is done and the night temperatures look right. Once the concrete has set, we backfill and clean up. The digging is the part you'll never see again and the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and it's the one place I won't cut corners.
Footings are new work, so a few related jobs come up alongside them. If a slab or foundation you already have has dropped, foundation raising can lift it back toward level, and when an old patio or walk sits right where a new footing has to go, concrete cutting opens a clean hole through it instead of breaking up the whole slab.
Pier footings for decks and porches
Each post sits on its own footing, which suits decks, porches and small structures because the weight comes down at a handful of points. It's usually the smaller dig, but every hole has to reach the same required depth.
Continuous footings for additions and garages
A trench footing runs under the full length of the walls, because an addition or garage carries its weight along the whole line instead of at a few posts. It takes more digging and more concrete, so it costs more, but it's what that kind of building needs.
Concrete footing permits and depth in Saint Charles
Inside city limits, the City of Saint Charles Building Division issues building permits, and its list of projects that usually need one names new houses, decks, additions, garages and sheds over 144 square feet. Footings aren't named on that list by themselves, so I don't assume either way until we've checked. Before we start, we check with the city or county office that covers your address, and when a permit is needed we handle the filing, keep you posted and tell you if another office has to sign off too. If you'd like to ask yourself, the city's Community Development Department at 636.949.3222 can put you in touch with the building commissioner or an inspector, and that's the place to confirm the footing depth inside city limits. Where St. Charles County issues the permit instead, the county's code makes the frost line depth the minimum footing depth below finished grade, the final ground level, and the permit card lists each inspection the job needs.
We're based in Saint Charles and work in cities across St. Charles County and nearby St. Louis County, so we deal with both city and county offices. Most footing calls we get are for decks off the back of the house, garages and room additions, and we handle them the same way on jobs in St. Peters and O'Fallon, checking that address's rules before anyone digs.
Why Saint Charles homeowners call K&L Saint Charles Concrete for footings
I come to every estimate
I come out to every estimate myself, stand in your yard where the deck or addition will go and look at how the ground falls before I price a single hole. Our crew lead then runs the work on site, so the plan you heard is the plan the crew follows.
Years of fixing what sank
We've been in business since 2013, and before that I spent years repairing sunken steps and cracked walks on rental properties. That's where I learned that what's under the concrete decides how long it lasts, so the digging gets my attention first.
Licensed and insured
We're licensed and insured. Footing work means deep holes close to your house, so you shouldn't be the one carrying the risk while we dig.
On a footing, the depth and the ground under it matter more than anything you'll see on top, and every footing we pour is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (636) 277-0973 or request your estimate and we'll start with what you're building.
Request a quoteGet a written footing estimate with each part priced separately
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at where the footings go, explain your options and then send a written estimate that lists each part of the job. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no pressure to book.
What happens after you call about footings in Saint Charles?
Call or send a message
Call (636) 277-0973 or use the form and tell us what's going on top of the footings and roughly how big it is. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I walk the site with you
I look at where each footing goes, ask how you'll use what's built on them and explain your options before I write anything up. Your estimate lists the digging, concrete and labor separately, so you can see exactly what moves the price.
We check rules, dig and pour
Once you say yes, we check what the city or county needs for your address, and our crew lead runs the dig and the pour. If an inspection is required before concrete goes in, we wait for it, and we schedule the pour around night temperatures.
We walk the finished job
At the end I walk the job with you and go over how to care for it. That includes giving the concrete time to cure, the period when it hardens and gains strength, before heavy framing loads go on.
Frequently asked questions
How much do concrete footings cost in Saint Charles?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $200 to $3,500 per project, covering the concrete, labor and digging. The wide spread is mostly size and ground, since a wider, deeper footing in weak soil can cost several times what a shallow one does. Your written estimate breaks out each part for your job.
How deep do concrete footings need to be in Saint Charles?
One national deck guide calls for footings to rest on undisturbed soil, ground that hasn't been dug or filled, at least 12 inches below the surface or below the frost line, whichever is deeper. The same guide leaves the frost line to the local building office, so that local figure decides how deep we dig. That's why we confirm the depth with the office for your address before we start.
What is the best way to pour footings in cold weather?
Plan the pour around night temperatures, not just the daytime forecast. A Michigan concrete trade group counts it as cold weather once the air falls, or is expected to fall, below 40°F, because cold slows setting and can freeze concrete before it gains strength, and its guide calls for ground at least 40°F and fresh concrete kept at 50°F or warmer for at least 3 days under blankets, straw or heated enclosures. Early fall and late spring nights can count, so we watch the overnight forecast before we schedule.
Who issues building permits in Saint Charles, MO?
Inside city limits, the City of Saint Charles Building Division issues permits for new and existing construction. Addresses outside the city go through St. Charles County, and as mentioned above, we check which office covers you before we start.
How do I plan footing locations around buried utility lines?
Call 811 before any digging so local utilities can mark their lines, which the national deck guide says to do first. The same guide says to keep footings off septic systems, leach fields, utility lines and enclosed meters, so it helps to know where yours are before the layout is set. Tell me what you know about them at the estimate and we'll plan the footings around them.
Do deck footings close to the house need to go deeper?
They can. The national deck guide says deck footings closer than 5 feet to the house's outer foundation wall must sit at the same level as the house's own footing. That can mean a deeper dig for the posts nearest the house, so I check where each post lands when I come out.
Related concrete work
Foundation raising
When an existing slab, porch or foundation has dropped out of level, raising it may save tearing it out, and it's worth checking before you assume the whole thing has to go.
Concrete cutting
If an old patio, walk or garage floor sits where a new footing or post needs to go, a clean saw cut opens just that spot without breaking up the rest.
St Charles, MO
Get your footings planned before you build
Call (636) 277-0973 or send the form with your project type, address and rough size, so I come out already knowing what you're planning.