Concrete Footings in Cambridge MA - a solid, level base under your new walls
Planning an addition, porch, deck or new wall that needs footings? We dig, form and pour them with the permit side settled first.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete footing job in Cambridge?
Concrete footings are the buried concrete base that a wall, a post or the edge of a slab sits on, and in Cambridge we dig, form and pour them so whatever you build on top has a solid, level start.
Most footing calls start with plans for an addition, a porch, a deck or a garden wall, and the footings are the first thing those plans need before anyone can frame. The price moves with how many footings there are, how big each one is, how easy it is to get concrete to them on a tight lot and whether old concrete has to come out first. The schedule turns on the permit and the weather, because we settle the permit side before we dig and a cold stretch means extra steps to keep fresh concrete from freezing. When I come out, I measure and write an estimate that lists what's included and what isn't, so you have your own figure in writing.
How do you know you need new footings?
Plans for something new
You've got drawings for an addition, a porch or a wall, and everything on them has to sit on something solid. If you wait until the framer is ready to call about footings, the whole job usually slides back, since footings have to be dug, poured and cured before anything goes on them.
Deck posts sinking or leaning
Posts that sit on a loose block or right on the dirt tend to drop over time, so the deck starts to tilt and the railing pulls away. The longer it goes, the more the frame twists, and a simple footing swap can turn into a framing repair.
Cracks in the wall above
A crack that keeps widening in a foundation or block wall usually means whatever is underneath it has moved. It's worth a look early, because a wall that keeps settling turns a footing job into a much bigger repair.
How we build concrete footings
We start by marking out the footings from your plans, then dig them to the size the plans call for and clean the bottom out so nothing loose is left under the pour. Next we set the forms level and square and place the rebar, the steel bars inside that help the concrete carry weight, where the plans show it. Then we pour, and while the concrete cures, the stretch when it hardens and gains strength, we keep it protected and cover it when a cold stretch is coming. A footing gets buried once the walls go up, so it's the first place people want to save money and the last place I'd cut, because there's no going back to fix it without lifting whatever sits on top.
Some footing jobs are part of fixing a house that's already settled, and when a corner or a wall has dropped, we can talk through foundation raising along with the new footings. When a footing has to go through an existing slab, walk or basement floor, we open it up first with our concrete cutting work.
Wall footings
A continuous strip of concrete that runs under a foundation wall or a garden wall. It suits additions, garages and any wall that needs support along its whole length.
Isolated footings
A single pad under one post, pier or column. It suits decks, porches and a column carrying a beam, where the weight comes down in one spot.
Thickened slab footings
The edge of a slab, or a strip inside it, poured deeper so the slab can carry a wall itself. It suits sheds, small garages and slab additions where the plans call for it instead of a separate wall footing.
Get a free on-site estimate for your footings
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I come out, measure and write up an estimate listing what's included and what isn't, with no obligation to go ahead.
(617) 613-6953- Based in
- Cambridge, MA 02139
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call us about footings in Cambridge?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the finished pour, and what you'll have in hand before we dig.
Call or send a message
Tell us what you're building and where, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Plans or even a rough sketch help if you have them.
I measure and price it
I walk the spot, measure, ask what's going on top and work out the footing size with you. The written estimate lists what's included and what isn't, so you can read it line by line before you decide.
Permit first, then pour dates
Once you're ready, we apply for the permit, and Cambridge's Inspectional Services Department issues or denies an application within 30 days of payment processing, so we set the start date around that wait. Then we pick the pour days around the weather.
Dig, form and pour
Our crew digs, sets the forms and steel and pours with me on site the whole time. We protect the fresh concrete while it cures, clean up and leave the footings ready for whoever builds on top.
Why Cambridge homeowners call M&K Cambridge Concrete Company for footings
The owner at every estimate
I come out to measure and price every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the footings go in. The person who wrote down what's included is the one checking the forms before the truck shows up.
Fully licensed and insured contractor
We're fully licensed and insured. In Massachusetts, a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional has to oversee construction on one- and two-family homes and their related structures of any size, so that's the first thing to ask anyone you're weighing for footing work.
Clear estimates since 2023
We've been in business since 2023, and every estimate I write lists the work that's included and anything that isn't. You're not left guessing what a line covers once the digging starts.
If you've got plans drawn or a wall that needs a better base, call or send us the details and I'll come out to take a look.
Footings and foundation work in Cambridge
Before any footing goes in, we check the job with the city's building office, because Cambridge issues building permits to build, alter, repair or tear down a structure and only ordinary repairs, as the Building Code defines them, go without one, so we don't assume either way. When a permit applies, we take it out ourselves as your contractor, and it has to be in hand before work starts and posted where it can be seen at the job site, so we keep it up from the first shovel. If your house is in a historic district or a neighborhood conservation district, is a designated landmark or is under a preservation restriction, the Cambridge Historical Commission protects it, so tell us at the start and we'll find out what that means for your job before we plan the dig.
We're based in Cambridge and work across the cities around it, and footing jobs here usually mean older houses set close together, narrow side yards and additions fitted onto small lots. That often means digging by hand where a machine won't fit and planning how the concrete gets from the street to the hole, which we run into just as often on jobs in Somerville and Arlington.
Questions about concrete footings in Cambridge
How much do concrete footings cost in Cambridge?
I give you a written price after I've measured, because footing cost comes down to how many you need, how big they are and how hard the site is to reach. Hand digging in a tight side yard, pumping concrete over a fence instead of pouring off the truck, cutting through an old slab and protecting a pour in cold weather all add to it, while a short run of footings the truck can reach directly keeps it down.
Who should pull the building permit for footings on my house?
Your contractor should, and state consumer guidance says the registered contractor agrees to pull the building permit and any other permits the job needs. If you apply for the permit yourself, you may not be eligible for compensation from the Guaranty Fund, which is why we take it out ourselves.
How do I get a building permit for footings myself in Cambridge?
You can apply yourself only if you're doing the work on a one- or two-unit home where you live or intend to live, because otherwise Cambridge issues building permits to construction supervisors licensed by the city. You'd apply through Inspectional Services, and the state code sets out separate homeowner exemption language for who has to oversee the work. Keep the Guaranty Fund point above in mind too.
Does a contractor need to be registered to pour footings in Massachusetts?
If the footings are for an existing home you live in with one to four units, the contractor has to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. New construction and investment, vacation or secondary properties fall outside that law, so the answer turns on the house and whether you live there.
Can concrete footings be poured in cold weather?
Yes, but cold weather calls for special precautions through the pour, the finishing, the curing and the protection afterward. Before a cold pour, snow and ice should come off, and the surfaces and metal touching the concrete should be above freezing, which can mean insulating or heating the ground ahead of time. We plan those steps into the schedule instead of taking a chance on a cold night.
How long does new footing concrete need to be kept from freezing?
About two days after it's placed. Concrete that freezes can lose more than 50% of its potential strength and won't hold up, so we build that window into the schedule and protect the footings through it when a cold stretch is coming.
Related services for footing jobs
Foundation raising
When a wall or corner of the house has dropped, raising it back up can come before or alongside new footings, so the structure sits level again.
Concrete cutting
Saw-cutting an existing slab, walk or garage floor opens a clean square for a new footing instead of breaking out more concrete than the job needs.
Service areas for our footing work
M&K Cambridge Concrete Company is based in Cambridge, MA, and we pour footings in the cities around it, including Watertown and Newton. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Cambridge, MA
Get your footing job on the calendar
Have the property address, the number of units, whether you live there and whether the house is in a historic district ready when you call (617) 613-6953 or send the form, so we can start on the permit side sooner.