Concrete footings in South Gate CA - a firm base under everything you build
Building a wall, a room or a column that has to stay put? We dig to firm ground and size each footing to its load.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and what goes into building one?
Concrete footings are the wide base at the bottom of a wall, column or post, and they spread its weight over enough ground that it doesn't settle more than it should. We build concrete footings in South Gate, CA for room additions, block walls, patio covers and other structures, each one sized for what it carries.
Most people who call about footings are adding a room, putting up a block wall or setting posts, and the plans call for a footing first. Nobody sees a footing once the walls go up, but if it's too small or poorly built, the ground settles under it, cracks show up in the walls and slabs above, and in bad cases the structure itself is at risk, which is why I spend my time there. Footings come in several types, and the width, depth and steel depend on the load, how much weight the soil can carry, the earthquake design for the building and the code, so each job gets its own. The price moves with how big the footing is and how much digging, concrete and labor it takes, and the schedule mostly turns on the permit and the inspections. I'll put your own figure in a written estimate after I've looked at the ground.
How do you know you need a footing, or a better one?
Cracks above doors and windows
Diagonal cracks running up from the corners of doors and windows usually mean the ground under that wall is settling. Wait, and they tend to widen, doors start to stick and water finds its way in.
A block wall leaning out
A garden or property-line wall that tilts usually sat on a footing too small for it, or on no footing at all. Leaning walls don't straighten themselves, and the longer it goes, the more of it has to come down.
Plans that call for footings
If you're drawing up a room addition, a patio cover or a new wall, the plans will show footings under it. Getting them right on the first pour costs a lot less than digging them back out from under something finished.
How we build concrete footings
A footing carries everything above it, so I start by sizing it to the job and marking it out. Our crew digs to firm ground, the kind that can actually hold the load, and keeps the bottom of the trench clean and dry so nothing loose ends up under the concrete. If a trench goes too deep, we fix it the right way, not by shoveling loose dirt back in, because loose fill packs down later and takes the footing with it. Then we set the rebar, steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart when the ground shifts, get through any inspection and pour.
Some footing jobs start with other work. If one corner of the house has already sunk, foundation raising lifts it back before we tie anything new into it. If the new footing has to run through an existing slab, we saw it out with concrete cutting instead of breaking it with a hammer, so cracks don't spread into the part you're keeping.
Continuous footings
A long strip that runs under a wall, a block fence or the edge of a room addition, carrying the weight along its whole length. On a slope we step it down like stairs so every part sits on firm ground.
Pad footings
A square block of concrete under one post or column, like the posts of a patio cover or a carport. Each pad carries its own load, so we size them one by one instead of pouring a strip nobody needs.
Get a written estimate for your footings
Send the address and a line about what the footing will carry. We reply within one business day, I come out to look at the ground, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
Call (213) 329-1420- Based in
- South Gate, CA 90280
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about footings in South Gate?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the last walk-through, and who handles each part along the way.
Call and set a visit
You call or send the form, and I come out to measure and look at the ground, where the water runs and anything in the way. Then I send you a written estimate, so you know the number before anything gets dug.
Permit, dig, steel and pour
If the job needs a permit, we handle it and set up the inspections. Our crew does the digging, steel and forms, and I'm usually there on pour day.
Walk the finished footing together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished footing with you and show you what went in. Once the walls go up, that's the last time anybody sees it.
Why South Gate homeowners call Allied South Gate Concrete Company for footings
I look at your ground myself
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate. That way the person who priced your footing is the one who saw the slope, the water and what's in the way.
Licensed and insured before we dig
We're fully licensed and insured. A footing goes under the part of your house that's hardest to fix, so the paperwork behind the crew should be in order before anyone picks up a shovel.
Learned on a city concrete crew
I learned concrete on a municipal crew pouring sidewalk and curb, then started this business in South Gate in 2023. City work teaches you that the part under the concrete gets checked, and I still build like it will be.
If your plans are ready or close to it, call (213) 329-1420 or send us the address and what the footing will carry, and I'll come out to look at the ground.
Footings and foundation work in South Gate
In South Gate, the city's Building and Safety Division typically requires a building permit for construction and alteration work, including most digging, so plan on a permit for a new footing. The city then inspects the work to make sure it meets the current California building codes. When your job needs a permit, we pull it and deal with whichever office covers your address, the city or the county, so you aren't the one chasing it.
On jobs around here we mostly see older houses on tight lots, with additions going in close to the property line, block walls between neighbors and patio covers on posts. Narrow side yards often mean digging by hand around an existing slab, and we run into the same tight lots on jobs in Lynwood and Huntington Park.
Questions about concrete footings in South Gate
Call (213) 329-1420How much do concrete footings cost in South Gate?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, and that's a national figure, not a South Gate quote. The size of the footing drives it through concrete, labor and digging, so a wide, deep footing on weak soil can cost several times what a shallow one does. For your own number, I'll look at the ground and give you a written estimate.
Do I need a permit for footings in South Gate, or can I pull it myself?
Usually you need one, since footings fall under the city's permit rules covered above, and you can pull it yourself in some cases. The city asks owner-builders for ID showing they live at the property, and the property has to have two units or fewer. If a company or an LLC owns it, the city says you need a licensed contractor.
Does a contractor need a California license to build footings?
Yes, if the job needs a building permit or the labor and materials come to $1,000 or more, California requires the contractor to hold a Contractors State License Board license. Most footing jobs meet at least one of those, so ask for the license before you sign anything.
How do I find out if my property is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether the property sits in one of California's mapped earthquake hazard zones. State maps also show areas where liquefaction, ground turning soft during a strong quake, may happen, and building inside a hazard zone may mean extra study and fixes during permitting. Whether that applies depends on your address, so check it before the plans are final.
How do I know the footing trench was checked before the pour?
The trench size and any required building or soil inspection should be checked before the concrete goes in, so ask your contractor who sets that up and when. On our jobs the inspections are part of the schedule, and you're welcome to look at the trench with me before the pour.
What do I need to tell a contractor to get a footing quote?
The address and a short description of what the footing will carry, such as a room addition, a block wall or the posts of a patio cover. With that I can tell which office covers your property and what to look for when I come out. Call (213) 329-1420 or use the estimate form.
Other work that often comes with footings
Foundation raising
If your house or garage has settled and the floors slope or doors stick, raising it back toward level is usually the first step before adding anything new.
Concrete cutting
When the footing has to run under an existing driveway, patio or garage floor, a clean saw cut opens the strip we need and leaves the rest alone.
Footing work in South Gate and nearby cities
Allied South Gate Concrete Company is based in South Gate, CA, and builds footings in the cities and county areas around it, including Downey and Norwalk. Twelve of those areas have their own page below. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
South Gate, CA
Have your footing ground looked at first
A look at the site before your plans are final can save redrawing them once the digging turns up something nobody expected.