Concrete footings in Newton MA - set below the frost so your deck stays level
Deck coming, or posts that shift each winter? We dig and pour footings deep enough to hold them steady year after year.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and what goes into getting them right?
Concrete footings are the concrete bases under the posts, or piers, that carry a deck, porch or small addition, and in Newton we set them in holes dug deep enough that frost can't get under the pier.
Most people call us when a deck or porch is on the way, or when old posts have started to lean and they wonder whether anything under them was ever deep enough. The price turns on how many footings you need, how deep and wide they go and how hard the digging is, and the schedule turns mostly on the waits before we dig, like the utility marking notice and any permit. If part of an older structure has already dropped, foundation raising may need to come first. Your estimate lays all of that out in writing, so you see what you're paying for before you decide.
How do you know your deck or porch footings need work?
Posts leaning out of line
A post that tips or a railing that's no longer straight usually means the footing under it was too small or sat on loose dirt. If you wait, the load shifts to the posts beside it, and one bad footing turns into three.
Steps that stick each winter
A gate or stair that binds in February and settles back by June usually means the footing is shallow enough for frost to push it up. Every winter loosens the fasteners a little more, until the stairs or the deck start pulling away from the house.
Cracked or crumbling pier tops
Chipped, split concrete above the ground, or a post resting on a block set on the dirt, tells you water and freezing have been working on it. Caught early, we can usually replace one or two footings instead of rebuilding the whole frame.
How we pour concrete footings in Newton
Footing depth comes from the city building office, so I confirm it with them for your address before we dig, and then I talk through a straight tube or a wider bell form with you based on what the footings will hold up. We mark each spot, dig to the full depth and clean the loose dirt out of the bottom, because a footing poured on crumbs settles right along with them. We set each form plumb, check the depth again, pour, and leave the concrete to cure, which is the wait while it gains strength, before any post or beam goes on top. The bottom of the hole is the part nobody sees once the deck is built, and it's the first place a cheap quote saves money, so that's where I'd rather spend your budget than on anything above ground.
Footings often sit beside other concrete work. If part of the house or an attached porch has already settled, foundation raising brings it back up before we tie anything new to it, and if a footing has to land inside an existing patio or slab, concrete cutting opens a clean square instead of a broken mess.
Straight tube form
One forming-tube maker says a straight tube suits standard piers, the kind under most decks and porch posts. It sets quickly and takes less concrete, so it keeps the cost down when each post carries a modest load.
Wider bell-bottom form
The same maker says a bell-bottom form spreads the load over a wider base, which on softer soil reduces settling and cuts the number of piers a job needs. I lean toward it when a post carries a roof, a hot tub or a long beam.
Get a written footing estimate for your Newton project
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the spot and give you a free written estimate. There's no pressure and no obligation to book.
Call (617) 644-7325What happens when you call us about footings in Newton?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who handles each part along the way.
Call or send the form
You reach us by phone or through the form, and we set a time for me to come see the spot. Bring any deck plans or sketches you have, since they tell me what each footing has to carry.
I walk the spot with you
I look at where the footings go, ask how you'll use the deck or porch and go over your form choices right there. Your written estimate spells out the mix, the prep, the cleanup and who handles any permits, so you can compare it line by line with other quotes.
We dig, form and pour
We protect your yard and house as we work and keep the noisy part inside Newton's allowed hours, generally 7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays. Sundays and holidays need a permit approved by the Mayor, so we plan the pour day around them.
Walk the finished footings together
Once the concrete has cured, I walk the footings with you and show you how to care for them. After that they're ready for your framer, or for us if the job keeps going.
Why Newton homeowners call Excel Newton Concrete for footings
Depth is the one part you can't change once the deck is on top, so get in touch and I'll come look before anyone picks up a shovel.
I measure, my crew pours
I come out to look at the job myself, and my crew does the work with me on site. On a tight Newton lot that matters, because the person who planned how to get concrete into your back yard is the one standing there on pour day.
Working around families since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, and that time has been spent on homes where people are living. We cover open holes and clear the path at the end of each day, because you're the one walking past our work tonight.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll tell you which rules cover your footings before I price them. A homeowner who knows why each step is done can spot a shortcut in any quote, ours included.
Footings, permits and tight yards in Newton
Permit questions for footing work go to Newton's Inspectional Services Department, which issues permits for building, altering, repairing and tearing down structures through the city's online portal and enforces the state building code and the city's zoning. When a job needs a permit, we pull it in our name, and if we aren't sure, we check with the city office before we start. We're based in Newton and work in the cities around it, and since each one has its own building office, we ask that office about any extra licensing it wants before we dig.
Many houses here have decks and porches added long after the house went up, and the posts under them often sit on shallow piers or a block on the dirt. Back yards are often reached by a narrow side path, so we plan how the concrete gets in and the dug-out dirt gets out before pour day, and we see the same thing on jobs in Brookline and Watertown.
Questions about concrete footings in Newton
How much do concrete footings cost in Newton?
One national cost guide puts a concrete footing project across the US at about $250 to $3,500 per job, which is the market's range, not our price. Concrete, labor and digging set where you land, and a wider, deeper footing on weak soil costs several times what a shallow one does. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own yard.
How deep do footings need to go in Newton, MA?
Footings go deep enough that frost can't get under the pier, and the depth for your address comes from Newton's building officials, not a number off the internet. That's why it's the first thing we confirm on any footing job.
Do I call Dig Safe before footings, or does my contractor?
When a contractor does the digging, holding a valid Dig Safe ticket is the contractor's job, so you don't have to make the call. State law requires that call at least 72 business hours before any excavation, not counting Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, and we plan the start date around it. You can call on our behalf if you like, but you don't need to.
Who has to oversee footing work on a house in Massachusetts?
On 1- and 2-family homes and related structures of any size, the state requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee construction. For most existing 1- to 4-family owner-occupied homes the contractor must also be registered with the state's home improvement program, and the state recognizes no out-of-state licenses, so ask any contractor which Massachusetts license covers your job.
How long does a concrete footing job take in Newton?
Most of the wait comes before the digging, between the Dig Safe notice and any permit the city needs, and then the concrete has to cure before framing goes on top. I'll lay out those waits for your job at the estimate, since the permit and the weather change them more than the digging does.
How do I replace footings under an existing deck or porch?
Usually the frame stays up while we brace it, pull the old block or shallow pier and pour a new footing at the depth the city confirms. If a corner has already sunk, we bring it back to level first, and if a post lands in a patio, we cut a clean opening rather than breaking up the slab.
Other concrete work that pairs with footings
- Foundation raising
If a corner of your house or an attached porch has already dropped, lifting it back to level comes first, so new work doesn't sit on a sag.
- Concrete cutting
When a footing must land inside a patio or garage slab, a clean saw cut opens just the spot needed and leaves the rest whole.
Service areas for concrete footings around Newton
Excel Newton Concrete is based in Newton, Massachusetts, and we dig and pour footings in Newton and the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, from Wellesley to Waltham, and we reply within one business day wherever you are.
Newton, MA
Book a look at your footing spot
Call (617) 644-7325 or send the form with your address, what the footings will hold up and when you'd like to start, so I come out already thinking about your lot.