Concrete footings in Fairhope AL - a solid base under what you're building
Planning a house, addition or garage and need footings that pass inspection? We clean them out, get them looked at, then pour.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and when do you need them?
Concrete footings are the poured concrete at the bottom of a home's foundation that carry the weight of the house down into the ground. In Fairhope, we dig them, clean them out and pour them for new homes, additions, garages and raised porches.
Most folks call me about footings when they're putting on an addition, building a garage or a raised porch, or starting a house on a lot near the water. The price moves with how much footing your plans call for, the foundation type, how easy it is to get equipment and a concrete truck onto the lot and whether old concrete has to come out first. The schedule mostly turns on the permit, the inspection and the weather. I walk the lot with you and write up an estimate that lists what's included, so you'll see your own number before anything gets dug. If an old slab is sitting where a footing needs to go, concrete cutting is usually the first step.
How do you know your project needs new footings?
Plans for an addition
If you're adding a room, a garage or a porch on posts, that new weight needs its own footings, and they have to be planned along with the permit before anybody digs. If you wait until the framer's ready, you usually end up with a rushed dig and a pour that's hard to fit around the inspection.
Cracks over an old foundation
Cracked walls, a slab that has dropped at one corner or doors that suddenly stick usually mean something underneath has moved. The longer it goes, the further the cracks spread into whatever sits on top, so it's worth having someone look at it early.
An old slab in the way
An old patio or pad sitting right where the new footing belongs has to come out first, and breaking it up by hand often cracks the part you meant to keep. If we plan for it at the estimate, it won't be a surprise on dig day.
How we build concrete footings in Fairhope
We start by laying out where the footings go with you, against your plans. On lots near the water, we settle the foundation type with you before anything else, because the dig, the layout and the permit all depend on it. Then we dig, set the rebar, which is the steel that holds the concrete together once it's carrying a load, and clean out the bottom of the footing. We hold the pour until the inspector has seen it open. I'll be straight with you about the trade-off. Once the house goes up, nobody ever sees a footing again, so it's tempting to save money there. It's the last place I'd cut, because you can't fix a footing later without tearing into everything that sits on it.
Footings aren't always new work. When an older foundation has settled, foundation raising can bring it back up, and we'll look at whether the footing under it is part of the problem. When old concrete sits where a new footing has to go, concrete cutting lets us take out just that strip instead of breaking up the whole slab.
Footings for pier foundations
These suit raised houses, porches and lots where the floor sits up off the ground, because each pier needs its own footing to stand on. We set the layout with you so each pier lands where the plans put it.
Footings under a floating slab
This suits garages, additions and shops where the footing goes in first and the slab gets poured inside it later. Doing them in two stages means each part is finished and checked before the next one goes on top.
Monolithic slab edges
Some slabs are poured with the footing built into the edge in a single pour, which suits a lot of garages and smaller buildings on flatter lots. On the walk-through, I'll tell you whether your lot and your plans fit this approach.
Get a free on-site estimate for your footings
Send the form and I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time to walk your lot. The estimate is free, comes with no obligation and lists what's included.
(251) 850-0154- Based in
- Fairhope, AL 36532
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about footings in Fairhope?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and where the city's inspection fits in along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (251) 850-0154 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Have your address and plans handy, along with any survey or flood paperwork you already have for the lot.
Walk the lot together
I come out myself, walk the site with you, and ask how you'll use the building and where the water goes on your lot. Then I write up an estimate that lists what's included, so you know what's in the price before we start.
Permit, dig and inspection
Once you say go, we sort out the permit for your address, dig and set the footings, and call for the inspection. The city's permitting office takes calls Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., so we plan the dig to be open and ready when an inspector can get out to see it.
Pour and walk the job
Then we pour the footings and clean up the site. I walk the finished job with you before we pack up.
Why Fairhope homeowners call Quickset Fairhope Concrete for footings
I write the estimate myself
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, and then I'm on site working beside our own crew. The person who answered your questions is the same one checking the bottom of your footing.
In business since 2023
We've been in business since 2023, and before that I spent years raking and finishing on my dad's concrete jobs. That's where I learned that most trouble starts under the concrete, not on top of it.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. In Alabama, the Home Builders Licensure Board covers residential work where the cost, with labor and materials included, runs over $10,000, so it's fair to ask any crew where they stand with the board.
On footings, the work that counts is done before the concrete truck shows up, so tell us what you're building or call (251) 850-0154 and I'll come walk the lot.
Concrete footings and foundation work in Fairhope
In Fairhope, the city's Building Inspection and Permitting office approves building permits and inspects the work. The city's code also takes out the residential code's list of work that's exempt from a permit, so I don't assume a footing job can skip one. If your address isn't inside a city, Baldwin County's building department issues permits for unincorporated areas and for the Towns of Elberta, Magnolia Springs and Perdido Beach, while other cities run their own building departments. Before we set a pour date, we check who covers your address, and if the job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections.
Fairhope's permitting area includes several flood hazard areas on FEMA's flood maps. The city also enforces stormwater rules, erosion and sediment controls, and measures for red clay and staining soils. So when I walk your lot, I'm asking where the water goes, where the dirt from the dig will sit and whether the footings fall in a flood zone, all before we lock in the layout. We ask the same questions on jobs in Daphne and Spanish Fort.
Questions about concrete footings in Fairhope
Does Fairhope inspect footings before the concrete goes in?
Yes. For pier foundations and floating slabs, the city's inspection list includes a footing inspection before any concrete goes in. A monolithic slab, where the footing and slab go in as one pour, gets plumbing rough-in and foundation inspections before the pour instead. To book an inspection or ask a question, the city's office is at 251-990-0153.
What happens if footings get covered before the inspection in Fairhope?
The city requires any work covered before an inspection to be opened back up and exposed before anything else can move forward. Photos don't count in place of an inspector seeing it in person. That means a pour that jumps ahead of the inspection can end with digging out concrete you already paid for.
Does a waterfront lot change the foundation in Fairhope?
It can. In coastal high hazard areas, called V-zones, new construction and substantial improvements have to be raised up on piles, columns or shear walls. On a lot that faces waves and storm surge, that rule decides the foundation type before anything else does. The copies of these rules we work from are older, so check the current version with the city's permitting office.
How do I get a floodplain lot ready for footings in Fairhope?
Get an elevation certificate for each building on the lot, such as the house, garage or guesthouse, and a survey that shows the flood zone lines on your property. The city's code asks for both on floodplain sites. If you already have them, bring them out when I walk the lot so we can plan around them.
How much do concrete footings cost in Fairhope?
Your price comes from a free estimate after I walk the lot. Footing cost turns on how much footing your plans call for, the foundation type and how easy the site is to reach. Flood-zone requirements and old concrete that has to come out first can add to the work, and the estimate lists what's included.
How long does a concrete footing job take in Fairhope?
The schedule usually turns on the permit and the inspection more than on the digging or the pour. The concrete can't go in until the inspector has seen the open footing. Once I know your address and foundation type, I'll lay out the order of steps for you on the walk-through.
Related services that often go with footing work
Foundation raising
If an older foundation has settled and doors stick or walls crack, raising it can bring the house back up without starting over from new footings.
Concrete cutting
When an old slab or patio sits where a new footing has to go, a clean saw cut removes just that section and leaves the rest in place.
Areas we serve for concrete footings
Quickset Fairhope Concrete is based in Fairhope, Alabama, and works in cities across Baldwin and Mobile counties. The 8 cities below have their own pages, including Robertsdale and Foley. If your city isn't listed, give us a call and ask.
Fairhope, AL
Get your footings planned before the dig
Footings go in early in a build, so the sooner we walk the lot, the sooner your permit and inspection can get on the calendar.