Foundation raising in Pasadena CA - a house that sits higher on new concrete
Sloping floors, a cramped crawlspace or water under the house? We check what your house sits on before we plan any lift.
Can my Pasadena house be raised, and what does it take?
Foundation raising in Pasadena means separating your house from its foundation, lifting it on hydraulic jacks, holding it on temporary supports and building a new or extended foundation underneath it.
Most people who call about this have a house that's settled, a crawlspace that's too tight to work in, or a house that sits lower than they'd like when the rain comes. The price moves with the size of the house, what it sits on, how much framing needs shoring up before it can be lifted and how much new foundation goes under it. The schedule turns on the engineer or mover's check, the city's review and a historic review if your house is in a district. Other work often follows the lift, like concrete cutting to take out old slab or a new concrete driveway that meets the house at its new height. Your estimate gives you your own numbers once I've seen the house and walked you through what I'd do.
How do you know your house might need to be raised?
Most owners call because something in the house changed. These are the things I hear about most at the door, and what they usually point to under the floor.
Floors that slope or bounce usually mean the sills or posts under the house have settled or softened.
Doors and windows that stick or won't latch often point to a frame that's shifted as the foundation settled.
Diagonal cracks in plaster or drywall above doors and windows usually show the house moving on what's under it.
Water standing in the crawlspace after a rain usually means the house sits too low for where the water runs.
Soft, dark or crumbling wood at the sill, where the house meets the foundation, means rot that needs fixing first.
A cracked, crumbling or shallow old foundation under an older home usually needs replacing, and lifting makes room for that.
If you see two or more of these, call before you plan a remodel, because what's under the floor decides what the rest of the house can take.
What happens when you call us about raising your house in Pasadena?
I run these jobs myself from the first look to the last walk-through, and an outside expert checks the house before anything's set. Here's how it goes.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 345-7318 or use the contact form, and we'll set a time for me to see the house. Tell us what you're noticing, like sloping floors or water underneath.
I come out and look
I measure, look under the house and ask what you want from the lift, then we bring in an engineer or structural mover to check it before any plan is set. You get a written estimate that lays out what I'd do, why, and what it'll cost before anything starts.
We settle the city side
Once you say go, we settle the permit question with the city before any work starts. Simple projects within the city's over-the-counter limits can be reviewed in as little as 5 to 10 minutes, but complex plans take about two to four weeks, and that wait usually sets the start date.
We build and walk it
Our crew preps the ground, forms, pours and finishes the new foundation work while I run the job on site. At the end I walk it with you so you see what went under your house.
Get a written estimate for raising your house
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the house and give you a free estimate on site. There's no obligation to go ahead.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Lifting a house, and what it needs first
Federal guidance describes the method the same way anywhere in the country. The house comes off its foundation, goes up on hydraulic jacks and sits on temporary supports while a new or extended foundation is built below it. That's the job this page covers, the whole house set onto new concrete. The part I care most about is that concrete underneath, because it carries the house for good once the jacks come out.
The shape the house is in matters as much as what it sits on. One equipment maker's guide says homes with rotted sills, failing framing or severe settlement sometimes need a lot of reinforcement before they can be lifted, and it advises having a structural mover or engineer look at the building before the lift plan is final. We bring one in before any plan is set, so that work shows up in your plan and not halfway through. We're fully insured, which matters when your house is up on supports.
If your Pasadena house sits in a historic district, ask the city early whether lifting it falls under its historic preservation review, the Certificate of Appropriateness process it runs for alterations, re-locations and other changes on historic sites and in historic districts. Find that out before you set a date, because it adds a step ahead of the build. We're based in Pasadena and work across the cities around it, where older homes on raised foundations come up often.
Foundation raising questions from Pasadena homeowners
How do I know if my house on a slab can be raised?
Often it can't, because federal guidance says raising a house that sits on a concrete slab, with the slab left whole, is hard to do and often not workable. Houses on a crawlspace, a basement or an open foundation lift much more easily. If yours is on a slab, I'll tell you that at the first visit rather than sell you a plan that won't work.
How much does it cost to raise a house in the Los Angeles area?
Raising a house in Los Angeles usually costs about $12,000 to $68,000 per job for a home of 1,000 to 2,500 square feet. That's the going rate in the area, not our price, and where a house lands in it depends mostly on its condition and how much new foundation goes under it. Your written estimate gives you your own figure after I've seen the house.
How do I check that a contractor is licensed to lift a house in California?
Look for the state's building moving and demolition license class, which covers contractors who raise, lower and move structures, foundations included. That class doesn't cover repairs, additions or remodel work on the part of the house that stays, so that work needs the right license of its own. The city also says a contractor must show a valid contractor license and a current City of Pasadena business license, so ask anyone you're thinking of hiring, us included, for both at the first visit.
Do I need a permit to raise my house in Pasadena?
Ask the city before you plan, because Pasadena's Building & Safety Division lists new structures and remodeling for plan review and doesn't name house raising. You can call Building & Safety at (626)744-4200 with questions about your project. When a job needs a permit, we sort out who's pulling it before we start, put that in writing and handle the paperwork on the ones we pull.
Does raising a house make it more vulnerable to earthquakes?
It can, because federal guidance says raising a home can make it more likely to be damaged in an earthquake. So in Pasadena, how the new foundation is designed belongs in the decision right alongside how high you go. While you plan, you can look up your address on the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether it's in a mapped earthquake hazard zone or hasn't been evaluated yet.
How long does it take to raise a house in Pasadena?
Much of the wait usually comes before the lift, on the engineer or mover's check, the plan and the city review covered above. How long the crew is on site depends on how much reinforcement the house needs and how much foundation goes under it. That's why I'd rather lay out the order of work at the estimate than guess on the phone.
Concrete work that often follows a lift
Concrete cutting
When an old slab, a step or a section of walk is in the way of the new foundation, clean saw cuts take it out and leave the rest in one piece.
Concrete driveway building
A house that sits higher can leave the old driveway meeting it at the wrong height, and a new pour sets the grade and the drainage right again.
Call about raising your Pasadena house
Call (626) 345-7318 or send the form with your address and whether the house sits on a slab, a crawlspace or a basement, since that tells me first whether a lift is worth planning.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM