Concrete footings in Hoover AL - a solid base sized for your build and your ground
Planning an addition, deck or new build on a sloping lot? We size each footing to the load and the soil so it stays put.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What are concrete footings, and does my project need them?
Concrete footings are the wide concrete base we pour under a wall, a post or a column on Hoover homes, so the weight of what you're building spreads into the soil instead of pushing down in one spot and sinking.
Most people call us when they're planning an addition, a garage, a deck or a porch, or when something they already have has started to lean, and the footing is the first concrete in the ground and the part nobody sees once the framing goes up. The price moves with how many feet of footing the job needs, how wide and deep they have to be for your soil, and how hard the site is to dig, while the schedule turns mostly on the permit, the city's inspections and the weather on pour day. Your estimate spells out what's in your number before you decide anything.
How do you know a footing is failing or missing?
Deck posts sinking into dirt
If a deck or porch post sits on a block or bare ground, the floor above usually starts to dip at that corner after a few wet seasons. That means nothing under the post is spreading its weight, and the longer it goes, the more the framing twists and the bigger the repair gets.
Stair-step cracks in a wall
Cracks that climb a block or brick wall in steps usually mean the footing under that part of the wall has dropped or was too narrow for the load. Left alone, the crack opens wider, lets water in, and doors and windows nearby start to stick.
Addition pulling away from house
When a porch, sunroom or garage starts pulling away from the house, it's usually moving on its own footings while the house stays put. The gap tends to grow each year, and patching the trim only hides it until the next season.
How we build concrete footings
Every footing job starts with two questions I ask on the walk-through, what this footing is holding up and what the ground can carry, because a footing is only as good as the dirt under it. A run of wall gets a footing that follows the wall, a single post or column gets its own pad, and on a sloped lot we settle how the piers will sit before anything else gets drawn. Then our crew lays it out, digs down to firm ground instead of raking loose dirt flat, keeps the trench clean, checks where the water runs so it won't pool against the new work, pours and cleans up. The bottom of that trench is the part people want to rush, since nobody sees it once the walls go up, and it's the last place I'll let anyone cut corners.
Some footing jobs touch other work. If a new post or wall has to land where there's already a patio or slab, we use concrete cutting to open a clean, square hole instead of breaking it out with a hammer. If the trouble is a house or porch that has already sunk on old footings, foundation raising is usually the place to start before anything new gets built beside it.
Get a free footing estimate at your Hoover property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come see the lot. The estimate is free, done at your place, and comes with no obligation.
- estimates@concretehoover.com
- Based in
- Hoover, AL 35216
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about footings in Hoover?
Here's how a footing job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Tell us what you're building
Call or send the form with what's going on the footings and anything you have on paper, like plans or a survey. We set a time for me to come see the lot.
Walk the lot with me
I look at the slope, the soil and where the water runs, and we talk through what the footings have to carry. Your estimate spells out the footing type, the sizes and the site work, so you can see what's driving the price.
Handle the permit and pour
We check with the building office about what your job needs, take care of any permit paperwork and set the pour. The city's inspections go into the schedule from the start, so they don't catch anyone by surprise.
Walk the finished footings together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished footings with you and show you what went in the ground. That's your chance to ask anything before the next trade builds on top.
Why Hoover homeowners call A&B Hoover Concrete Construction for footings
The owner walks your lot
I come out myself to look at the ground and talk the job over with you, and I'm on site with our own crew when we dig and pour. You get answers from the person making the calls, not someone who hands you off.
In business here since 2020
I opened this business in Hoover in 2020, after learning the trade one pour at a time as a helper on a small crew. That start is why I still care most about the ground and the drainage under the concrete.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. The City of Hoover licenses every general contractor and subcontractor and expects each one to hold the state licenses the work calls for, so it's fair to ask any crew you're weighing to show you both.
Footings come down to the ground under them, so the best next step is letting me see yours. Tell us about your project or call (205) 325-9006, and I'll set a time to walk the lot with you.
Footings, foundations and the hills of Hoover
In Hoover, permit applications go to the city's Building Inspections Department, and its list for homes names additions that change the outside of the house, garages, storage buildings and pools. Footings aren't named on their own, so whether yours need a permit depends on what they're for, and before we schedule anything we check with the building office for your address. When a permit is called for, we handle the paperwork. The city inspects and approves the work, the inspections are part of the permit price, and a permit isn't finished until everything passes, so we leave room for those visits between digging and framing.
Much of Hoover sits on sloping ground, where drainage, erosion and how stable the slope is often decide what can be built, so soil and slope questions usually come first on a project here. We're based in Hoover and work in Birmingham and many of the cities around it, and we see the same ridges and runoff on jobs in Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook, which is why I look at the grade and the water before we lay out a single footing.
Questions about concrete footings in Hoover
How much do concrete footings cost in Hoover, AL?
Concrete footings across the US usually cost about $5 to $18 per linear foot, depending on how big the project is, how deep the footings go and what the site is like. That's the market's range, not our price, and a hillside or soft ground tends to push a job toward the higher end. Your own number comes from the estimate after I've seen the lot.
How does soil affect the size of concrete footings?
Weaker soil needs wider footings, which cost more, because it can't carry as much weight. A soil test before the work shows how much your ground can hold, and weak soil under a heavier build may call for a structural engineer, so it's worth planning for that step early instead of finding out halfway through.
Does Hoover require a survey after the foundation is poured?
Yes, Hoover requires a certified survey after the foundation for all new construction, including work that changes a building's footprint. The rough inspections wait until the city has received and approved that survey, so we plan for it in the schedule and let you know when it's time to have it done.
Can I be my own contractor for footings on my house in Alabama?
Under state licensing law, yes, if you're the owner acting as your own contractor and supervising all the work on your own one-family or two-family home for your own use. If you hire or pay anyone to supervise, you're not acting as your own contractor, and offering the house for sale within one year of substantial completion breaks the law. Any subcontractor you hire needs a license when their part of the work runs over $10,000.00.
What causes concrete footings to move?
A high water table, flooding, soil that shrinks and swells as it wets and dries, and layers of organic material can all cause footings to move. I look for those signs on the walk-through, and they shape how we plan the dig, since water near the surface, shallow rock and big stones also make digging harder.
How do I build footings on a sloped lot in Hoover?
On a slope, piers near the edge of the hill need enough depth and, where necessary, pinning into the bedrock so the whole structure stays put. Settle how deep the piers go and whether they need rock anchoring before you settle the design, and on a hillside job that's the first thing we work out with you.
Related work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
If your house, porch or garage has already settled on old footings, lifting it back toward level comes first, before anyone pours new concrete alongside it.
See the service Foundation raisingConcrete cutting
When a new footing has to land under an existing patio, slab or driveway, a saw cut opens just the space we need and leaves the rest whole.
See the service Concrete cutting
Service areas for concrete footings near Hoover
A&B Hoover Concrete Construction is based in Hoover, Alabama, and we build footings in Birmingham, Pelham and many of the cities around them. The 12 cities below have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Hoover, AL
Get your footings planned before the pour
Have your lot's slope, what you're building and any survey handy when you call (205) 325-9006 or send the form, and I'll come out ready to talk through your footings.