Foundation raising in Redondo Beach CA - a house lifted with its weak spots fixed first
Floors sloping, doors sticking, a house that's settled? We check the frame first, then lift it onto solid support.
Can my house be raised, and what will it take?
Foundation raising in Redondo Beach means lifting, lowering or underpinning a house and its foundation, so the work underneath can be done and the house ends up sitting on solid support again.
Most people call because the house has settled, the floors have started to slope or they've got plans that start under the house. The price moves with the kind of house it is, wood frame or brick, its condition, whether sills or framing need repair before it can be lifted, and the concrete work that goes in under it. The schedule turns on the same things, plus the engineer's look and whatever review the city or a coastal permit calls for. When I come out, I walk the house, measure it and write down what's included, so you get a number for your house and not a guess.
How we handle foundation raising, in order
Before a house gets lifted, I want a structural engineer or a qualified mover to look at it, because rot in the sills or failing framing has to be dealt with first. If the house needs reinforcing, that becomes its own step and gets done before a jack goes under it. For the lift itself, the crew sets hydraulic jacks under the beams that carry the house, raises it a short distance and moves the weight onto fresh cribbing, which is the stacked timber the house rests on between lifts. Once it's up and steady, we do the concrete work underneath and set the house back down on it.
Getting under a house usually means some old concrete has to come out first, so we do the concrete cutting for steps, slabs or footings that sit in the way. When the house settles onto its new support, the driveway may not meet the garage the way it used to, and concrete driveway building gets the approach poured to match.
Wood-framed houses
These are the most common houses we lift, because a wood frame handles the movement well. Most of the care goes into checking the sills and framing first, so the lift goes the way it was planned.
Brick, stone and masonry houses
These can be lifted, but they need more care than a wood frame, and I tell you that before anything moves. Expect the plan and the price to reflect the extra work.
Foundation raising rules in Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach has a Local Coastal Program that sets how the city handles coastal development under the state's Coastal Act, and building work in the coastal zone generally needs a coastal development permit before it starts. Where the Coastal Commission has certified a city's program, most of that permit review moves to the city. Whether raising your particular house needs a coastal permit or a city building permit isn't something I can settle from the driveway, so I won't tell you it doesn't. If your job needs a permit, we tell you up front and take care of the paperwork, and we check with the city before we start because they make the call.
We see a lot of older wood-framed houses here with some brick mixed in, and the same mix on jobs in Hermosa Beach and Torrance as we work across the South Bay. Ground near the coast can vary from one lot to the next, so I want to know what's under your house before anything gets poured there.
Foundation and concrete work
Why call us for foundation raising
I walk your house myself
I come out to look at the job myself, and I work alongside our crew when the lift happens. The person who sized up your house is there when it moves.
Public works training, local since 2023
I learned concrete on a city public works crew, cutting out slabs that had cracked or lifted, and started this business in Redondo Beach in 2023. That work taught me the ground under concrete decides how it holds up, and that's where we put our care.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured. With your house up on cribbing, you want to know the people under it are covered.
If your house has settled or you've got plans that start under it, call (424) 402-3940 or send us a note and tell me whether it's wood frame or brick.
(424) 402-3940Get a foundation raising estimate for your house
Tell us whether your house is wood frame, brick or stone, and mention any rotted sills, sagging framing or settling you've noticed. We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out to walk and measure the house for a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Foundation raising questions from Redondo Beach
Can a brick or stone house in Redondo Beach be raised?
Yes, one maker of lifting equipment says brick, stone and other masonry homes can be lifted, but they take more work than a wood frame. Masonry cracks easily when one part moves ahead of another, so that maker calls for more cribbing points, careful planning of the load and often bracing inside the house.
What license does a contractor need to raise a house in California?
California's licensing board puts raising, lowering, cribbing and underpinning a house, including its foundation, under its C-21 building moving and demolition class. That class covers the house and its foundation as they're lifted and supported, and repairs to the rest of the house are a separate matter, covered in the remodel question below.
How much does it cost to raise a house in Redondo Beach?
There's no set price, because the cost comes from your house and what's found when it's looked at. The biggest swings usually come from things you can't see from outside, such as rot in the sills, framing that needs reinforcing and the ground under the house. I write down what's included, so you can see where the money goes.
What does a Redondo Beach plan check submittal include?
It includes structural calculations and a soils report when they apply to the project, and review starts with getting the Planning stamp on the submittal. Questions about Redondo Beach's plan check go to buildingredondo@redondo.org or 310-318-0636. If your lift needs a permit, that's the paperwork we take care of.
How do I find out if my lot is in a liquefaction zone?
The state's Seismic Hazard Zone Map shows areas where liquefaction, ground that can lose its strength in a strong earthquake, may occur. If your property is in one of those zones, you may be required to investigate the hazard and deal with it during local permitting. I'd rather know that before the lift plan is set.
How do I plan a remodel along with raising my house?
Ask how the remodel will be licensed, because the C-21 class that covers raising and underpinning leaves out alterations, additions, repairs and rehabilitation to the parts of the house that stay in place. Tell me about the remodel when I come out, so the lift plan takes it into account.
Plan your house lift and the foundation under it
We pick up (424) 402-3940 into the evening and on weekends, so you can call after you've had a look around the house.
