Foundation raising in Kirkland WA - your house lifted and set on a sound new base
Old foundation cracked, settling or too low? We lift the house, build a new one underneath and set your home back down on it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Can my house be lifted onto a new foundation?
Foundation raising in Kirkland means lifting your house off its old foundation, building a new or extended foundation underneath it and setting the house back down, so a sound house doesn't go down with a failing base.
Usually the house is fine and the trouble is what's under it, so the real question is whether it's worth lifting instead of patching the old foundation one more time. The price moves with how big the house is, how it's shaped and what's attached to it, and the schedule turns on the check of the house, the permit review and the inspections. I put all of that in a written estimate after I've seen the place, and if you're weighing a full rebuild of the base, our foundation installation page covers that side of it.
How do you know your house needs a new foundation under it?
Foundation crumbling at the edges
If you can pick at the foundation wall and it flakes or comes off in chunks, the concrete is breaking down and another patch won't hold. Waiting just leaves more of the house's weight riding on material that gets weaker every winter.
Cracks that keep getting wider
A crack you marked last year that's wider now usually means the foundation is still moving, not just the normal shrinking concrete does. The longer it moves, the more the framing above it twists, and that becomes repair work on top of the foundation.
Sticking doors and sloping floors
Doors that suddenly won't latch and floors you can feel running downhill often mean one part of the foundation has settled more than the rest. It's worth a look before cracked drywall and racked window frames get added to the list.
How we handle foundation raising
First, I want your house checked by a design professional before anyone puts a jack under it, and I'll go over any garage, porch, addition or chimney with you, because those change how the lift is planned. Then the utilities get shut off and disconnected, so plan on them being off for a stretch while the house is up. We lift the house, dig out and pack the ground the new footing sits on instead of raking it level, set the rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together if it cracks, pour the new foundation and set the house back down on it. That footing, the wide base the walls stand on, disappears for good once the house is down, which is exactly why it's the last place I'd cut to save money.
Some of the work around a lift is cutting, because when an old foundation wall or a slab against the house has to come out, our concrete cutting work saws it out in clean sections instead of hammering it to pieces. A driveway often takes a beating from the equipment or no longer lines up with the garage afterward, and we can tear it out and pour a new one, the same concrete driveway building we do on its own.
A new foundation under the whole house
This suits a house whose old foundation is failing all the way around, because there's nothing under it worth keeping. It's the bigger job, but you start over with a base built right from the dirt up.
Extending the foundation you have
This suits a house where parts of the old foundation are still sound, so the new work builds on what's already there. The design professional's check tells us whether that's realistic before we plan on it.
Attached parts lifted on their own
An attached garage, porch, wing or addition, especially one on its own foundation, often has to be detached and lifted separately. That's more work, so if your house has one, tell me early and we'll plan around it.
Get a written estimate for raising your house
Send the form with your address and any attached garage, porch or chimney, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out for a free on-site look and send a written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- Kirkland, WA 98033
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about lifting your house?
Here's how it runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
We get back to you and set a time for me to come out to your place. Have your address and a list of anything attached to the house handy.
I walk the site with you
I look at the house and lot with you, check which city or county office covers your address, and then send a written estimate. It spells out what's attached, what has to happen before the lift and what moves the price, so the budget doesn't surprise you later.
Approval, prep and the lift
Where a critical area is on or near your lot, Kirkland says review times depend on the project's size and the type of area, so we plan the start around the approval and the inspections. Then we get the ground and forms ready, lift the house and pour.
Set down and walk-through
We set the house down on the new foundation, the utility lines get reconnected, and I walk the job with you at the end. That's the time to ask anything you want about what's under there now.
Why Kirkland homeowners call Precision Kirkland Concrete for foundation raising
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at the house and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site with our crew when we do the work. The person who laid out the plan is the one watching it get done.
In business since 2020
I taught myself concrete on small pours, learned the rest on other people's crews and started this business in 2020. Six years in, I'd still rather tell you a lift isn't worth it than sell you one.
Licensed and insured in Washington
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state Department of Labor & Industries. We're licensed and insured, which counts for a lot when your whole house is sitting on supports.
If you're trying to decide whether your house is worth lifting, call (425) 285-8195 or send us your address and I'll come take a look.
Raising a house and checking the lot in Kirkland
Kirkland's building official issues permits to owners who plan to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, and if there's any doubt about whether your job needs one, the city asks you to contact Development Services before work starts. We check which city or county office covers your address before we start, and when your job needs a permit, we can file it for you or help you file it.
The lot matters as much as the house. Kirkland's permit exemptions don't apply in flood hazard, wetland, steep slope or other critical areas, and the city treats land prone to landslides, severe erosion or soils that can liquefy in an earthquake as geologically hazardous, so I want to know what's under your lot before we plan a lift. Most of Kirkland's flood-prone land is public natural space, so on house jobs here it's usually the slope and the soil that need a closer look. We run the same lot check on jobs in Bellevue and Redmond, and across the cities we work in around King County and south Snohomish County.
Questions about foundation raising in Kirkland
How is a house raised onto a new foundation?
The house is separated from its old foundation, lifted on hydraulic jacks and held on temporary supports while a new or extended foundation is built below it. Once that's done, the house comes down onto it and the utilities get hooked back up.
Does my house need an inspection before it's lifted?
Yes, a design professional should inspect the house first to make sure it's structurally sound enough to lift. Lifting a house that isn't sound can cause expensive damage, so we don't plan the lift until that check is done.
Who issues building permits in Kirkland, WA?
Kirkland's building official issues building permits, and you apply and schedule inspections through MyBuildingPermit.com. If your address turns out to fall under the county instead, I'll tell you when I come out to look.
How do I find out if my Kirkland lot is in a critical area?
Run your address through the city's Property Search Tool, which makes a Parcel Report showing whether flood hazard, wetland, steep slope or other critical areas apply. The city's Landslide Hazard Map helps too, and Kirkland's critical area page explains how those areas change what a permit asks for.
How much does it cost to raise a house in Kirkland?
The cost comes down mostly to the house itself, and you get a written figure from me after I've seen it. A plain square or rectangular house is the simpler lift, while attached parts lifted separately and a chimney that has to be braced or removed during the lift add to it.
How long are the utilities off when a house is raised?
Water, sewer, gas and electric all get disconnected before the house goes up and stay off until they're reconnected at the end of the project. How long that runs depends on the job, so plan on the house going without them for that whole stretch, and I'll go over the timing with you in the estimate.
Services that often go with a house lift
Concrete cutting
When old foundation walls or a slab by the house have to come out, sawing them keeps the edges clean instead of leaving a hammered mess.
Concrete driveway building
If the lift equipment chews up your driveway or the garage approach no longer lines up afterward, a fresh pour on a packed base fixes both.
Cities we work in around Kirkland
Precision Kirkland Concrete is based in Kirkland, WA, and these 12 cities have their own pages, from Bothell to Issaquah. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
Kirkland, WA
Book a look at your house and lot
Send your address and a note on anything attached to the house, and I'll come out already knowing what to look for.