Concrete footings in Merrimack NH - a firm base sized for what sits on top
Planning an addition, porch or garage? We dig, form and pour footings that spread the weight into firm ground.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What are concrete footings, and does your project need them?
Concrete footings are the wider base at the bottom of a foundation wall or post, and at Quality Merrimack Concrete we pour them in Merrimack, NH so the weight of what you build spreads out into the soil instead of pressing down in one narrow line.
Most people call us when they're adding something heavy, like a room, a garage, a porch or a deck, and the plans say footings come first. The price follows the size of each footing, how deep we have to dig and what the ground is like once we're in it, and the schedule turns on the permit, the weather and anything the dig turns up. I can't tell you about rock or old fill until I've seen the yard, so the estimate I write after looking at your site is where you get the figure for your own job.
How do you know your project needs new footings?
Deck or porch posts sinking
Posts sitting on a loose block or set straight in the dirt settle at different rates, so the railing tips and the boards start to dip. That usually means there's no real footing under them, and the longer it goes, the more the frame racks and works its fasteners loose.
Steps lifting every winter
If your front steps or porch rise in winter and settle back in spring, frozen ground is usually pushing up on a base that sits too shallow. Each round of that opens cracks and loosens connections, so it tends to get a little worse every year.
Plans that call for footings
An addition, garage, sunroom or big shed needs footings before any framing can start, because everything else stands on them. Leaving them to the last minute can push the pour into cold weather, which adds protection and cost to the job.
How we build concrete footings
Before we plan the dig, I check your site for rock and old fill, because footings carry everything above them and what's down there decides how we dig. We lay out each footing to match what it holds up, a long one under a wall or a single pad under a post, then dig out, clean the loose dirt off the bottom so the concrete bears on firm ground, and set forms and rebar, the steel bars that keep concrete from pulling apart if the ground moves. We pour, protect the concrete while it cures, which is the wait while it gains strength before anything sits on it, then strip the forms and backfill. Nobody sees a footing once the wall goes up, and that's exactly why I won't let anyone rush the dig, since a good-looking wall on a bad footing is still a bad wall.
Footing work often sits next to other jobs. If a wall or slab has already dropped, foundation raising brings it back up before we tie anything new to it, and when a new footing has to go under an existing slab or patio, concrete cutting opens a clean section so we aren't breaking out more than the job needs.
Continuous footings
These run the full length under a wall, so they suit a new foundation, an addition or a garage where the weight comes down along a line. We size them to the wall they carry.
Pad footings
A pad is a single block of concrete under one post, pier or column, where the load lands in one spot. They suit decks, porches, carports and basement columns, and we size each pad to what that post holds up.
Get a free on-site estimate for your footings
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come look at the site and leave you a free estimate, with no pressure to book.
(603) 377-5028- Based in
- Merrimack, NH 03054
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about footings in Merrimack?
Here's how a footing job goes from your first call to the day we backfill, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Reach us at (603) 377-5028 or through the form with a few lines about your project. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I walk the site with you
I come out myself, look at the spot, ask what's going on top and check for signs of rock or fill. You get the estimate on site before I leave, so you know the cost before anything is dug.
Permit, dig, pour and backfill
Once you say go, we get any permit paperwork moving and prep the ground, and I'm there with our crew for the pour. After the concrete has set, we strip the forms and backfill, and the footings are ready for whoever builds on top.
Why Merrimack homeowners call Quality Merrimack Concrete for footings
I write the estimate and run the job
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work with me on site running it. The person who saw your yard is the one making the calls when the trench is open.
Pouring concrete since 2013
I learned the trade beside an older finisher and have run this business since 2013, after years on restaurant lines that taught me prep and timing decide how things turn out. Around Merrimack, that means planning for frost, rock and cold-weather pours before they come up.
Licensed and insured on footing work
We're licensed and insured. That matters on footings, since a lot happens in an open trench next to your house before anything else gets built.
Footings get one chance to be right before something heavy sits on them, so tell us about your project or call (603) 377-5028.
Footing permits and digging in Merrimack
In Merrimack, the Merrimack Building Division issues building permits, and you file the application online through Open Gov. New Hampshire law requires buildings and their components to meet the state building code, and footings are one of those components. Whether your job needs a permit is the division's call, so we'll help you find out and get the paperwork moving, and we work to whatever they ask.
The ground around here is the other half of the story. Granite, gneiss and schist are the bedrock you usually find in New Hampshire, and once a dig hits hard rock a spade won't move it, though it can sometimes be chipped or scraped. Ground that's been dug out and filled before, around older houses or where a lot was regraded, can vary widely from one spot to the next, and only a look on site tells you what you've got. That's the reason for my first walk of the yard, and we run into the same rock and old fill on footing jobs in Bedford and Nashua.
Questions about concrete footings in Merrimack
How much do concrete footings cost per foot?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $5 to $20 per linear foot, covering the concrete, the labor and the digging. A wider, deeper footing in weak soil can cost several times what a small, shallow one does, so where your job lands depends on the footing size and the ground. I'll give you the figure for your own site once I've seen it.
How deep do footings need to be in a cold climate like New Hampshire?
In colder climates, footings usually need to sit below the frost line, because ground that freezes and thaws can heave a shallow footing and shift whatever is on it. Depth is one of the first things we plan, since it drives how much digging and concrete the job takes. The office handling your permit decides what your job needs, and we dig to what they ask.
Is a frost-protected shallow foundation an option instead of deep footings?
It can be, mostly for slab-on-grade houses on gentle slopes, which is where one builder's guide finds it fits best. Insulation placed around the foundation raises the soil temperature, so the foundation can sit as shallow as 16 inches in almost all of the continental US, and the same guide says it suits remodeling because it disturbs less of the site and can work with a walkout basement if the insulation goes on the downhill side. Whether it's right for your house is something to settle with your designer and the permit office before anything gets dug.
Can concrete footings be poured in cold weather?
Yes, as long as the fresh concrete is kept from freezing, because concrete that freezes early can lose more than half its potential strength. A pour counts as cold-weather work once the air falls, or is expected to fall, below 40°F while the concrete is protected, and the colder it gets, the more protection it needs. That protection usually stays on for about two days after the pour.
What is the best way to protect new footings from freezing?
Cover them right away with insulated blankets, tarps or straw under plastic sheeting, which are the common ways crews protect fresh concrete. Before a cold pour, snow and ice get cleared and anything the concrete touches is kept above freezing, which sometimes means insulating or heating the ground first. Ask whoever you hire how they'll cover the footings, and expect the covers and equipment to be on site before the pour starts.
How do I get an accurate estimate for concrete footings?
Tell us what the footings will carry, about how long the run is or how many pads you need, any rock or fill you know about and when you'd like it done. With that, my site visit goes straight to the things that change the price. Call (603) 377-5028 or send the form to get started.
Related work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When part of a house or garage has settled, lifting it back to level comes first, so new work isn't tied to a wall that's still moving.
Concrete cutting
Need a footing under an existing slab, or an opening through a basement floor? A clean saw cut takes out only the section the new work needs.
Cities where we pour concrete footings
Quality Merrimack Concrete is based in Merrimack, NH, and we pour footings across the cities around it. The 12 cities below each have their own page, from Manchester, NH to Tyngsborough, MA, and we work in plenty of nearby places that aren't listed.
Merrimack, NH
Get your footings planned before framing day
Booking the footings early keeps your framer or deck builder from waiting on concrete, because nothing above can start until they're poured and set.