Concrete footings in Portsmouth NH - a steady base for your deck or addition
Old posts heaving every winter, or a new deck or addition coming? We dig and pour footings that keep the weight on solid ground.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into concrete footings that hold up through a Portsmouth winter?
The short answer: Concrete footings are the pads and piers that carry a deck, porch, addition or wall. In Portsmouth, NH our crew digs them deep enough that frost can't get underneath, then pours and protects them so an early freeze doesn't weaken the concrete.
Most people call us when they're planning something new, or when the posts on an old deck have started heaving every winter and nobody's sure what's under them. The price mostly comes down to how many footings you need, how deep they go, how easy the digging is once we're in the ground, and whether the pour lands in cold weather that needs extra protection. The schedule turns on the permit questions and the season, so I check what the local building office needs before we set a date, and your written estimate gives you the figure for your own job. We're based in Portsmouth and work in the cities around it on both sides of the Piscataqua River, in New Hampshire and Maine.
How do you know your footings need work?
Posts heaving each winter
If your deck or porch posts rise in winter and settle back crooked in spring, the footings under them are usually too shallow or missing, so frost gets underneath and lifts them. It gets a little worse every year, and the railings and the connection to the house take the strain.
Porch pulling off the house
A gap opening between a porch or a set of steps and the house usually means the footings under it have settled while the house stayed put. Left alone, that gap lets water in at the wall, and the fix grows from a few footings to the whole structure.
A new build on the way
If you're planning an addition, a deck or a shed, the footings go in first and decide how well everything above them sits. Getting the depth and the timing right now costs a lot less than lifting a finished structure later.
How we build concrete footings
I start by asking the local building office what depth they want, because everything you build sits on its footings and that depth is what keeps frost from getting under them. Then we lay out each footing, dig to that depth and check that the bottom is firm, undisturbed soil and not loose fill, since a footing settles with whatever it sits on. We keep water out of the holes, look at where your yard drains, set the forms and add rebar, the steel that holds the concrete together, where the plans call for it. Then we pour and level the tops, and when it turns cold we protect the fresh pours. Once the concrete has set, we pull the forms, backfill and grade the dirt so water runs away from the footings. The dig is the part nobody sees once the deck goes on, and it's the first thing people want to trim to save money, but it's the one part I won't cut, because a shallow or soft-bottomed footing can't be fixed from above.
Some footing jobs start with another problem. If a porch, deck or part of the house has already settled, foundation raising can bring it back up before we set new footings under it. When the spot we need sits under an old patio, basement or garage floor, we use concrete cutting to open it up cleanly instead of breaking out more than we have to.
Pier footings for decks and porches
Round piers, usually poured in tube forms, suit decks, porches and small additions where the weight sits on posts. They take less digging than a full trench, so they're often the simpler choice on a tight or sloped lot.
Continuous footings under walls
A trench footing that runs the length of a wall suits additions, garages and retaining walls, where the weight runs along a line instead of resting on posts. It's more digging and more concrete, but it spreads the load evenly under the whole wall.
New footings through an old slab
When a post or wall has to land inside an existing patio, basement or garage floor, we cut the slab, dig out below it and pour the footing in place. It suits renovations where tearing out the whole floor would cost more than it saves.
What happens when you call us about footings in Portsmouth?
Most footing jobs move at the pace of the permit and the weather, so here's how it goes from your first call to the day we clean up, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
- Step 01
Call or send us a message
Call (603) 956-1034 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set up a visit. Tell us what you're building and whether your lot is in the Historic District, so I know what to look into first.
- Step 02
I walk the site with you
I come out myself, look at the ground, the slope and where the water goes, and ask how you'll use what we're building. Then I send you a written estimate for the job.
- Step 03
Settle the permit and date
Before we pick a date, we check what the local building office needs and help put together the sketches or site plan they ask for, and if you're in the Historic District, that review comes first. We pick the pour date with the season in mind, and if it lands in cold weather, you decide whether protecting the pour is worth it or whether to wait.
- Step 04
Dig, pour and clean up
Our own crew digs, sets the forms and pours, and I'm on site for every pour. Afterward we backfill, grade the dirt and clean up before we go.
Permits and ground conditions for concrete footings in Portsmouth
Before anyone digs, the permit question needs an answer. Portsmouth's Inspection Office issues building permits for new construction and general renovation. Its list names additions, structural repairs and new structures, but it doesn't name footings on their own, so whether your footings need a permit isn't settled until the office looks at your project. If the footings carry an addition or a new structure, that work is on the list. New Hampshire's State Building Code applies everywhere in the state and sets the minimums for all buildings and structures. If your lot sits in a Historic District zoning area, new construction, additions and exterior changes also need a separate application to the Historic District Commission. We check all of this with the city before we set a pour date.
On the ground, we see a lot of older houses on tight lots and yards that slope toward the water, and the digging can turn up old fill, buried stone or spots that stay wet. When that happens, we keep digging to firm soil and plan the drainage before we pour, and we meet the same kind of lots on jobs in Kittery and Rye.
Get a written estimate for your footings
We respond within 1 business day to set up a visit. I'll come out, walk the site with you and send free estimates at your property in writing, with no pressure to book.
Why Portsmouth homeowners call Portsmouth Concrete Works
I write the estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, our own crew does the work, and I'm on site for the pours. The person who planned your footing depth is standing there when the concrete goes in.
Permit questions settled before digging
Before we set a pour date, we check what the local building office needs and help pull together the sketches, site plans or drawings they ask for. If your property sits in a historic or flood area, we plan around that review from the start so the dig doesn't stall halfway.
Sloped and tight lots welcome
We've been doing this since 2017, and we're known for taking on the awkward jobs, like sloped yards, tight side lots and old slabs that need opening up. I'd rather spend another hour puzzling out a tricky spot than leave a problem under your deck.
Licensed and insured for every pour
We're fully licensed and insured. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On footings, the depth and a firm, dry bottom matter most, because nothing you build on top can make up for them. Tell me about your project and I'll come out to take a look.
Footing questions we hear from Portsmouth homeowners
Can concrete footings be poured in winter in Portsmouth, NH?
Yes, footings can be poured in cold weather if there's a plan to protect the concrete. National concrete guidance says fresh concrete freezes below about 25°F and that frozen concrete can lose more than 50% of its potential strength. The same guidance has crews clear snow and ice first and bring the ground and forms above freezing, which can mean insulating or heating the ground before the pour.
How long does fresh concrete need to be protected from freezing?
Concrete poured in freezing weather needs protection until about two days after it's placed, according to national concrete guidance. In fall and spring, guidance calls for protection from a surprise freeze for at least the first 24 hours, and concrete with an accelerating additive in the mix can still freeze, so it needs the same care. Early freezing can ruin unprotected concrete right away or leave it weak for good, which is why we protect our cold-weather pours.
How deep do concrete footings need to go in Portsmouth?
They need to go deep enough that frost can't get under them, and the figure for your job comes from the local building officials. One footing tube maker's installation guide points owners to those officials for frost depth, so you can ask the city before you plan the dig. We plan our depth around what they tell us.
How much do concrete footings cost in Portsmouth?
The cost depends on how many footings you need, how deep they go, how hard the digging is and whether the pour falls in cold weather, so I give you a figure after I've seen the site. National guidance notes that a cold-weather pour adds the cost of insulating blankets, tarps, heaters and slower work, but most likely keeps a project on schedule. It's your call whether that's worth paying or whether waiting for mild weather costs less, and I'm happy to talk through both on the visit.
How do I apply for a building permit in Portsmouth, NH?
You apply online, and the city takes all inspection permit applications through its permit applications page. Applications include plans or sketches of the work, and most projects also need a site plan showing the structures on your lot and how far each sits from the property lines. Most residential projects don't need stamped structural plans, and the city's code official decides when engineered plans are required.
Does the Historic District add time to a footing project in Portsmouth?
Yes, the city says Historic District review adds at least an extra month, because the commission meets monthly. That review covers new construction, additions and exterior changes in the district, so we plan around it from the start and set the pour date after it.
Related concrete work for footing jobs
Foundation raising
If part of your porch, deck or house has already sunk or tilted, raising it back to level first lets the new footings carry it where it belongs.
Concrete cutting
When the spot for a new post or wall falls inside an old patio or basement floor, a clean saw cut opens just enough room to dig and pour.
Call to plan your footing pour
Calling before the ground freezes gives us room to sort out the permit questions and pick a pour date, so call (603) 956-1034 or use the form.