Foundation raising in Carson CA - your house checked over before anyone lifts it
Floors sloping, or a house sitting too low? We get it checked first, then lifted onto a new foundation in the right order.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to raise a house in Carson?
Foundation raising in Carson usually means separating your house from its foundation, lifting it on hydraulic jacks and holding it on temporary supports while a new or taller foundation is built underneath, then setting it back down. That's how national flood guidance describes most lifts, and it's the order the job follows.
Most people who call me about raising a house have floors that have settled or a house that sits lower than they'd like, and the first thing I need to know is what's underneath it. The price moves with the size and weight of the house, whether it sits on a slab, a crawlspace or a basement, how high it has to go and how much has to be cut, rebuilt or reconnected once it's back down. The schedule turns on order, because the design review and any permit review come before the jacks show up, and the new foundation needs time to harden before the house's weight goes on it. After I've seen the house, the written estimate shows you what's included for your job.
How do you know your house may need raising?
Floors that slope or dip
If a marble rolls across the kitchen or one corner of a room feels lower, part of the foundation has usually settled. Waiting tends to let it keep moving, and the cracks it causes spread into drywall, tile and the slab.
Doors and windows sticking
A door that used to close fine and now rubs at the top usually means the frame is being pulled out of square by a shifting foundation. Planing the door fixes it for a season, while the movement underneath carries on.
Water pooling against the house
Water sitting along the foundation after rain usually means the house is low compared to the ground around it. Left alone, that water keeps soaking the ground under the house, which can speed up settling and make the eventual fix bigger.
How we handle foundation raising
We don't plan a lift until a design professional has looked the house over, because lifting a house that isn't sound can cause damage that's expensive to fix. Next, we talk through the earthquake tradeoff with you, so you decide with everything on the table instead of finding out later. Then I set the order, which runs through any permit work and the city's reviews, then the lift, then the new foundation, which our crew forms and pours on a dug-out, packed subgrade, the ground the concrete sits on. We let the new concrete cure, the wait while it gains strength, before the house's weight goes back on it, because loading it early is one way a new foundation cracks.
A lift usually brings more concrete work with it. If the old slab stays behind or the new layout needs openings through concrete, concrete cutting gets it done with clean edges instead of broken ones. And if the raised house leaves your driveway short of the garage, we can tear it out and handle the concrete driveway building at the new height.
Crawlspace and basement homes
National flood guidance says the jacks-and-supports method works well for houses on crawlspaces, basements and open foundations, because there's room to get under the floor. If that's your house, the lift itself is usually the simpler part of the job.
Slab house lifted with its slab
The house and its slab go up together, so you keep the floor you already have. It's the heavier of the two slab lifts, which is one more reason the engineer's review comes before anything else.
Slab house lifted off its slab
The house leaves the old slab and goes up onto a new, raised floor, which makes it lighter and easier to lift. The trade-off is that holes get cut in the walls for bracing, and those need repair before you can live in the house again.
Get a written estimate for raising your house
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look over your foundation and measure, then you get a free written estimate with no obligation.
(424) 528-1319- Based in
- Carson, CA 90745
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about raising your house in Carson?
From your first call to pour day, here's who does what and what you'll have in hand at each step.
Call or send a request
Call (424) 528-1319 or use the form, and tell us whether your house sits on a slab, a crawlspace or a basement if you know. We set a time for me to come out.
I come out and measure
I look the site over, measure, ask what you have in mind and answer what I can on the spot. If something needs checking, I'll tell you and get back to you instead of guessing.
You get a written estimate
The estimate is written out so you can see what's included, which makes it easy to compare with anyone else's. Once you say yes, we set the schedule and handle any permit work, including the city's plan review and inspections.
We go over pour day
Before the crew shows up, I walk you through pour day and the care the new concrete needs after it. You'll know what happens in what order, and when you can expect each step.
Why Carson homeowners call Premium Carson Concrete for foundation raising
The owner sees your house first
I usually come out myself to look at the site and measure, then our crew lead and crew do the forming, pouring and finishing while I keep the schedule. You talk to the person who set the order of your job.
Based in Carson since 2017
I ran the schedule for a busy concrete company, lining up crews, trucks and pours, before I started this business in Carson in 2017. That's why we're known for jobs that run in the order we said they would.
Insured while your house is up
We're licensed and fully insured. On a job where your house sits off its foundation for a stretch, that coverage is something to ask any contractor about before you sign.
On a lift, the order of the steps matters more than anything, so ask for your estimate or call (424) 528-1319 and we'll start with what's under your house.
Permits, plan review and foundation raising in Carson
In Carson, permits come from the city's Building & Safety Division, which takes applications online through the Carson Civic Access portal, reviews plans and schedules inspections to check the work against building codes. A lift with a new foundation under it is the kind of job I check with the division before we schedule anything, rather than assume. When your job needs a permit, we take care of the application and the inspections with the city or county office that covers your address, and the lift waits until the plans clear review.
We work in Carson and many of the cities and county areas around it, and on jobs in Torrance and Long Beach we see the same mix of houses on slabs and houses on raised floors, so I start each visit by finding out which one you have. Tight side yards and short driveways are common too, so I check how the supports and a concrete truck will get in before I write anything down.
Questions about foundation raising in Carson
How much does it cost to raise a house near Carson?
Raising a house in Los Angeles usually costs about $4,000 to $68,000 per house, and that's the going range in the area, not our price. Where your house lands depends mostly on its size, its foundation type, how high it goes and what has to be rebuilt afterward. My written estimate shows what's included for yours.
Does a slab house need a structural engineer before it's raised?
Yes, national guidance calls for a structural engineer's help before you even consider raising a house on a slab, so that review comes first. It's also where you'll usually learn whether the slab should go up with the house or stay behind.
Does raising my house change its earthquake risk?
It can, because national guidance says raising a home can make it more likely to be damaged in an earthquake. That weighs more here, since California carries about two-thirds of the nation's earthquake risk. Raise it with your design professional before you decide.
What license does a contractor need to raise a house in California?
California has a building moving and demolition contractor license that covers raising, lowering and moving a structure, foundation included. It doesn't cover repairs or additions to the parts of the house that stay, so ask who is handling that work before the job starts.
How do I get my house ready for a foundation raising?
Plan for every utility line to be disconnected before the house goes up, including water, sewer, gas, electric and phone. At the end of the job those lines are reconnected and any landscaping that's needed gets finished. Clearing a path around the house ahead of time helps the crew get set up.
What causes a house foundation to settle?
Settling usually starts in the ground under the house, and one pier maker links it to building on expansive clay, to poorly compacted fill soil or to poor upkeep around the foundation. That maker describes push piers, steel pipe sections pushed into the ground by hydraulics, as a way to restore or stabilize a settled foundation. The design professional's review tells you whether that or a full lift fits your house.
Concrete work that often comes with a lift
Saw cuts let us take out or open up only the concrete that has to go, so the slab and walls you're keeping stay in one piece.
Once the house is done, a new driveway on a dug-out, packed base gives you a smooth way back to a garage that now sits higher.
Service areas around our Carson base
Premium Carson Concrete is based in Carson, California, and works in Carson and many of the cities and county areas around it. The 12 cities listed here have their own pages, including Lomita and Signal Hill, and they aren't the only places we go.
Carson, CA
Book a look at your foundation
Call (424) 528-1319 or send the form with your foundation type, slab, crawlspace or basement, so I come out ready for your kind of lift.