Foundation repair in Bellingham WA - a clear plan before any digging starts
Doors sticking, walls cracking or floors starting to slope? We find the cause and lay out the repair before anyone digs.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What does foundation repair involve, from digging to putting the yard back?
Foundation repair in Bellingham means digging down to the footing, the wide base your walls sit on, and fixing the part that's moving so the house above has solid support. Then we seal cracks and put the yard and floor back. At Allied Bellingham Concrete and Masonry, it often comes with chimney or mortar work, because brick sitting on a foundation that moved tends to crack too.
Most foundation calls start with something small, like a door that won't latch or a crack that's grown since last winter. The cost and the schedule come down to how much of the foundation needs work, whether we reach it from the yard, from inside or both, how much yard and floor has to go back, and whether a permit or an engineer's review comes first. The City of Bellingham's residential permit application lists foundation-only work as its own project type, so before we start we check with the office that covers your address and help you with the application if one's needed. When I walk the house with you, I'll put what I'd do in writing.
How can you tell your foundation needs a look?
Doors and windows sticking
A door that used to close fine now rubs at the top, or a window jams partway up. That usually means the frame shifted because the wall under it moved, and the longer it goes, the more trim, drywall and brick get pulled along with it.
Cracks that keep growing
A thin crack in a concrete wall is often just shrinkage, but one that widens, steps through brick or block, or lets water in usually points to movement. Left alone, water keeps working in and the repair gets bigger.
Floors that slope or sag
If a ball rolls across the room or a new gap opens under the baseboard, part of the house has likely settled. Waiting lets it settle further, and that means more digging and more floor to put back later.
Work that often comes with it
Chimney repair
When a house settles, a masonry chimney can crack or lean along with it, and water finds its way in through the gaps it leaves.
Tuckpointing
Brick that shifted with the foundation often has loose or cracked mortar joints, and fresh mortar keeps rain from working deeper into the wall.
How we handle foundation repair
Before any digging starts, I want you to know whether we'll dig outside, inside or both, and how your yard and floor get put back afterward. We'll also ask whether an engineer should look over the plan for your house, because everything above the foundation depends on getting it right. Once that's settled, we have buried utility lines marked, our crew digs down to the footing where the house needs support, and we make the repair. Then we seal cracks, backfill and clean up so the yard's ready to plant again.
A foundation that moved rarely moves alone. If your chimney has cracked or started pulling away from the house, we can handle the chimney repair while we're there. Brick walls that shifted often need tuckpointing, new mortar pressed into the worn joints, to close up what cracked when the wall moved.
One wall or one corner
This suits a single settled corner or one cracked wall, where the signs stay in one part of the house. The dig is smaller, so less of the yard or floor comes up.
Several walls at once
When doors stick at both ends of the house or cracks show on more than one side, it's usually better to plan the whole repair together. It's more digging, but you're not opening up the yard twice.
Get a written foundation repair estimate for your house
Send this and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to walk your foundation with you. The estimate is free with no obligation, and you can call (360) 255-7006 instead.
Call (360) 255-7006Why Bellingham homeowners trust us with their foundations
I walk every job myself
I come out to look at every foundation and write the estimate myself, then check in with our masons and with you while the work's underway. You're not passed between people who each know only part of the job.
Running this business since 2013
I sold brick, block and stone for years, learned the trade on job sites next to experienced masons and started this business in 2013. That counter time taught me to explain a choice twice rather than rush anyone into one.
Licensed and insured for your job
We're licensed and insured. Foundation work means digging next to your house and sometimes inside it, so the crew doing it should be covered before the ground opens.
Digging planned around sensitive land
On the city's residential permit application, work that disturbs soil needs a site plan showing wetlands, streams, steep slopes or flood zones on your lot and the lots next to it. I look for those when I walk the job, so the digging plan fits what the city asks to see.
With a foundation, what matters most is knowing the plan before the ground opens, so request an estimate or call (360) 255-7006 and I'll come take a look.
What happens after you call about foundation repair?
Call or send a request
Call (360) 255-7006 or use the form, and tell us what you're noticing, like a sticking door or a new crack. We'll set a time for me to come out.
Walk the foundation together
I look at the walls, floors and yard with you and answer your questions as we go. You get a written estimate laying out the work and the price, including whether backfill and cleanup are covered, so you can take your time deciding.
Check permits, set a start
Once you're ready, we check with the office that covers your address and tell you what it needs. Then we set a start date that works for you.
Dig, repair and restore
Our masons do the work and I keep you posted along the way. At the end we backfill, clean up and check that your doors and windows open and close the way they should.
Common questions
How much does foundation repair cost in Bellingham?
Foundation repair in the Bellingham area usually costs about $3,500 to $23,000 per project. The range is wide because the jobs are, and a single settled corner is a very different project from work along several walls. Your written estimate shows where your house falls.
Will crews dig inside or outside my house?
It can be outside, inside or both, depending on the approach for your house. Outside, crews dig either a trench along the whole wall or a separate square hole at each support point down to the footing, and inside they cut out squares of the concrete floor. Every opening gets filled back in when the repair's done.
How do I check a foundation contractor's registration in Washington?
Look the business up with the state Department of Labor & Industries' Verify tool, which shows whether it has an active contractor registration and a paid-up workers' comp account. The state requires every construction contractor to register and to be bonded and insured, and the tool also lists safety violations and lawsuits against a contractor's bond.
How do I know if my Bellingham address is handled by the city?
Start by finding out whether your property is inside city limits, because many Bellingham addresses are in unincorporated areas outside them. The city's permit center answers questions at (360) 778-8300 or permits@cob.org, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Should an engineer review my foundation repair plan?
It's worth asking, because one maker of foundation repair parts recommends that a registered professional engineer review the final plan for each site. Ask any contractor you talk to whether an engineer will look over the repair for your house.
What causes a house to slide off its foundation in an earthquake?
Poorly anchored cripple walls, the short wood-framed walls some older houses have between the foundation and the first floor, can let a house slide off its foundation in an earthquake. Poorly braced ones can collapse, so if your house has them, ask how a foundation repair handles anchoring and bracing.
Book a walk-through of your foundation
Have your property address handy when you call (360) 255-7006 or send the form, and if you know whether it's inside city limits, we'll know which office to check with first.