Foundation raising in Laguna Niguel CA - a steady house with floors closer to level
Doors that stick, floors that slope and cracks that keep growing usually mean the house settled. We find out why, then lift it back.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
How do I fix a house that's settling in Laguna Niguel?
Foundation raising in Laguna Niguel steadies a house that has settled and lifts it back toward level, using foam under a slab, piers set down to firm ground, or new shims and piers under a house with a crawl space.
You've probably watched a crack grow or a door start to stick and wondered how bad it really is. The price mostly turns on whether your house sits on a slab or on piers and beams over a crawl space, how many piers it needs and what's behind the settling, and the schedule turns on that same pier count plus any review the city wants before work starts. I'll see all of that on site, and your written quote spells out your figure and what it covers.
Is foundation raising right for your house?
Doors and windows sticking
When doors stop latching and windows bind, the frame has usually shifted because part of the house dropped.
Floors that slope or dip
A floor you can feel running downhill usually means one side of the house settled more.
Cracks that keep growing
Cracks in drywall or tile that widen over months point to movement that's still going on.
A sagging crawl space house
A house over a crawl space that's sagging can often be leveled by shimming or replacing its piers.
How we handle foundation raising
I start every foundation raising job by asking why the house settled, because lifting it without fixing the cause just sets up the next repair. That usually means looking at where water runs off the roof and across the yard, then choosing a lift method that fits what I find. We raise the house slowly and only partway, aiming for a floor much closer to level rather than perfectly flat, because pushing hard is what cracks plaster, tile and pipes. Once it's steady, we deal with the cause, such as drainage that keeps soaking the ground by your walls.
Some lifts need a little more than the lift. When a pier has to go in where an old walk or patio slab is in the way, we use concrete cutting to open a clean section instead of breaking out the whole slab. The same ground movement that drops a house often cracks the driveway beside it, and if yours is past saving, our concrete driveway building work replaces it on a base that's dug out and packed. Where an engineer calls for deeper support at a corner, we pour concrete footings to carry it.
Shimming a pier-and-beam house
For a house over a crawl space, we reach the framing from below and shim or replace the piers that dropped. It's usually the simpler job because nothing has to come up through the floor.
Lifting a slab on piers
Underpinning carries a slab house on piers driven down to load-bearing soil, the firm ground that can hold the house up. It's the heavier fix, with digging along the outside walls to set each pier.
Foam injection under a slab
We drill small holes through the slab and inject polyurethane foam that fills the gap underneath and pushes the slab back up. It skips the digging, which helps when a patio, pool or planter hugs the house.
What happens after you call about raising your house?
Tell us what you're seeing
Call or send the form and tell us whether the house sits on a slab or over a crawl space, and whether the cracks seem to still be moving. That tells me what to look for when I come out.
I look and explain it
I walk the house with you, show you what I see and talk through what I'd do and why. You get a written quote that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
We sort out city paperwork
If the job needs plans or a permit, we get that settled with the city before the crew shows up. Any soil report the city asks for comes first too, and we build the schedule around both.
We lift, then walk through
Our crew raises the house a little at a time and checks the floors as it comes up. When we're done, I walk you through what's normal afterward and how to look after it.
Foam or piers for foundation raising
Match the lift to why the house settled.
One maker of lifting foam suggests foam when the settling is shallow, a gap under the slab is the main problem and the rest of the house is sound. In that case the slab mostly needs its support back, not a new way of standing on the ground.
The same guide points to piers when the firm ground sits deeper than foam can reach, or when the house is still moving. If an engineer has called for a deep foundation, piers are the likely path. I'll show you which one fits what I find on your house, and why.
Examples of concrete work
Look through these examples of concrete work, from driveways and patios to walls and steps, to see what each kind of job looks like.
Get a written quote for raising your house
Tell us what you're seeing and whether the house is on a slab or over a crawl space, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll set up a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Why Laguna Niguel homeowners call Select Laguna Niguel Concrete for foundation raising
The owner writes every estimate
I come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, and a lead hand runs our crew on site while I'm there for any pours and the final walkthrough. You hear about your house from the person who actually looked at it.
In business since 2020
We've been in business since 2020, and I learned the trade on new tract homes before moving to houses people already live in. That taught me to work around gardens, pools, old concrete and families who still need to get out the door in the morning.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. Lifting a house is structural work, and you want the crew under it to carry both.
Plain words before we start
Most of our calls come from Laguna Niguel and the cities around it, and I explain every job before we start, often with a quick sketch of how your house settled. When you're ready, call (949) 312-6257 or send us the form.
Questions about raising a house
How much does foundation raising cost in Laguna Niguel?
Across the US, leveling a house usually costs about $3,500 to $30,000 for the whole job, and that's the national market range, not our price. Slab homes cost more because the slab has to be lifted on piers driven to load-bearing soil, while pier-and-beam houses cost less since the crew can work from the crawl space. Piers are priced one at a time, and helical piers cost more each than steel push piers, so your written quote shows how many you need and which kind.
Does Laguna Niguel require a soil report for foundation repair?
Often, yes. The city requires a geotechnical or geology report, a study of the ground under the house, for repairs after the soil or the structure has failed and whenever piles, caissons or deepened footings are used, and a registered geotechnical engineer should prepare and sign it. If you're planning underpinning, you can ask the city for its handout on underpinning soil report requirements.
How long does foundation raising take?
Shimming a pier-and-beam house usually takes 1 to 3 days, and lifting a slab on piers usually takes 3 to 7 days depending on how many piers go in. Any city review comes before that, and we plan the start date around it.
Can I stay in my house while it's being leveled?
Usually, yes. Slab work is noisy and means digging around the outside of the house, so plan for loud days and torn-up ground along the walls while the piers go in.
What causes a house to need leveling again?
A house that's been leveled properly on stable soil shouldn't need it again, so repeat leveling means whatever caused the settling is still there. That's why we start with the cause, as I explained above, instead of just lifting the floor.
How do I check if my house is in an earthquake zone in California?
Look up your address on the state's EQ Zapp earthquake hazards map, which shows whether a property sits in an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone or a Seismic Hazard Zone. We can go over what it shows together when I come out.
Wondering why your house settled?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come look, then give you a written quote listing what's included and what isn't.
Other work that often goes with it
What the city and the ground mean for foundation raising in Laguna Niguel
Laguna Niguel wants plans prepared, submitted and reviewed for zoning, grading and building code compliance before any grading or building construction starts, and whether your lift falls under that depends on the work, so the city's building and safety office is the place to ask. When a job needs a permit and we're the contractor, we pull it, handle the city paperwork ourselves and plan the schedule around the review. We'll also tell you early if anything has to come from you, like an approval from your HOA.
The city itself says its hills, the way it was built out and its ground make for unusual building conditions, which is part of why it may ask for a soil report. We're based in Laguna Niguel and work in many cities around it across Orange County, and on jobs in Aliso Viejo and Mission Viejo we start the same way, by finding the cause before we lift anything.