Concrete footings in Durango CO - a firm base that carries the weight above it
Planning an addition, garage or deck and need something solid under it? We plan the dig, steel and inspection so the footings carry the load.
Request an estimate
What goes into concrete footings in Durango?
Concrete footings are the wider band of concrete under a foundation wall, a pier or a post. In Durango they spread the weight of your house, addition or garage into the soil below, which keeps the walls above from settling. On most footing jobs, the permit and the inspection take up more of the calendar than the pour does.
Most people call us when they're adding a room, a garage, a porch or a deck, or when an older foundation has started to drop and the footing under it is the problem. The price mostly follows how many feet of footing you need, how deep and wide they have to be for the load and your soil, how much steel goes in and how easy it is to dig around your house, yard and driveway. The schedule turns on paperwork more than on us, because we check what the city or county needs and get the permit sorted before anyone digs. When I come out for the estimate, I walk the site, look at what's there and tell you plainly what we'd do.
How we build concrete footings
Footings decide everything above them, so I plan the dig, the steel and the inspection before any concrete gets ordered. The type follows the load, so a wall gets a continuous footing that runs its full length and a single post or column gets a pad footing under that one spot. Our crew digs the trenches down to firm, undisturbed ground, sets the forms and ties in the rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart when the ground moves. Then we stop for the inspection, because that date sets our pace, not the other way around. After that we pour, keep the concrete covered while it cures, which is the slow hardening that gives it its strength, and clean up before we leave. Nobody sees a footing once the walls go up, and that's exactly why I won't let it be the first place a budget gets cut.
If the footing under an older part of your house has already sunk, foundation raising lifts the existing foundation back up, and I'll tell you whether that or new footings makes more sense for your house. When a new footing has to tie in next to an old slab, patio or driveway, concrete cutting gives us a clean, straight opening instead of a broken edge.
Concrete footings in Durango and what the city asks for
Inside city limits, the City of Durango requires a building permit before any work or ground disturbance starts. That means a footing trench needs one before the first shovel goes in, and we handle that application. The city also wants a confirmed number for how much weight your soil can hold when the plans go in, so I bring that up at the estimate rather than after. Footings here go at least 32 inches below undisturbed ground, the frost depth both the city and La Plata County use, because ground that freezes under a shallow footing can lift it. If you're in Sky Ridge or Rock Ridge, those subdivisions require a professionally engineered foundation, so plan on an engineer's design before we start. Anyone pulling a city permit needs a valid City of Durango business license, which is a fair thing to ask any contractor about. Outside city limits, we check what applies to your address before anyone digs, so tell us where the house is when you call.
A lot of the ground we dig in has clay in it, and clay swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries. Letting that clay dry out too much before the pour, or letting water pond near the foundation, both cause trouble later, so we keep water moving away from the work during and after the job. We see the same ground on jobs across Durango and the cities around it.
- Call (970) 844-8095
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Durango, CO 81301
What happens when you call Durango Concrete Company in Durango?
Call or send the form
Call (970) 844-8095 or fill out the form, and tell us the address and what the footings will hold up. We'll set a time for me to come out and see the site.
I walk the site with you
I look at the ground, the access and what's going on top, and I listen to what you want. You get a plain account of the footing type, the depth and the work involved, with a price for your site.
We sort out the permit
Before anyone digs, we sort out what the city or county needs, and the city asks for at least 30 business days on permit submittals. Once the trenches, forms and steel are in, the city inspects them, and only then do we book the concrete.
Pour, cover and clean up
I run our crew on site through the pour and the cleanup, and the fresh concrete stays covered while it cures. We'll tell you when the footings are ready for the walls or framing to go on.
Why Durango homeowners call Durango Concrete Company for footings
I walk every job myself
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site running our crew through the pour. The person who priced your footings is the one standing at the trench when the concrete truck shows up.
In business since 2023
We've been in business since 2023, and most of our work is at houses people live in, with kids, cars and gardens still there. So we plan where the dirt goes and where the truck parks before the first day of digging.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured. Ask to see it before you sign anything, the same as you would with any contractor.
Permit review built into schedule
We work the city's permit review time into your schedule from the first visit, so the dig date you hear is a realistic one. You won't be the one chasing paperwork while a trench sits waiting.
On footings, what counts is what's in the trench before the concrete goes in. Ask for an estimate and I'll come out and look at your site.
Request an estimateGet a free on-site estimate for your concrete footings
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, walk the site and tell you plainly what we'd do for your footings. The estimate is free and on site, and there's no obligation.
- Licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (970) 844-8095
- Location
- Durango, CO 81301
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Questions about concrete footings in Durango
Do I need a permit for concrete footings in Durango?
Inside Durango city limits, yes, because the city requires a building permit before any work or ground disturbance starts. Outside city limits, we check what applies to your address before anyone digs, so tell us where the house is when you call.
How deep do concrete footings need to be in Durango, CO?
At least 32 inches below undisturbed ground, which is the frost depth here, so freezing ground can't get under the footing and lift it. How wide the footing has to be depends on how many stories it holds up, what the walls are made of and how strong your soil is. I work that out at the site, and it shows up in the estimate.
How much do concrete footings cost?
Typical residential concrete footings, fully installed, usually cost about $15 to $25 per linear foot across the US. That's a national figure, not our price, and yours moves with the depth, the width, the steel, the digging and the season. The estimate gives you a number for your own site.
Can concrete footings be poured in winter?
Yes, as long as the ground under them is thawed first. One concrete trade group's cold-weather guide says to pour only on thawed ground, warming frozen ground with heaters or blankets, then to cover fresh concrete right away with insulated blankets, straw or a heated enclosure so it stays at 50°F or above for at least 3 days. That thawing and covering adds time and work, so plan for it if you're building in the cold months.
How do I know if I need new footings or foundation raising?
If you're building something new, you need new footings, and if an existing foundation has dropped or cracked, raising it may be the fix instead. You usually only know once someone looks at what's under it, so I check that at the estimate and tell you which makes sense.
What causes concrete footings to sink or crack?
Usually it's the ground under them, not the concrete itself. Footings set on loose fill instead of firm ground, poured too shallow for the frost, or sitting in clay that swells and shrinks with water all tend to move. Some small cracking is normal in any concrete, and I'll tell you straight which cracks matter.
Other work that ties into footings
Foundation raising
When part of an existing foundation has already dropped, lifting it back to level can be the fix before you add anything new beside it.
Concrete cutting
If old concrete sits where a new footing has to go, a saw cut opens just the section we need and leaves the rest of the slab whole.
Start planning your concrete footings today
Call (970) 844-8095 or send the form with your address, what the footings will hold up and when you hope to build, so the permit can go in early.
Request an estimateCall (970) 844-8095