Foundation installation in Durango CO - a base built for the ground under your house
Building a new home or addition and not sure about a slab or a basement? We plan the foundation around Durango's soil, frost and permits.
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What goes into a new foundation in Durango?
Foundation installation in Durango means building the concrete base your house stands on, usually a slab or a basement, with footings set at least as deep as the city requires below undisturbed ground so the house rests on firm soil and not loose fill.
Most people who call about a foundation are building a new home or an addition and haven't settled on a slab or a basement yet. That choice moves the price more than anything else, because a basement foundation costs far more than a standard slab, and the size of the house and the soil under it move the price from there. The schedule depends on whether your lot needs an engineer's design, how long the permit review runs and whether the pour lands in cold weather. If you've already picked a slab, our slab foundation building page goes into that job. Either way, I'll walk the lot, look at what's there and give you an estimate that says plainly what we'd build.
How we handle foundation installation
The work starts before anyone picks up a shovel. I'll help you weigh a slab against a basement for your lot, and if the site calls for an engineer's design, we plan for it up front so the build doesn't stall halfway. Once the plans and the permit are set, our crew digs out to the depth the design calls for, packs the ground the concrete will sit on, what we call the subgrade, and sets the forms and the rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete together when the ground pushes on it. Then we pour, finish and let it cure, the wait while the concrete gains strength, before anything gets built on top. If the pour lands in the cold months, I'll tell you up front what protecting the concrete will take. Most of my time goes into the dig and the base, because nobody sees them once the walls go up and they're the first thing people want to trim from the budget, but they decide whether the house above stays put.
A foundation rarely stands alone. The concrete footings under the walls carry the weight down to firm ground, and we pour those as part of the job or on their own for a garage or an addition. When a property owner is putting up a commercial building, the same ground prep carries over to concrete parking lot building once the building is up.
Foundation installation in Durango and La Plata County
Which office you deal with depends on where your lot sits. Inside city limits, the City of Durango Building Division issues the building permit, and you need it before any work or ground disturbance, so nobody so much as scrapes the topsoil until it's in hand. Outside city limits, La Plata County requires an owner who plans to build, add on or repair a building to apply first to the county building official for every permit the job needs. We check which office covers your address before we dig, handle the application and build the review time into the schedule.
Soil is the other thing that sets this job apart here. Swelling soil is common in Colorado and sometimes serious enough to badly damage a house, and it works slowly, so two houses in the same neighborhood can show it years apart. That's why I look closely at what's under the topsoil before I price a foundation on any job in 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 any day from 8 AM to 9 PM, or send the form with your lot address. We get back to you and set a time to walk the site.
I walk the lot with you
I come out myself, look at the ground and listen to what you want to build. Your estimate says whether I'd go with a slab or a basement, whether you'll need an engineer and what the price covers.
We sort out the permit
Before anyone digs, we file what the city or county needs for your job. Inside city limits, the city asks applicants to allow at least 30 business days for permit submittals, so we set the start date with that wait built in.
Our crew digs, forms and pours
I run the crew on site from the dig through the pour and the cleanup. The city allows construction work from 7 am to 7 pm, so that's the window you'll see us working in.
Why Durango homeowners call Durango Concrete Company for a new foundation
The owner walks every job
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 foundation is the one watching it go in.
The hours go into the base
We spend the time on the dig, the subgrade and the steel, because a clean top can't make up for a weak base. On a foundation, that hidden work is what the walls above depend on.
Ask to see a business license
The City of Durango requires contractors to hold a valid city business license, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring. We're licensed and insured, and glad to show you.
Trained on bare new-build lots
I learned concrete on new construction, and we've been in business since 2023 doing careful work around homes people live in. A foundation is that first kind of job, so I know how the site should run before a wall goes up.
If you're planning a new home or an addition, send us your address or call (970) 844-8095 and I'll come look at the lot.
Request an estimateBook a free on-site foundation estimate
We'll reply within one business day to set a time, and I'll come out to walk the lot, look at the soil and hear what you want to build. The estimate is free, 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 foundation installation in Durango
How much does a new foundation cost in Durango?
Foundation installation across the US usually costs about $6 to $50 per square foot, and where yours lands depends mostly on whether it's a slab or a basement. The soil, the depth and whether you need an engineer's design move it from there, and I'll give you a price for your own lot after I've walked it.
What is the best way to choose between a slab and a basement in Durango?
Weigh the frost protection and the extra room of a basement against the much higher price. Basements are most common where winters are cold, because they put the foundation below the frost line, which keeps frost heave, the ground lifting as it freezes, from damaging it. I'll tell you which one your lot and budget favor.
When does my foundation need an engineer's design in La Plata County?
When the site has highly expansive soils, La Plata County requires a foundation system designed by a professional engineer licensed by the State of Colorado. Foundation plans in flood hazard zones mapped by FEMA also need certification by a registered Colorado professional engineer or architect. If either applies, we plan for the engineer's work before we set a start date.
Can you pour a foundation in cold weather in Durango?
Yes, as long as there's a plan to protect the concrete. A national concrete guide counts it as cold weather when the air falls to 40°F, or is expected to, while the fresh concrete needs protecting. That protection is part of the plan we give you, not a surprise on pour day.
How deep do foundation footings have to be in Durango?
The city sets a minimum depth for footings, measured below the undisturbed ground surface, so loose fill or topsoil piled on top doesn't count toward it. We dig to at least that depth, and deeper when the design calls for it.
How do I protect a new foundation from expansive soil?
Keep water away from it. One Colorado extension fact sheet on expansive soils advises keeping sprinkler spray at least five feet from the foundation and trees at least fifteen feet away, and stresses watering carefully near the house. Swelling soil grows when it gets wet, so the less water reaches the ground at the foundation, the less it moves.
Other concrete work for new builds
Concrete footings
If you're adding a garage, deck or room, footings carry the weight down to firm ground and need to be right before anything goes on top.
Concrete parking lot building
For a shop or rental property that needs parking, a concrete lot on a packed, well-drained base stands up to daily traffic and plows.
Send your lot address for a foundation estimate
Tell us whether it's inside city limits and share any soil report you have, so I can tell you early whether you'll need an engineer.
Request an estimateCall (970) 844-8095