Foundation raising in Muscatine IA - a house that comes up in one piece
Cracked, failing foundation or a house sitting too low? We lift it slow and even, fix what's underneath and set it back down.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to raise a house in Muscatine?
Foundation raising in Muscatine means lifting your house off its foundation on support beams and jacks, repairing or replacing what's underneath, then setting the house back down on solid footing.
Most calls start with a foundation that's cracking or settling, or a house that sits lower than the owner wants it to, and the price turns on three things. The first is what's under the house now. The second is how much the job covers, from lifting the house alone to setting it on piers above the flood zone or replacing the foundation. The third is what we find in the framing once we look. The schedule moves with permits, repairs, weather and inspections, so plan for some give in your dates, and my estimate spells out what's in your job and what isn't.
How we handle foundation raising
Before we plan anything, I want a qualified engineer to look at the house, because rotted sills, failing framing or bad settling can mean a lot of reinforcement before it's safe to lift, and that changes the whole job. Once the plan is set, we dig tunnels under the house, slide support beams through and set a hydraulic jack under each beam. We raise it slow and even, a little at a time through the day, so the house comes up in one piece instead of twisting and cracking. With the house up, we repair or replace the foundation, and I put the time into the dig, the subgrade, which is the packed ground the new footings sit on, and the forms, because nobody sees them once the house is back down and they decide whether it stays put. Then we lower the house onto it. We're licensed and insured, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Raising a house usually touches other concrete. On a slab house or an old basement, we may need concrete cutting to open a path for the beams or take out old walls cleanly. When the house sits at a new height, the driveway may not meet the garage the way it used to, so we can fold concrete driveway building into the same plan.
Crawl space or pier-and-beam house
These are usually the least costly houses to raise, because the open space under the floor lets us get beams in with less digging. On these, the bigger questions are the framing and how high the house needs to go.
Slab house
A slab house is harder to raise, since there's no open space underneath and the beams have to go in under the slab itself. Expect more digging and more cutting than on a crawl space job.
Basement house
Basement houses cost the most to raise, because the basement walls usually have to be rebuilt or filled. If you're replacing the foundation anyway, decide early what you want down there.
If cracks keep opening or the floors keep moving, call rather than wait, because the engineer's look and the permits have to come before any lift date.
What happens when you call about raising your house in Muscatine?
Here's how a foundation raising job runs with us, from your first call to the day the house sits back down. I'm the one who comes out, and my crew and I do the work.
Call or send a request
Call (563) 261-8613, send the form or email estimates@muscatineconcrete.com, and we'll set a time for me to come out. We pick up from 7 AM to 11 PM on weekdays and 6 AM to 10 PM on weekends.
I look at the house myself
I measure, look at the foundation and framing, and ask what you need the house to do once it's back down. You get an estimate that spells out what's in it and what isn't, so you know your number before you decide anything.
We lift and set it down
Once you say go, we build the schedule around the permits and inspections, then prep, lift, rebuild underneath and set the house back down. When we're done, I walk you through how to care for it.
Get an estimate for raising your house
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the house myself. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation.
(563) 261-8613Permits for foundation raising in Muscatine
In Muscatine, the city's Building & Construction Division reviews and inspects construction, and the city says the vast majority of work needs some kind of permit, so I check with the city before we set a date, and when your job needs one, we pull it and set up the inspections. A house in the mapped floodplain has more steps. The city keeps floodplain rules so it can stay in the National Flood Insurance Program, which means work in the mapped floodplain takes a local floodplain permit application. On top of that, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources requires federal, state and local permits before any construction in a flood plain or near a river or stream, with exceptions for certain projects on very small streams.
We raise plenty of older houses on crawl spaces and basements, and the framing under them is where the surprises hide, which is why the engineer comes first. We do the same work in Davenport and across the river in Rock Island, where the permit offices and rules are their own.
Foundation raising questions from Muscatine homeowners
How much does it cost to raise a house?
Cost guides put raising a typical single-family house across the US at about $20,000 to $80,000 per job. Where yours lands depends mostly on your foundation type and how much the job includes, and my estimate gives you your own number.
How long does it take to raise a house and fix the foundation?
National cost guides say the whole job takes 4 to 8 weeks on average, and the lift itself takes 2 to 7 days once the prep is done. Most of that time goes to the prep, the permits and the foundation work, not the lift.
Can I leave my furniture inside while my house is raised?
Yes, everything inside the house can stay where it is during the lift. Before the lift, the crawl space or basement needs to be emptied and every utility disconnected, including plumbing, electric, gas, heating, cooling, phone and internet.
How long does an Iowa floodplain permit take?
The Iowa DNR says a response on a floodplain permit application can currently take up to 3 months. If your house is in the mapped floodplain, get that application going early, because we can't set a lift date around a permit that isn't back yet.
How do I check that a contractor can raise my house in Iowa?
Iowa requires anyone who earns at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the state Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, so ask any contractor you're considering whether they're registered. Ask for proof of insurance too. We're licensed and insured.
Can I add a basement when my house is raised in Muscatine?
Yes, if you're replacing the foundation, a basement can go in while the house is up. It sits at the top of the price scale for this work, so we'll talk through at the estimate whether you'd use the space.
Related concrete work for a raised house
Sawing through an old slab or foundation wall keeps the opening clean and the edges square, instead of hammering concrete apart right next to your house.
If your house sits higher after the lift, a new driveway poured on a dug-out, packed base gets the slope right so water runs away from the garage.
Talk to us before you plan the lift
Call (563) 261-8613 or send the form with your foundation type and whether the house is in the mapped floodplain, so I come out knowing which permits and which kind of lift we're planning for.