Foundation Engineering

Full-Scale Home Extensions

Foundation Engineering including Footings and Frost Walls

Foundation engineering is a permit requirement in Michigan, not optional. The structural engineer specifies footing width, rebar schedule, and concrete mix based on your site's soil bearing capacity and the loads from the structure above. We work with licensed Michigan structural engineers whose stamped drawings meet Oakland County building department requirements.

For additions tying into existing homes, we core-drill and epoxy rebar dowels into the existing foundation wall at the engineer-specified spacing and embedment depth. That bond prevents the new foundation from settling independently and cracking the connection point. We install waterproofing membrane, drainage mat, and perimeter drain tile before backfilling — those layers protect against ground water infiltration for the life of the structure.

The footing inspection happens before concrete is placed. The building inspector verifies rebar placement, footing dimensions, and depth while everything is still exposed. We build that inspection into the schedule so it's never a source of delay. Footings that fail inspection because dimensions don't match the engineering drawing get excavated and rebraced — we've never had to do that because we set forms from the drawing, not by estimation.