Foundation Work

Home Additions & Structural Services

Foundation Work including Footings, Crawlspaces, and Slabs

Michigan's frost line sits at 42 inches. Every addition footing we pour extends below that depth — a footing placed above the frost line will heave in the first hard winter, cracking the foundation and everything built on it. The structural engineer specifies footing width, rebar schedule, and concrete thickness based on your specific soil bearing capacity and the loads the addition places on the ground.

For additions tying into an existing foundation, we drill and epoxy rebar dowels into the existing concrete at the engineer-specified spacing and embedment depth. This is what prevents the new foundation from settling independently and cracking the connection point. We install waterproofing membrane, drainage mat, and perimeter drain tile before backfill — that work is invisible once the addition is finished, which is exactly why it has to be done right.

Foundation concrete is inspected by the building department before any is placed. The inspector verifies rebar placement and footing dimensions while they're still accessible. We coordinate that inspection into the schedule so it's never a delay.