Foundation work or full lift

Path A — Retrofit in place

The least disruptive path. Crew accesses the basement or crawlspace, pours new footings against existing, retrofits anchor bolts, builds out interior shear walls if needed.

Sequence:

1. Excavate inside the existing foundation perimeter.
2. Pour new footings; cure 5–7 days.
3. Set new foundation walls or piers as needed.
4. Drill-and-epoxy retrofit anchor bolts at sill plates.
5. Frame interior shear walls.
6. Inspect (PP&D foundation inspection).

Total: 4–8 weeks.

Path B — Lift and replace foundation

The house is jacked up on cribbing, the existing foundation is fully demolished, a new foundation is poured, the house is lowered onto it.

Sequence:

1. Disconnect utilities (gas, water, sewer, electric).
2. Set lift cribbing and steel beams under the house.
3. Lift the house 4–8 ft on hydraulic jacks. (Spectator-worthy; takes a day.)
4. Demo old foundation.
5. Excavate, form, and pour new foundation. Cure 7–14 days.
6. Lower the house onto the new foundation.
7. Reconnect utilities.
8. Inspect.

Total: 8–12 weeks.

Cost adder: $80K–$150K vs. Path A.

Path C — Lift + new ground floor

Same as Path B for the lift and old-foundation demo, then build a new ground floor under the lifted house, then lower the house onto the new ground floor.

Sequence: Path B steps 1–4, then frame and finish a new ground floor (4–8 weeks), then lower and integrate.

Total: 14–20 weeks.

Cost adder: $200K–$400K vs. Path A. Substantial new finished square footage in exchange.

Inspections

Each path has its own PP&D inspection sequence. Generally:

• Excavation inspection before pouring (verify footing depth, soil bearing).
• Reinforcement inspection before pour (verify rebar size, spacing, lap lengths).
• Anchor bolt inspection after retrofit work.
• Lateral/shear wall inspection after framing.

The structural engineer is on call for any condition that diverges from the drawings — it's normal to have one or two engineering questions during foundation work.

What to expect emotionally

The house looks dramatic during the lift phase. Photographs are great. The family is firmly out of the house. This is the most visible phase of the project; if it bothers neighbors, this is when they call.

When this phase ends, the project transitions from "house on a foundation" back to a normal addition project — the rest of the build is conventional construction.