Foundation retrofit, or lift + new foundation

Two worlds

Retrofit (Option A from step 2.2): existing foundation gets reinforced. Typical work: new concrete footings under interior load points, perimeter steel angle, anchor-bolt addition where there were none, hold-down installation. 2–4 weeks, included in GC scope at $15,000–$60,000.

Lift + new foundation (Options B and C): the house mover arrives, jacks the house up onto cribbing and steel beams, the GC demolishes the old foundation, the new foundation goes in, the house drops back. 6–10 weeks total, $40,000–$150,000+, plus the lift specialist's fees on top.

Inspections

SDCI inspects the foundation work in stages:

• Pre-pour — forms and rebar in, before concrete.
• Post-pour — after stripping, especially for retrofit work.
• Hold-down installation — verified before framing covers it up.

A failed inspection here is a Friday-to-Monday-or-later setback because the inspector has to come back, and the GC can't pour with rebar exposed.

What can go wrong

• Soils don't match the geotech. Excavator opens the foundation hole and finds something different than the borings predicted. Triggers a geotech re-evaluation.
• Old foundation deeper or shallower than expected. Surprise concrete or surprise voids change the retrofit scope.
• Wet weather. Seattle. Foundation work gets pushed by rain. Plan for 2 weeks of weather delay across this step.

When the family realizes the project is real

This is the moment most homeowners describe as the project becoming undeniable. Up to this point everything has been on paper. From the foundation work onward, the house is physically being changed.