Foundation installation in Aurora CO - a base built for the clay under your home
Building on clay that swells when it gets wet? We pour a foundation from your engineer's design, set up for the ground it sits on.
What a new foundation does for your house
Foundation installation in Aurora means building the base your house rests on. On clay that swells when it's wet, that base has to be anchored against the ground pushing up, or the ground can heave the house out of level. We build it from your engineer's design, and I'll walk you through the approaches on the table, cost included.
It covers the whole system the engineer drew for your lot, whether that's piers with beams across them or a dug-out and rebuilt base. That's more than the single pour of a slab foundation, and it's usually where most of the hidden work on a new house goes.
The price moves with the method, the size of the house, how deep the piers or the dig have to go and what the soil needs. The schedule turns on the soil review, the engineer's design and the weather while the ground is open. I come out, look at the lot and give you a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't.
What foundation installation handles on clay
Clay that swells and shrinks
Clay swells when it soaks up water and shrinks as it dries, and it pushes up hard on anything resting on top. A foundation built for that ground is anchored against the push, so the house isn't riding up and down with the seasons.
Soil too weak to build on
Some lots have soft or swelling soil right where the house needs to sit. One fix is digging that soil out below the lowest floor and building back a packed subgrade, the ground the concrete actually sits on, before the foundation goes in.
Ground that freezes in winter
Wet ground expands when it freezes, and shallow concrete gets lifted with it. Footings set below the frost line, the depth where winter freezing stops, stay put while the ground above them moves.
A full foundation, footings or a slab?
If you're building a new house or a large addition, you need a foundation, the full system your engineer designed for the lot. If you only need something solid under a deck, a wall or a small add-on, concrete footings alone may do it for less.
A garage or shop that can sit on one pour may only need a slab. If what you need is pavement for cars and not a building, that's concrete parking lot building, which has its own prep and its own price.
If your house is already standing and has sunk or tilted, a new foundation usually isn't the answer, so look at foundation raising first. Not sure which one you're dealing with? I'll tell you straight when I come out.
What to settle before we dig
Your engineer's design
We build from the engineer's design, not from a guess, so the plans should be done before we price the job closely. The design sets the method and the depth, and those two drive most of the cost.
The parts you won't see
The base, the drainage and the rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete from pulling apart, are buried on day one, so they're the first thing people want to trim. I won't cut them, because a foundation that moves costs far more to fix than it did to build right.
Room to work
We need space for the dig, the trucks and the pump, and fences or plantings near the work may have to move. Tell me what's in the way at the estimate so it's in the price and nobody's surprised.
Foundation work on Aurora clay
Most Colorado homes sit on clay that can swell, so in Aurora the foundation method matters as much as the concrete. The City of Aurora requires a city contractor license to build or alter a house, and we're fully licensed and insured. The city sets a frost line of 36 inches for design, which sets how deep the footings go.
Before work starts, we check with the city about your address, and when the job needs a permit we get it. While the ground is open we keep the clay from drying out and water from pooling near the work, since both make clay problems worse. We're based in Aurora and work across nearby cities like Centennial and Parker.
Questions people ask about new foundations
How much does a new foundation cost in the Denver area?
Laying a foundation in the Denver area usually costs about $4 to $25 per square foot. That's the area's usual range, not our price, and the method, the depth and what your soil needs decide where your job lands. My written estimate shows what's included and what isn't.
What's the best foundation type for clay soil in Colorado?
Usually pier and beam or over-excavation, and your lot decides which. A university engineering project reports that many Front Range home builders use pier and beam, while large developments tend to dig out the problem soil first. It names mold and higher cost as pier and beam's main drawbacks, because moisture seeps into the crawl space under the house.
How deep should foundation piers go on expansive clay in Aurora?
Deep enough to get below the active zone, the layer of soil that swells and pushes up, which swell testing finds. One engineering design guide warns that piers ending inside that zone can let the foundation heave. It's fair to ask your engineer how your pier depth was chosen.
Who should test the soil before I build a foundation in Aurora?
A professional soil engineer and an engineering geologist. The Colorado Geological Survey says only a competent professional should be relied on to identify expansive clay, even though there are signs you can see. Plan on that review before the foundation is designed, because the design starts from it.
How do I protect a new foundation from clay soil?
Keep water and thirsty plants away from it. Colorado State University Extension advises keeping plants at least five feet from the foundation unless they need very little water, sprinkler spray five feet away and trees fifteen feet away. Low-water groundcovers and mulch near the house can help even out moisture swings in the soil.
Tell us about your foundation job
Send your address, the home's size and any soils report. We reply within one business day, then I come out and write up a free estimate, no obligation.
(720) 500-8526Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM