Concrete footings in Brookline MA - a deck that stays level through the winter
Planning a deck or watching a porch post lean? We set footings that carry the weight down into solid ground.
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What goes into concrete footings for a deck in Brookline?
Concrete footings are the piers in the ground that hold up a deck, a porch or a small structure, and our job in Brookline is to size and set them so the weight above goes down into solid ground instead of moving with it.
Most people call us when they're planning a new deck, replacing a tired one or watching a porch post lean, and the footings are the part nobody sees again once the boards go down. Nobody admires a footing, but everyone notices when one moves. The price turns on how many piers you need, how deep they go, which type suits your ground and how easy it is to dig where they're going, and the schedule turns on the permit and the weather. Your written estimate spells out the footing type and what's included and what isn't, so you know your own number before anything gets dug.
How we set concrete footings
I start by looking at what the footings have to carry and where they're going, then help you choose between poured piers, precast piers and helical piers, which are steel screws driven into the ground instead of dug in. We lay out the pier spots and dig below the frost line, the depth winter freezes the ground to, wherever the footing calls for it, so freezing soil can't push it up from underneath. Poured piers usually go into cardboard tube forms that hold the concrete in a clean round column while it sets. And we wait for thawed ground before we pour, because when frozen dirt under a fresh footing thaws, it softens and the pier settles right along with it.
Footing jobs often run into other work. If an existing porch or addition has already dropped, foundation raising can bring it back up before we add anything new. When an old patio or walk sits right where a pier needs to go, concrete cutting lets us open a neat hole instead of breaking out the whole slab.
Concrete footings in Brookline start with the permit
The Brookline Building Department issues the permits for building, altering or repairing a structure, and a new deck, porch or shed is the kind of work it covers, so the permit usually sets the start date. If you're adding a structure or changing your home's footprint, up or out, the application also needs a certified plot plan, a surveyor's drawing of your lot. We check with the city before we book the job, pull the permit ourselves when one is needed and keep you posted on where it stands.
We're based in Brookline and work in Quincy and plenty of the other cities around it. A lot of our footing jobs here are on older houses with tight lots, where a new deck has to fit between a fence, a garden and the neighbor's driveway, and that's where helical piers earn their keep because they need far less digging. We meet the same tight back yards on jobs in Cambridge and Newton.
- Call (617) 274-7964
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Brookline, MA 02445
What happens when you call Essential Brookline Concrete Company in Brookline?
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're building and roughly where it's going. I set a time to come out and see it myself.
I come out and look
On site I ask what's under the ground, where the water goes and what the footings have to carry. You get a written estimate with the footing type and what's included and what isn't, so you can see exactly what moves the price.
Settle the permit and date
Brookline generally reviews permit applications in 7 to 10 days, and a new one- or two-family home can take the full 30. So we apply first and book the pour after that, for thawed ground.
Dig, pour and walk through
Our crew digs and pours with me on site, inside Brookline's hours for hired work, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. When we're done I walk it with you and tell you how to treat the new piers.
Why Brookline homeowners call Essential Brookline Concrete Company for footings
I look at the job myself
I come out to size the job, and our own crew does the work with me on site. That way the person who decided how deep your piers go is the one watching them get poured.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete on my father's jobs and started this business in Brookline in 2013. Footings are the part you never see again, which is exactly why I'd rather get them right the first time.
Licensed, insured, permit planned early
We're fully licensed and insured, and we settle the permit side before a pour ever goes on the calendar. With Brookline's review sitting ahead of every pour, that's what keeps your start date honest.
Footings get one chance to be right, so it starts with what they'll carry. Tell us about your project or call (617) 274-7964.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your footings
We reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no pressure to book. After you send the form we set a time, and I come out to look at what you're building, where the piers go and what's under them.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (617) 274-7964
- Location
- Brookline, MA 02445
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about concrete footings in Brookline
What is the best footing type for a deck in Brookline?
Poured concrete piers suit most decks, because they're strong, inexpensive and easy to size for the load. Precast piers and deck blocks go in fast with no mixing, but they're meant for small, low decks close to the ground. Helical piers are the answer for poor soil or a spot where you can't dig much.
How deep do concrete footings need to be in Massachusetts?
Frost depth decides how deep we dig, and poured piers go below the frost line while precast blocks sit above it. That's why precast blocks only work where frost is shallow or absent, and the local frost depth settles whether they're an option for you at all. We give you the depth for your job in the written estimate.
What is the best way to pour footings in cold weather?
Pour on thawed ground and keep the fresh concrete from freezing, or wait for milder weather if you'd rather not pay for the protection. One industry guide counts it as cold-weather work once the air drops to 40°F or might, during the time fresh concrete needs protecting, because an early freeze can ruin unprotected concrete or weaken it for good. I'll lay out both choices, the extra cost now or a later date, at the estimate.
How much do concrete footings cost in Brookline?
The cost comes down to how many piers your project needs, how deep they go and which type fits your ground, so I price it after I've seen the site. Tight digging access, an old slab in the way and winter protection add to it, while a simple layout on open ground keeps it down. Your written estimate lists what's included and what isn't.
How do I pull a building permit myself in Brookline?
Brookline issues building permits to homeowners for work on a one- or two-unit home they live in or plan to live in. The catch is that a homeowner who takes the permit may be liable for the contractors working on the property and gives up protection under the state's home improvement contractor law. That's one reason we pull the permit ourselves.
Does my contractor need to be registered in Massachusetts to build deck footings?
Yes, if the house already exists, you live in it and it has one to four units, the state requires the contractor to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. Brookline also typically issues building permits to construction supervisors licensed by the state. Both are fair things to ask anyone you're weighing.
Other work that touches your footings
Foundation raising
When a porch, addition or slab has already sunk, raising it back to level first gives new framing or footings something sound to tie into.
Concrete cutting
If an old walkway or patio sits right where a pier belongs, a clean saw cut opens just the spot we need and leaves the rest alone.
Tell us what your footings will carry
Call (617) 274-7964 or send the form with a sketch of what you're building, plus the certified plot plan if you already have one, so the first visit can cover pier sizing and the permit together.
Request an estimateCall (617) 274-7964