Foundation raising in Brookline MA - a level house sitting on solid support
Doors that stick, floors that slope or a house that sits too low? We lift it, support it properly and price the whole job.
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What does raising a house in Brookline involve?
Foundation raising in Brookline lifts a house that has settled back to level, or sets it higher than it was, and gives it permanent support underneath, usually with hydraulic jacks or steel piers.
Usually you've noticed it before you call, because the floors run downhill, a door won't close right or the house just sits lower than you want it to. The price turns on how much of the old foundation can stay, how far the house has to go, what the utility lines need and how you'll get in the door afterward, and the schedule turns mostly on what the city has to review first. Essential Brookline Concrete Company is based in Brookline and does this work in the cities around it, and your own number comes from the estimate once I've seen the house.
How we handle foundation raising, start to finish
Lifting the house is the easy part to price, so I don't quote it on its own. We start with the utility lines, because they have to be sorted before anything moves, then we lift, build the foundation the house is going to sit on, set it back down and finish with new steps at the door. A lift-only quote can cover just the beams, jacks and temporary support, while a full one adds the engineering, the utilities, the foundation work, the stairs and repairs to whatever finishes the move disturbs. Ours prices the whole job, from the lines to the foundation to the steps, so you can see what a lift-only number leaves out before you compare totals. The foundation is the part nobody sees once the house is back down, and it's the last place I'd cut to save you money.
A lift often touches other concrete too. Reaching the footings can mean opening an old basement floor or a slab along the wall, which is a job for concrete cutting, and once the house sits higher the drive up to it may need rebuilding to match, which we handle as concrete driveway building.
What Brookline checks before foundation raising starts
Before we book a lift in Brookline, I check with the city's building office, because raising a house can run into the zoning rules. A job that misses a zoning requirement may need zoning relief. So may an older house that doesn't fully meet today's rules, which the city calls a pre-existing non-conforming structure. The Building Commissioner decides that, so nothing is settled until the city looks at your house. When a permit is needed, we pull it ourselves and keep you posted on where it stands. If your house is in one of Brookline's Local Historic Districts, any exterior work also needs a Certificate application, and preservation staff decide which kind and whether they approve it or the Preservation Commission does.
The city's flood maps mark its highest flood risk areas as Zone A or AE, and if your house sits in one, that's another thing we check with the city before a lift starts. Most of what we see here is older houses on tight lots, where the lift itself is the simple part and the lines, the foundation and the front steps take the planning. It's much the same on jobs in Newton and Cambridge.
- 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
Call (617) 274-7964 or send the form with your address and what you're seeing at the house. We set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I ask what's under the house, where the water goes and what it has to carry. You get a written estimate that says what's included and what isn't, so you can set it beside any lift-only number.
We settle permits and timing
We sort out the permit side and the timing with the city before anything is booked. If your lift needs a special permit or variance, that process can take up to six months in total depending on the project, so we plan the lift around the wait.
Our crew lifts and finishes
Our own crew does the work with me on site, from the lines to the foundation to the steps. When we're done, I walk it with you and tell you how to treat the new concrete.
Why Brookline homeowners call Essential Brookline Concrete Company to raise a house
The owner prices and runs it
I come out and look at the house myself, and our own crew does the work with me on site. The person who wrote your estimate is the one standing there when the house comes up.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete on my father's jobs and started this company in 2013. Most of our calls come from people who've had concrete fail on them once, so the parts you can't see get planned before anyone orders a truck.
Licensed and insured before it moves
We're fully licensed and insured. With your house up off its foundation for a while, that's the first thing worth asking any contractor about.
Brookline review settled before booking
We work out with the city whether your lift needs zoning relief or a historic Certificate before we put a date on the calendar. That way the schedule you get already has the city's wait built into it.
On a lift, the part that counts is the one you won't see once the house is back down. Tell us about your house and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a full-job estimate for raising your house
We reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. Once you send the form, I set a time to look at the house myself and price the whole job, from the utility lines to the steps at the door.
- 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 foundation raising in Brookline
How much does it cost to raise a house near Brookline?
Raising a house in the Boston area usually costs about $14,000 to $20,000 per job. That's the going rate around here, not our price, and where a job lands depends on how much of the foundation can stay, the utility work and the new steps. Your own figure comes from the estimate.
Can my existing foundation stay when my house is raised?
Often it can, since keeping as much of the existing foundation as possible is usually the most economical way to raise a house and most methods allow it. If the old foundation stays, a design professional has to check that it can carry the house at its new height. We find that out early, because it changes the whole estimate.
Who has to oversee foundation raising work on a house in Massachusetts?
On most existing one- to four-family owner-occupied homes, the state requires a licensed construction supervisor or a registered design professional to oversee the work. The contractor also has to be registered with the state's home improvement program, so it's fair to ask about both before you sign.
What happens to my gas, water and electric lines when a house is lifted?
A lift can affect the electric, gas, water, sewer, heating and cooling, and sump lines. Some have to be disconnected, supported temporarily or upgraded before they're hooked back up, and we price that work up front so it doesn't show up later as an extra.
How does a house get raised onto a new foundation?
Most frame and masonry houses are separated from the old foundation and lifted on hydraulic jacks. The house then sits on temporary supports while a new or extended foundation is built below it, and once that's ready it's set back down.
How do I get into my house after it's raised?
Usually by new steps, because a house that goes up normally needs a new way in, and if your doors were at ground level, new stairs, a ramp or even an elevator has to be built. That belongs in the plan with the lift, not after it, which is why new steps at the door are part of our estimate.
Other concrete work that comes with a lift
Concrete cutting
When a lift means opening a basement slab or a concrete wall, clean saw cuts help keep the rest from cracking where nobody planned.
Concrete driveway building
A house that sits higher often leaves the old driveway meeting the garage at the wrong height, and a new one can be graded to tie back in.
Get your house lift priced in full
Have your address handy when you call, and tell us if the house is in a Local Historic District or flood Zone A or AE, since either adds a check with the city.
Request an estimateCall (617) 274-7964