Foundations & framing

The structure everything else depends on, including on difficult ground.

The part you never see again

Foundations and framing are the only work on a house that cannot be redone later without taking the house apart. Everything after them is finish, and finish sits on whatever you built underneath it.

We do this work on our own projects and as a scope on its own, including for owners and architects who want the structure handled by people who do it every week.

Slopes and old houses

Two situations account for most of the structural work in this county: building on a hillside, which means stepped foundations, retaining and drainage; and older homes on foundations that predate current seismic practice.

Both are solvable. Both are much cheaper to assess before you commit to a design than after.

What this covers

Excavation, grading and drainage
Stepped and hillside foundations
Slab and raised-floor foundations
Foundation repair and replacement
Seismic retrofit and bracing
Structural framing and sheathing
Structural repair and beam replacement

Questions

About foundations & framing.

Doors and windows that stop closing, cracks that run diagonally from the corners of openings, sloping floors and visible separation at the exterior are the usual signs. Not every crack is structural. Concrete cracks as it cures, and hairline cracking is normal. The distinction is worth having someone look at rather than guessing, because the difference between cosmetic and structural is the difference between paint and a serious piece of work.

Yes. We are often brought in for foundation, retaining or framing on a project where somebody else is handling the rest, and we work from a structural engineer's drawings as a matter of course. If you do not have an engineer, we can bring one in. What we will not do is guess at a structural detail that ought to be calculated.

From the journal

All articles

Rebuild or Remodel? How to Tell Which One Your House Actually Needs

The structural, financial and code questions that decide whether to remodel or rebuild, and where remodeling stops being the cheaper option.

Rebuilding After a Fire in Los Angeles County: What the Process Actually Looks Like

A stage-by-stage walkthrough of a ground-up fire rebuild in Los Angeles County: debris removal, survey, permits, foundation, framing and finish.

Where we do this work

Start with a site visit.

We come out, walk it with you, and tell you what we think it takes. Free, and no decision is needed on the day.

Request an assessment Call (626) 763-1376