A footing poured without accounting for Alexandria's clay soil will shift. Doors stick, walls crack, and additions pull away from the house. We size and place footings for the way the ground here actually behaves.
Concrete footings in Alexandria involve digging trenches or holes to the required depth, setting forms, placing rebar, and pouring concrete - with a permit inspection required before the pour and most residential footing projects running one to two days of active work followed by three to seven days of curing before the next phase of construction can begin.
Most homeowners who call about footings in Alexandria fall into one of two situations: they are building something new and need a proper base from scratch, or they have an older home where an addition is showing signs that the original footings were never right. Both are common here - Alexandria has a significant number of homes built before 1970, and informal additions and porches were frequently added over the decades without permits or proper footings. If your project also involves a foundation raise on an existing structure or a full foundation installation, we can assess both needs before recommending a scope.
A footing that is the right size and depth for the soil conditions on your specific lot is one of those things you will never think about again. One that was undersized or poorly placed is the thing that quietly costs you money for years.
Cracks that start at the corners of doors or windows and run diagonally are often a sign the ground beneath your home is moving unevenly. In Alexandria, where clay soil swells and shrinks with the wet and dry seasons, this kind of settling is more common than in drier climates. It does not always mean a crisis, but it does mean the footings deserve a closer look.
A door that becomes hard to open after a wet stretch of weather can be a sign that part of your home has shifted. Alexandria's rainy seasons cause the clay soil to expand, which can push footings slightly out of position. If the sticking comes and goes with the weather, that is a clue the movement is ongoing and worth addressing before it gets worse.
If you can see a gap opening up between an attached structure and your main house, that structure's footings may be failing or may never have been installed correctly. This is a common finding in older Alexandria homes where porches and additions were built informally over the decades. Left alone, the gap will grow and the structure will become unsafe.
If you are getting ready to build a deck, add a room, put up a carport, or install a screened porch, you need footings before any of that work begins. This is required by code and it is what keeps the new structure from settling away from the house within a few years. Getting footings done right at the start is far less expensive than fixing a sinking addition later.
We pour footings for decks, room additions, screened porches, carports, outbuildings, and retaining structures across Alexandria and the surrounding area. Before we give you a number, we look at your lot - soil conditions, drainage patterns, and the size of the structure going on top - because the right footing for your property is not the same as the right footing for the lot next door. For projects that also involve a foundation raise on an existing structure, we can coordinate the assessment before deciding on scope.
For larger projects that involve a full foundation installation alongside new footings for attached structures, we manage both scopes together so drainage and grading work as one system. Every footing project we complete is permitted through the City of Alexandria or Rapides Parish, includes the required pre-pour inspection, and gives you documentation you can point to at resale.
Suits homeowners in Alexandria adding a new deck, patio cover, or screened porch to an existing home and needing properly sized footings that meet current code requirements.
Suits homeowners expanding living space with a room addition or garage who need a perimeter footing poured to support the new structure on Alexandria's clay-heavy soil.
Suits homeowners installing a shed, workshop, or carport who need footings that keep the structure level through Alexandria's wet seasons without shifting or settling.
Suits owners of older Alexandria homes where an existing addition or porch has settled because the original footings were undersized, improperly placed, or never installed.
The soil across much of Alexandria and Rapides Parish has a high clay content that swells when it absorbs water and shrinks when it dries out. That constant movement is what causes footings to shift, structures to settle unevenly, and additions to slowly pull away from the main house over the years. A contractor who is not familiar with this soil type may size and place footings the same way they would in a drier region with more stable ground - and you will not see the consequences until a few years later when the cracks start appearing. Alexandria also receives roughly 55 to 60 inches of rain per year, and wet soil takes longer to stabilize after digging. A good contractor checks drainage conditions before scheduling the pour and will pump out a trench rather than pour into standing water. We work across Alexandria and also serve customers in Marksville and Winnfield, where the same soil and rainfall conditions shape every footing project.
Alexandria also has a significant number of homes built in the 1950s and 1960s where additions were put up informally over the decades - sometimes without permits, sometimes without any footing at all. If you are renovating or adding onto an older home, it is worth asking your contractor to assess the existing structure before any new work begins. Discovering that a prior addition has no footing is far better to know before you build on top of it. The American Concrete Institute sets the standards that define what properly placed and cured footings look like, and working with a contractor who follows those standards matters when the footing is buried underground where you will never see it again.
We ask a few basic questions - what you are building, roughly how big it is, and whether you have had any settling or drainage issues on your property. You do not need all the answers. Just describe what you are trying to accomplish and we take it from there. We respond to all inquiries within 1 business day.
We visit your lot, check the soil conditions, and look at drainage patterns on your specific property. After the visit you receive a written estimate that breaks down the cost in plain language and explains what is included. A phone estimate for footing work is not reliable - site conditions matter too much.
Before any digging starts, we apply for a building permit through the City of Alexandria or Rapides Parish, depending on your address. This can take a few days to a couple of weeks. We handle the paperwork - you just make sure we are actually doing it. Ask to see the permit before work begins.
The crew digs the trenches or holes, sets up forms, and places any required rebar. The inspector checks the work before the pour - this step is required and is your independent verification that the footing is correct. After the pour, the concrete cures for three to seven days before framing or the next phase of construction begins.
Alexandria's rainy season fills contractor calendars fast. We visit your site, assess the soil and drainage, and give you a written estimate with no pressure - locking in your date now means your project starts on your timeline.
(318) 319-2118We assess the soil conditions on your specific lot before recommending a footing size or depth - because the clay-heavy ground in this area behaves differently than soils in drier regions. A footing that works fine on sandy soil may shift within a few years on Alexandria's expansive clay. We account for this in every project we take on.
Footing work requires a permit and at least one inspector visit before the concrete is poured. We handle the application, schedule the inspection, and welcome the independent review - because that inspector is your confirmation the work was done correctly before it is buried forever. Skipping that step is one of the most common problems that surfaces during home sales in Louisiana.
With around 55 to 60 inches of rain per year, Alexandria's soil can be saturated for days after a storm. We check drainage conditions before scheduling and will pump out a trench or delay a pour rather than rush into unstable ground. A contractor who will not wait for the right conditions is setting you up for a footing that shifts.
Unpermitted work is one of the most common problems that slows or kills home sales in Louisiana. Every footing project we complete is permitted and inspected, which means you have documentation that the work was done to the standard the city or parish requires. That paper trail is worth having years from now when it matters most.
Every footing project we complete in Alexandria is permitted, inspected, and designed for the soil conditions on your specific property. You can verify any Louisiana concrete contractor holds a current state license through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors - a quick check that takes about two minutes and tells you a great deal about who you are hiring.
If an existing structure has already settled due to footing failure, foundation raising can lift and re-level it before new footings are placed underneath.
Learn MoreFor projects that go beyond individual footings to a full foundation pour, we handle the complete installation including site prep, drainage, and all required inspections.
Learn MoreRainy season fills contractor schedules fast - reach out now to get your footing project on the calendar before the next phase of your build is delayed.
