Concrete footings in Springdale AR - a solid base matched to your ground and load

The best type is the one that matches how the weight comes down, so a continuous footing runs the full length under a wall and a pad footing sits under each post, pier or column. Simple pier-and-grade-beam foundations, a row of piers tied together by a concrete beam, can carry decks, porches, pole barns and small additions. They also work where a slope is too steep to step a regular footing down it, or where the soil is weak or swells and shrinks enough to move a regular footing. If your lot slopes or the ground feels soft, ask me about that design when I'm out.

The cost comes down mostly to how much digging, concrete and steel your footings take, and the soil sets a lot of that. Weaker soil needs wider footings to spread the same load, which makes them more expensive, and a soil test before work shows how much to make up for it. You'll get your own figure once I've seen the lot and know what the footing is carrying.

Set it below the ground that freezes, because freeze and thaw can lift or shift a footing that sits too high, and in colder climates footings may need to go below the frost line for that reason. The national guides don't give a depth for Springdale, so I bring up depth early in planning and check what the city office wants before we dig.

Yes, the City of Springdale Buildings Department lists a footing inspection among the inspections on its building permits. Before any inspection gets called, the permit has to be posted on site and there needs to be a way to contain trash there. When a job needs a permit or an inspection, we check what the city office wants, take care of the paperwork, book the inspections and keep you posted. If you'd like to ask the city about your project yourself, the office's number is 479 750-8154.

Look for a state residential license that covers concrete or foundation work, since Arkansas's residential contractor rules include specialty classes for both, and a licensed residential building contractor or remodeler may do any specialty in its class. A specialty contractor may only do the specialty its license covers, so it's fair to ask which class someone holds before they bid. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.

A heavier build on weak soil may need a structural engineer, and an engineered pier foundation generally needs both a soils engineer and a structural engineer to design it and to supervise or inspect the work. That changes both the plan and the budget, so I'd rather flag it at the estimate than after the trench is open.