Serving Florence, SC and surrounding areas. (854) 204-1023
Decks, additions, and new builds need footings sized for Florence's clay soil and permitted by the city before work begins. We handle the whole process - permits, city inspection, and the pour - so your project starts on firm ground.
Concrete footings in Florence, SC are the underground base that holds up a deck, addition, porch, or new home - the crew digs trenches or holes to the required depth, sets forms, places steel reinforcement, passes a city inspection, and then pours the concrete. Most residential footing projects take three to seven days on-site, not counting the permit approval period that comes before work begins.
The reason footing work in Florence requires more care than in some other parts of the country is the soil. Florence sits on Coastal Plain soils with a significant clay component. Clay soil swells when it absorbs water and contracts when it dries out - and Florence gets both heavy summer rains and dry stretches in the same year. Footings that are not sized to handle that movement will shift, crack, and pull the structure above them out of level. If your project also involves repairing or leveling an existing structure, our foundation raising service may be the right starting point.
For homeowners in Florence's older neighborhoods adding onto homes built before modern code standards, a footing assessment is also a good idea before any framing begins. The existing footings may not have been designed to carry the load of a new addition, and knowing that upfront saves you from discovering the problem after the framing crew has already arrived.
If you can see a gap opening between your deck and the exterior wall, or your porch steps are tilting away from the house, the footings underneath may have shifted. In Florence, this often happens after a stretch of heavy rain followed by a dry summer - the clay soil expands and contracts, and footings not sized for local soil conditions start to move. The longer you wait, the larger the gap gets.
Hairline cracks in concrete are common and often harmless, but cracks wider than a quarter-inch, diagonal cracks, or cracks that appear to be growing over time are a warning sign. Florence's clay soils can cause uneven settling, putting stress on the concrete above. If you are seeing cracks in multiple places or they seem to be lengthening, have a concrete contractor take a look before it gets worse.
Any new structure attached to or near your home needs proper footings before anything else is built. If you are getting quotes for a deck or addition and a contractor does not mention footings or a permit, that is a red flag. In Florence, this work requires a permit and city inspection - a contractor who skips those steps is cutting corners that will cost you later.
When the ground shifts under a home, the house frame can rack slightly out of square. This shows up as doors that stick or will not latch, or windows that are harder to open and close. In Florence's older neighborhoods, this can be a sign that the original footings have settled unevenly over decades of seasonal soil movement.
Our footing work covers the full scope for residential structural projects in Florence: permit application, utility marking coordination, excavation, forming, steel reinforcement placement, the city pre-pour inspection, and the concrete pour itself. For deck and addition projects, we work alongside the building team so the footing phase does not hold up the rest of your project. We also coordinate with our foundation installation service for homeowners who need both footing work and a complete foundation as part of a new build or major addition.
For homeowners in Florence's older neighborhoods - like the areas around Timrod Park or the brick ranch subdivisions built in the 1960s and 1970s - we also offer footing assessments before additions begin. We check whether the existing footings can support new loads and give you a clear, honest answer before you commit to a scope of work. The Call811 national utility-locating service is part of every digging job we do - required by law, and a step we never skip.
Suits homeowners adding or replacing a deck or porch who need permitted, inspected footings sized for Florence's clay soil conditions.
Suits homeowners expanding their home with a garage, sunroom, or in-law suite who need structural footings independent from the existing foundation.
Suits homeowners building from scratch on a Florence lot who need footing work completed before framing or slab work can begin.
Suits owners of Florence homes built before the 1980s who need an honest evaluation of whether existing footings can support a planned addition.
Florence's shallow frost line - roughly six inches - might make it seem like footings here are simpler than in northern states. In practice, they are not. The wet-dry cycle in the Pee Dee region causes significant seasonal ground movement, and the city's building code sets minimum footing depths that account for both the load and the soil behavior - not just the freeze line. Footings that only meet the frost-depth minimum without accounting for clay soil conditions and actual structural loads can still settle unevenly over time, pulling the structure above them out of level. Florence's older neighborhoods see this regularly in homes where original footings were poured under earlier, less stringent standards.
Property owners in Hartsville and Sumter deal with the same Coastal Plain soil conditions as Florence, and we regularly work on footing projects throughout those areas. If you are in the planning stages of a deck, addition, or new structure anywhere in the region, getting the footing phase right is the single most important concrete decision you will make for that project.
Reach out by phone or the contact form. We reply within one business day. We will ask about what you are building and any settling or drainage issues you have noticed so we can arrive at the site visit prepared.
We visit your property before giving any price. We walk the site, assess the soil and drainage, and give you a written estimate covering excavation, forming, reinforcement, labor, and permit fees - no vague ranges.
We apply for the building permit through the City of Florence Development Services and call 811 to have underground utilities marked before any digging begins - both steps are required by law and part of every job we do.
The crew digs the trenches, sets forms, and places reinforcing steel. A city inspector checks the work before we pour. Once the inspector approves, we complete the pour, protect the concrete during curing, and remove forms once the concrete has reached adequate strength.
We visit the site before quoting - because footing work in Florence depends on soil conditions you cannot assess over the phone. Replies within one business day.
(854) 204-1023Florence's clay-heavy Coastal Plain soils expand in the rain and shrink in summer heat. We size every footing for your specific soil and load - not just the minimum the code requires - so you are not calling us two years later because your deck is pulling away from the house.
We handle the City of Florence permit application and coordinate the required pre-pour inspection as part of every structural project. You get the permit record at the end - independent documentation that the work was reviewed and approved before the concrete was placed underground.
Florence summers push into the 90s from June through September, and concrete that loses moisture too fast during curing ends up weaker than it should be. We schedule pours for early morning during hot months and use curing protection to keep the concrete at full strength - because a footing that looks fine on day one but cracks by year three is not acceptable work.
Many Florence homes built before the 1980s have footings poured under older standards. If you are adding onto your home, we assess whether the existing footings can handle the new load and tell you honestly what we find - even if it means a larger project than you planned. The American Concrete Institute publishes the structural concrete standards that guide every footing project we complete.
Footings are underground and out of sight once the project is done - which is exactly why we welcome the city inspection and never rush past it. When your project is finished, you have a permit record that proves the work was reviewed and done correctly.
Lifting and releveling an existing structure whose original footings have settled unevenly over time.
Learn MoreFull foundation work for new construction that begins where footing work leaves off.
Learn MorePermits and inspections add time to every project - the sooner you reach out, the sooner we can assess your site and get the process moving.
