Serving San Francisco, CA and surrounding areas. (628) 895-9470
Sticking doors, sloping floors, and wall cracks are signs your foundation has moved. We lift it back to level, handle the permits, and give you documentation when the city inspector signs off.
Foundation raising in San Francisco is the process of lifting a home's foundation back to its original level after it has sunk or shifted, using steel piers or foam injection beneath the slab, with most projects taking one to three days of active work and four to eight weeks total when permit review and city inspection are factored in.
If you have noticed doors dragging, floors sloping, or cracks opening near your window corners, your foundation has likely moved. That movement does not stop on its own - the longer it continues, the more it costs to fix and the more damage spreads to walls, floors, and framing. San Francisco's combination of loose fill soil, seismic activity, and aging Victorian housing stock makes foundation settling more common here than in most California cities.
Foundation raising is closely related to the overall structural health of your home. For homeowners whose settling has exposed gaps or damage at the footing level, we also handle slab foundation building so the entire base can be addressed in one coordinated project.
If interior doors that used to swing freely now drag on the floor or refuse to latch, or if windows have become hard to open and close, your home's frame may be shifting because the foundation beneath it has moved. This is one of the most common early signs homeowners notice. In San Francisco's older homes, it often happens gradually over years - so if it is getting worse, it is worth having someone take a look.
Diagonal cracks running from the corners of door frames or windows, or stair-step cracks in brick or plaster walls, often point to uneven foundation movement rather than normal settling. Cracks that are widening, that you can fit a coin into, or that appear suddenly after a wet winter or a small earthquake deserve attention. San Francisco's combination of seismic activity and loose fill soil makes this pattern especially common.
If you place a marble on your floor and it rolls consistently in one direction, or if you notice a visible slope when you walk from room to room, the foundation may have dropped on one side. This is particularly common in San Francisco homes built on hillsides, where one end of the house sits on more stable ground than the other. A floor that used to feel level but now feels off is a meaningful change worth investigating.
When a foundation shifts, the structure above it shifts too - and that movement often shows up as gaps where walls meet ceilings, or where baseboards pull away from the floor. You might also notice that countertops or cabinets are no longer flush against the wall. These gaps tend to grow slowly, so if you are noticing them for the first time, the movement has likely been happening for a while.
We assess your home's foundation, identify how much it has moved and why, and then lift it back to the correct level using the method that fits your specific situation. Steel pier lifting involves driving piers deep into stable soil beneath your home and then jacking the foundation up - it reaches past the loose surface material that causes settling in San Francisco and anchors into ground that does not move. Foam injection pumps an expanding material beneath the slab to fill voids and push it level. It is faster and less invasive, which makes it a better fit for homes with more contained settling. Every project includes a written estimate, permit handling with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, coordination of the required city inspection, and documentation of before-and-after measurements when the job is done. For projects that involve cutting through concrete to access the foundation or install new hardware, we also coordinate concrete cutting as part of the same scope.
Most homeowners can stay in their home while the work is happening. You will need to clear furniture away from the work areas and expect noise and vibration during the lifting. If gas or water needs to be briefly shut off, we give you advance notice so you can plan around it. Once the city inspector signs off and the permit is closed, you receive copies of all records - which matters more than most homeowners realize when it comes time to sell or refinance.
Suits homes with significant settling where piers need to reach deep, stable soil beneath the loose fill or clay that is causing the movement.
Suits homes with more contained settling where the void beneath the slab is the primary issue and a less invasive approach is appropriate.
For San Francisco homes on slopes where one corner has dropped more than others and the repair must account for uneven soil pressure.
Suits older San Francisco homes built before modern foundation standards where the type of repair depends on what was originally poured.
Large portions of San Francisco - including the Marina, Mission Bay, and parts of the Sunset and Richmond districts - were built on land that was filled in over the bay or on loose, sandy soil rather than solid bedrock. This type of ground compresses and shifts far more than solid rock, which is why foundation settling is so much more common here than in cities built on stable ground. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused severe damage in the Marina largely because of this soil behavior. If your home sits in one of these areas, a contractor who understands San Francisco's specific soil conditions is essential. USGS publishes seismic hazard data that explains why some San Francisco neighborhoods face higher foundation risk than others. Homeowners in Daly City and Oakland face related soil and seismic conditions that make this type of work equally relevant across the Bay Area.
San Francisco's hillside terrain adds another layer of complexity. Homes on slopes experience uneven soil pressure, and water runoff from the city's winter rains tends to concentrate at the downhill side of a foundation, eroding soil over time. This means foundation settling in San Francisco often happens unevenly - one corner drops more than another - and the repair approach needs to account for that slope. A large share of the city's housing stock was also built between the 1880s and 1920s, with older foundation types that were not designed to modern standards. These homes often have shallow foundations or no continuous foundation beneath certain sections, which means the assessment process takes more time and the approach has to be tailored to what is actually there. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection requires permits for foundation work and sends an inspector to confirm the job was done correctly - which protects you in the long run.
When you reach out, we ask a few basic questions - how old is your home, what are you noticing, and where in San Francisco you are located. We schedule an in-person visit before giving you any numbers. We respond within one business day.
During the visit, we walk through your home and around the exterior, measure floor levels, inspect the foundation from any accessible crawl space, and ask about your home's age and any previous foundation work. This visit usually takes one to two hours. Your written estimate explains what method we recommend, how many lift points are needed, and what the total cost covers.
We handle the permit application with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection and give you a realistic timeline for approval. In San Francisco, this process typically adds several weeks before work can begin. We tell you upfront so there are no surprises.
The crew installs piers or injects foam beneath the foundation and carefully raises the structure to the target level. After lifting, the city inspector visits and signs off before the permit is closed. We backfill any excavated areas, clean up the site, and give you documentation of the work and before-and-after measurements.
We come to your home, look at your foundation, and give you a written estimate with no obligation. Responses within one business day.
(628) 895-9470In San Francisco, foundation work without a permit creates problems when you sell or refinance. We handle the permit application, coordinate the city inspection, and give you a complete record when the job is done. You never have to chase down paperwork yourself.
The fill soil in the Marina and Mission Bay behaves differently from the clay in the Sunset and the bedrock under the hills. We assess your soil conditions during the estimate visit so the repair method we recommend fits your actual ground - not a generic approach that may not hold.
The National Foundation Repair Association notes that repair costs vary significantly based on method and scope. We give you a written estimate that explains what drives the cost, so you can compare estimates fairly and make an informed decision without pressure.
A large share of the homes we work on in San Francisco were built before 1940. We know what to look for in Victorian and Edwardian foundations - shallow perimeter footings, missing continuous foundations, older concrete mixes - and we adjust our approach to what is actually there.
Foundation raising in San Francisco requires experience with local soil, seismic conditions, and a permit process that moves on the city's schedule, not yours. We have done this work across San Francisco's neighborhoods and bring the same care to every home, whether it is a hillside Victorian or a flat-lot bungalow in the Excelsior.
Precise cutting through existing concrete slabs, walls, and floors to create openings or remove damaged sections as part of a foundation or retrofit project.
Learn MoreFull concrete slab foundation construction for new structures or complete replacement of deteriorated foundations across San Francisco.
Learn MoreSan Francisco's rainy season puts added stress on already-shifting foundations. Get on the schedule now and have the work done before conditions get worse.
