Concrete footings in Auburn ME - a solid start for everything built on top
Building an addition, garage or new home and need footings poured before the cold sets in? We set them carefully and protect the pour.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into pouring concrete footings in Auburn?
Concrete footings are the wide, steel-reinforced base your foundation walls or posts sit on, and here in Auburn we pour them so a new house, addition or garage starts on something frost has a hard time moving.
Most people who call about footings are starting something bigger, like an addition, a garage or a full foundation, and the footing is the first concrete in the ground. The price moves with how much footing the plans call for, how easy the site is for a truck and an excavator to reach, which foundation type you go with, and whether we pour into the cold with blankets and heaters or wait for a milder stretch. That last choice moves the schedule too, along with what the permit office needs before we dig, and your written estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
How we pour concrete footings
Footings are the part nobody sees and everything sits on, so we don't rush them. Nobody has ever thrown a party for a footing, and that's fine with me. I lay them out from your plans, then we dig the trench, set the forms and tie in rebar, the steel bars that help the concrete carry weight and hold together if it cracks. We pour, level the top so the walls start square, and keep the fresh concrete covered and protected from early cold while it cures, which is the stretch of days it needs to gain strength before anything heavy goes on it.
Footings often come with other work. When the house you're adding onto has settled at one corner, we look at foundation raising first so the new footing lines up with something level. When a new post or wall has to land inside a garage or basement, concrete cutting opens a clean section of floor so we break out only what the job needs.
Continuous footings under walls
A continuous footing runs the full length under foundation walls, so it suits new homes, additions and garages where the weight sits along a line. It spreads that load over a wider strip so the wall above has a steady place to stand.
Pad footings for posts and columns
A pad footing is a single block of concrete under one post, so it suits decks, porches and basement beams where the weight lands in spots. Each pad gets sized for what it carries, which is why I want to see the plans before we dig.
What to sort out before pouring concrete footings in Auburn
In Auburn, building permit applications go to Permitting and Code Enforcement and excavation ones go to Public Works, and the city's list names building, fill and excavation work but not footings by name, so whether your footing job needs its own permit isn't settled until someone asks. The city sends those questions to its departments, and the city's permits page is the place to start for your own project. Before we book any job, we check with the permit office on what it needs, and when a permit is called for we handle the application. The state's building codes office also says following Maine's building and energy code is the owner's responsibility whether or not your local code office enforces it, which is one more reason to get this settled before the first pour.
We're based in Auburn and work in Lewiston, Portland and plenty of other cities around them. A lot of the footing calls we get are for additions, garages and decks on older houses, and many come in late in the season from people who want the concrete in before winter, so we plan for cold nights even when the forecast looks friendly.
Why Auburn homeowners call Sterling Auburn Concrete for footings
The owner sets your footings
I come out to look at the job and give the estimate, and I lead the crew that does the work. The person who measured your site is the one standing at the forms on pour day.
Pouring in Maine since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after learning the trade on other crews, and my first pour was a barn floor on the family farm. Thirteen years of Maine falls and springs teach you to have the blankets on the truck before anyone asks.
Licensed, insured, everything in writing
We're licensed and fully insured. You also get the footing work laid out in a written estimate, so you know what we're pouring and where before anyone picks up a shovel.
If you've got plans and a rough idea of when you want to build, I'd rather see the site early than squeeze a pour in ahead of a cold snap. Send us your project details or call (207) 707-4423.
Request a quoteGet a written estimate for your footings
We reply within one business day. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. After you send the form, I'll come out to look at the site, measure it and ask what you're building.
What happens after you call about footings in Auburn?
Call or send the form
You reach us by phone or the form, and I come out to the site myself. I look at the job, measure it and ask what you're building on the footings.
Get your written estimate
You get a written estimate that lays out the footing work and what moves the price. If your timing runs into cold weather, it shows what protecting the pour would add so you can decide whether waiting makes more sense.
Check permits, set the date
Once you're ready, we check what the local permit office needs and pick a pour date that suits the job and the weather. We dig, form and set the rebar before any concrete truck shows up.
Pour, cure and walk it
We pour, keep the fresh concrete protected while it cures and strip the forms. Then I walk the footings with you before we pack up.
Frequently asked questions
How much do concrete footings cost in Auburn, ME?
Your price comes down to how much footing the plans call for, how easy the site is to dig and reach with a truck, and whether the pour needs cold weather protection. I don't quote footings over the phone, because two jobs that sound alike can need very different amounts of concrete and steel. Call (207) 707-4423 and I'll come out and put a figure in writing.
When is it too cold to pour concrete footings?
The national guide on cold weather concreting treats a pour as a cold weather job once the air has dropped to 40°F, or is expected to fall below it, while the concrete still needs protecting. In mild cold that can mean covering the fresh concrete with insulating materials, and low temperatures or high winds can call for enclosures and heaters. We keep the fresh pour protected from early cold either way, and the estimate shows what that protection adds.
Can footings sit shallower if you insulate them?
They can, and one builder's guide describes a frost-protected shallow foundation, which uses insulation placed around the foundation to hold in warmth so the footings can sit shallower. The guide says it suits slab-on-grade homes on flatter lots best, can also work with a walkout basement when the downhill side is insulated, and is handy for remodeling because it disturbs less of the site. It's national guidance and not right for every job, so it's worth talking through with me at the estimate.
How do I apply for a building permit in Auburn, ME?
Building permit applications go to the city's Permitting and Code Enforcement, excavation applications go to Public Works, and completed applications go back to Auburn Hall at 60 Court Street. If you're not sure which ones your footing job needs, the city asks you to put that question to its departments. We'll go over it with you at the estimate.
Do I need a written contract for a footing job in Maine?
Yes, once the job runs more than $3,000 in materials or labor, because Maine law requires a home construction contract over that amount to be in writing and signed by both the contractor and the homeowner. If your footing work passes that amount, plan on reading and signing a written contract before we start.
How long does fresh concrete need protection from frost?
In fall or spring in cold climates, the national cold weather guide says fresh concrete should be guarded against unexpected freezing for at least the first 24 hours. That first day matters because concrete that freezes early can be ruined or left permanently weaker. We keep a fresh footing covered, and I'd rather pull a blanket off on a warm morning than wish I'd left one on.
Other work that often comes with footings
Foundation raising
Floors that slope, doors that stick or a porch pulling away from the house can mean part of the foundation has dropped, and lifting it is often the first fix.
Concrete cutting
Sawing a doorway into a foundation wall, opening a basement floor for a drain or trimming a damaged slab edge all go faster and cleaner with the right saw.
Auburn, ME
Book an estimate for your footings
Have the project type, when you'd like to pour and whether the lot slopes ready when you call (207) 707-4423 or send the form, because those three things tell me which foundation options are worth talking through.