Extend Shallow Footings with Foundation Underpinning
Footings that were never sized for today's load, or soil that shifted, or a basement you want to deepen. Las Vegas Concrete extends the footing downward or outward in engineered bays, keeping the building supported the whole time. Free assessment, written quote, firm schedule.
Underpinning Solves Footing Problems That Repair Cannot
A cracked wall can be reinforced. A footing that is too shallow or too narrow cannot. When the root cause is the footing itself, not deep enough, not wide enough, or sitting on poor bearing soil, the footing has to be extended or rebuilt. That is underpinning.
Three common scenarios call for underpinning. First, ongoing settlement after repair attempts, which signals the footing is moving, not the wall. Second, basement deepening, where lowering the floor below the existing footing requires the footing to be extended downward in bays first. Third, additions that load the existing footing beyond its original design capacity.
The work is engineered, sequenced in numbered bays, and pairs with crack sealing on newly exposed concrete. We also handle basement renovation that follows underpinning, and waterproofing on the newly exposed wall before backfill.
Recent work
The sequence
How Foundation Underpinning Gets Done in Las Vegas
Structural engineer designs the work
The engineer specifies footing depth, width, materials, reinforcement, and the exact bay sequence so the building stays supported while each section is excavated and poured.
Excavate the first bay
The first bay in the sequence is dug out to the engineered depth, never adjacent bays at once. The rest of the footing holds the load while this section is open.
Form, reinforce, and pour concrete
The new footing section is formed, rebar placed, and concrete poured to the engineered detail. The concrete is allowed to cure fully before the next bay is touched.
Move to the next bay in sequence
Once the first bay is cured and load-bearing, the next bay in the sequence is excavated and poured. The cycle repeats until the entire footing is extended to the new depth or width.
Why sequence matters
Bays Are the Safety Mechanism in Underpinning
Underpinning the whole footing at once would collapse the building. Bays prevent that. Only a small percentage of the footing is unsupported at any time, and the rest is bearing the load while that bay cures. The engineered sequence determines which bay goes first, which goes second, and so on.
Skipping ahead, doing two adjacent bays simultaneously, or filling before proper curing time risks settlement during the work. We follow the sequence exactly as engineered, and we pair the work with proper footing installation detail. The newly exposed wall gets structural assessment before backfill, and we coordinate with any basement floor work that follows.
Bay sequence, basement deepening, additions and when underpinning is the right tool.
If settlement keeps happening after repair attempts, if the cracking is at the footing rather than just in the wall, if the soil bearing capacity has changed, or if you are adding load or lowering the basement floor. The assessment will tell us which is right.
Yes. The bay sequence means only a small section of footing is unsupported at any time, and the rest is bearing the load. Most homeowners stay in their homes through underpinning; we let you know if your situation is the exception.
Yes, that is one of the main uses. Lowering a basement floor below the existing footing requires the footing to be extended downward in bays; once underpinned, the floor can be excavated to the new depth and a new slab poured.
Only when the new load on the existing footing exceeds what the footing was sized for. The structural engineer for the addition determines that; we underpin the existing footing to the engineered detail when required.
Several weeks for a typical residential underpinning, because each bay has to be excavated, formed, poured and cured before the next bay starts. The full schedule is in the written quote so you can plan around it.
Homeowner reviews
What Las Vegas Homeowners Say About Underpinning Work
We added a second storey and the engineer said underpin. Las Vegas Concrete did the sequence by the book, addition went on top, no settlement since. Done right.
T. J.
Las Vegas
★★★★★
Settlement that two other contractors had tried to fix as wall cracks was actually a footing problem. Underpinning solved it. Cracks haven't moved since.
N. K.
Henderson
★★★★★
Basement deepening project, underpinning first, then the new lower slab. Headroom we wanted, structure stronger than before. Worth every cent.
U. O.
Pahrump
★★★★★
Engineered, sequenced, communicated every step. Lived in the house through the whole project, never felt unsafe. Underpinning is a craft and these guys know it.
G. H.
North Las Vegas
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Tell us what is happening with the footing, settlement, an addition, or basement deepening, and we will assess it free and provide a written quote with the full underpinning sequence and timeline.
