Foundation raising in Lansing MI - a settled house held in place or lifted back
Cracks in the basement wall or doors that stick? We set steel piers under your footing to hold the house or lift it back.
What does foundation raising fix in a Lansing house?
Foundation raising in Lansing means fastening helical piers to a foundation that has settled, cracked or heaved. Helical piers are steel shafts with screw plates that turn deep into the ground. The piers then either hold the house where it sits so it stops settling, or lift it back close to where it started.
Most calls start with a crack that keeps getting wider, or a door that used to close fine and now sticks at the top. The price mostly comes down to how many piers the wall needs, whether we hold the house or lift it, whether we work from outside, inside or both, and how much follow-up work there is once the piers are in. The schedule turns on the permit and the season, and the written estimate I send after seeing the house lays all of that out for your job.
How we handle foundation raising
I start by looking at the cracks and at any doors or windows that stick, because together they show where the house has dropped. Then I explain whether holding it or lifting it makes more sense for your house. Holding stops it from settling any further where it sits. Lifting goes a step further and brings it back toward where it was. Once you've decided, our crew opens the ground at the footing, the wide concrete base your walls sit on. We set the piers and fasten a bracket from each one to the footing. If we're lifting, we bring the house up slowly while someone watches the cracks and the doors. After that comes the follow-up work, like crack repair and drain tile, the pipe along the footing that carries water away. Then we backfill and clean up.
Two other kinds of work often come with it. Piers set from inside mean opening the basement floor, and that's where clean concrete cutting matters. When a pier lands under the driveway along the house, we take that section out and pour it back as part of our concrete driveway building work.
Foundation repair, permits and floodplains in Lansing
In Lansing, building permits come from the city's Building Safety Office and are required before construction or remodeling begins. That office also reviews building plans to make sure they meet the Michigan Building Code. Before we plan a foundation job inside the city, we confirm with that office what your job needs, so the permit question is answered before anyone digs.
Water is the other local question. The city says the Grand River, the Red Cedar River and Sycamore Creek can flood, and so can the Reynolds Drain in North Lansing and Pawlowski Creek in South Lansing. Part of the city sits in the floodplain. If your house is in the 100-year floodplain of a river, stream or drain, state law requires a permit before any alteration there. For homes built in that floodplain, the state's minimum standard puts the lowest floor a foot above the 100-year flood level, and some communities and counties set it higher. Lifting a settled foundation back toward where it started isn't the same as raising a floor above flood level. If you live near one of those waters, tell me at the estimate and we'll check that before we plan. We see the same cracked walls and sticking doors on calls in Holt and Okemos, and we work through the same questions there.
How foundation raising works
Call or send the form
Call (517) 246-3566 or send the contact form with your address. We'll set a time for me to come see the house.
I come out and look
I walk the outside and the basement, look at the cracks and any sticking doors and windows, and answer your questions. Then you get a written estimate. It says whether I'd hold or lift the house and lists the follow-up work, like crack repair, drain tile and backfill, so you can compare it with other quotes.
We check permits and schedule
Once you're ready, we find out which office covers your address. Then we set a date that suits the job and the season.
We set piers and backfill
I work the job alongside our crew, from the first hole to the backfill and cleanup. Before we leave, we go through the doors and windows with you to see how they open now.
Get a written plan for your foundation, cracks and drain tile
We respond within 1 business day, and the estimate is free, done on site, with no pressure to book. After you send the form, we set a time for me to come out. I look at the cracks and doors and answer your questions, then I send you a written estimate.
Questions before you book foundation raising
How much does foundation raising cost in Lansing, MI?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the house, because the price is set by how many piers it needs, whether we hold or lift, and how much digging and follow-up the job takes. Lifting takes more care than holding, and drain tile, crack repair or a section of driveway that has to come out all add to it. If the budget is tight, people want to cut the backfill and drain tile first because nobody sees them. I'd rather leave cosmetic patching for later than skimp on the work against the wall.
Can I stay in my house while helical piers are installed?
Usually, yes. One pier maker's manual says helical piers go in with portable equipment, even in tight spaces indoors, and without the shaking that driven piles cause. It says the house can stay in use with little trouble for the people living there. At the estimate, I'll tell you whether we'll need to work in your basement.
Do helical piers mean digging up my yard or basement floor?
There's some digging either way. One pier maker's install guide has crews dig outside down to the footing, either a trench along the whole wall or a hole at each pier, and take out a square of the basement floor for piers set inside. I'll show you at the estimate where we'd dig, so you know which part of the yard or floor will be open.
Who schedules inspections for foundation work in Lansing?
Whoever applies for the permit schedules the inspections, because Lansing issues the permit once the application is approved and leaves booking every inspection to the applicant. When a job needs a permit, we take care of the application and the inspections and keep you posted on where things stand. If you'd rather apply yourself, the city's Building Safety page asks homeowners to print the application and send it to the permit contact listed there.
How do I know if a foundation contractor is licensed in Michigan?
Ask which trade their license lists, because each Michigan maintenance and alteration license names the trade its holder is qualified for. Those trades include concrete, excavation, masonry work and basement waterproofing. The state's Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board licenses and regulates anyone who repairs, alters or improves a house for pay.
How do I compare foundation repair quotes?
Check which finishing steps each quote includes, not just the pier count. One pier maker's install guide ends the job with a check of doors and windows, crack repair and waterproofing, drain tile replacement as needed, and backfill with rock and topsoil. A quote that leaves some of those out can look cheaper than it is.
Why Lansing homeowners call Benchmark Lansing Concrete Company for foundation raising
The owner looks at it first
I come out to look at your house myself, and I'm on the job with our crew when the piers go in. The person who explained the plan to you is the one making sure we follow it.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters on foundation work, where our crew is digging along your walls and working under your house.
Based in Lansing since 2023
We've been in business here since 2023, working in Lansing and the cities around it. Before we plan a job, we check which city or township office covers your address, because two houses a few streets apart can fall under different offices.
On a foundation, what counts most is what you won't see once the dirt is back, the piers and brackets under the footing. Call (517) 246-3566 or send us a note and I'll come take a look.
Other concrete work that comes with foundation repair
Concrete cutting
When piers go in from the basement, a clean saw cut through the floor keeps the opening square and makes the patch afterward sit flush with the rest.
Concrete driveway building
If digging along the house means taking out part of an old driveway, or the driveway has sunk, we can pour a new one on a packed base.
Get your foundation, cracks and doors checked
Call or send the form with your address and photos of the cracks and any sticking doors or windows, so I can see what's going on before I come out.
