Concrete footings in Owatonna MN - a solid base that stays put below the frost line
Building a deck, addition or garage? We dig each footing to the depth your plans call for, so what you build on it stays put.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What are concrete footings, and does my project need them?
Concrete footings are the wider concrete base under a wall, a deck post or a column. Here in Owatonna we pour them so they spread that load into the soil below and keep what you build from heaving or sinking.
Most folks call us when they're adding a deck, a porch, a garage or an addition, or when an old deck has started to lean and they want it set right this time. The price moves with how many footings you need, how deep each one has to go, whether it runs under a wall or sits under a single post, and how easy the spot is to dig. The schedule mostly turns on the permit, the city inspection and the weather. We check with the city early on, and your written estimate spells out the prep and the reinforcement so you can see what you're paying for.
How do you know your deck or wall needs new footings?
Deck out of level
If one corner of your deck or stairs sits higher every spring, the post under that corner is usually on a footing that's too shallow, and frost is pushing it up. It moves a little more each winter, and the framing and fasteners take the strain.
Posts on blocks or dirt
Plenty of older decks and sheds sit on precast blocks or on posts sunk straight into the ground, with no real footing under them. That can hold for a while, but once a post starts to rot or sink, you're replacing a lot more than the post.
Cracks above a wall
A crack running up a block wall or along the edge of a garage floor can mean the base under that wall has settled. Catching it early usually means a smaller fix than waiting until doors stick or the gap gets wider.
How we build concrete footings that carry the load
First I figure out what each footing has to carry, a whole wall or a single post, because that decides whether it runs in a line under the wall or sits as a pad under the post. Then we lay out the spots and dig each hole to the depth your plans call for, and the holes stay open and clean until the inspector has seen them, since loose dirt left in the bottom is dirt that settles later. Once they pass, we set the rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together under load, then pour and let it cure, which is the waiting time concrete needs to gain its strength before anything heavy goes on it. Footings are the part nobody sees once the deck boards go down, so they're the first place people want to trim the budget, and that's exactly why I won't cut corners there. You can see why I'd rather spend the money down in the hole, right?
Sometimes the footing isn't the whole job. If a slab or wall over an old footing has already sunk, foundation raising can bring it back up before we add anything new, and if your new post or wall has to come down through an existing patio or garage floor, concrete cutting lets us open a neat hole without breaking up the whole slab.
Continuous footings under walls
A continuous footing runs the full length of a foundation under a wall, so it suits garages, additions and anything else carrying weight along a line. It spreads that wall's load along its whole length instead of leaving one spot to carry it.
Pad footings under posts and columns
A pad footing sits under one concentrated load, like a deck post, a pier or a column, which makes it the usual choice for decks and porch posts. Each pad carries its own post's weight down to the soil.
Get a free estimate for your footings
Send us the project type, its rough size and whether it's a deck. We reply within one business day, and I'll set a time to come look at the spot, free and with no pressure to book.
(507) 599-0098- Based in
- Owatonna, MN 55060
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call us about footings in Owatonna?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the day we pack up, and who you'll be talking with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (507) 599-0098 or send the form with your project type, its rough size and whether it's a deck. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come look at the spot
I look at where the footings go, ask how you'll use what's going on top and talk through your options. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep and the reinforcement, so there's no guessing at what the number covers.
We plan the permit and pour
We work out the permit side and a pour date with you, planned around the city's inspection. The city books inspections at least one day ahead, by 4 pm, with no same-day visits, so that wait goes into the schedule.
We dig, pour and finish
I'm on site with our crew from forming to finishing, and nothing gets poured until the inspection is done. Before we leave, I go over how to care for the new concrete while it cures.
Why Owatonna homeowners call Truegrade Owatonna Concrete for footings
I'm on site, start to finish
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, and I'm there with our crew while the work gets done. You're talking to the same person from the first visit to the pour, so nothing gets lost between the estimate and the dig.
Nine years in the concrete business
I learned the trade hauling forms and running the wheelbarrow on a small crew, and I've run this business since 2017. That's enough Minnesota winters to know what frost does to a post that wasn't set deep enough.
Fully licensed and insured in Minnesota
Minnesota's labor department puts poured footings in its masonry and concrete skill area, and a contractor who works in more than one skill area needs a state license, while one who sticks to a single specialty doesn't. We're fully licensed and insured, and it's fair to ask anyone you're comparing which side of that rule they're on.
How your footings hold up comes down to the dig nobody sees later, so call us or send the form and I'll come take a look. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Footings, decks and frost in Owatonna
The city's building inspections list names footings and foundations, along with setbacks from property lines and grading, so where a footing lands matters as much as how deep it goes. On bigger projects, the city's residential plan checklist asks for foundation plans showing each footing's location, width, depth and reinforcement, and city policy requires structural engineering once cumulative loads go over 12,000 pounds. We check with the city early on every job, and when a permit is needed we help with the paperwork and plan the work around the inspections. You can see what the city covers on its building permits page.
Our winters are the other local factor, because frost works on anything set too shallow, and we see plenty of older decks whose posts have lifted. We're based in Owatonna and work in the cities around it, and we run into the same frost-lifted decks and the same garage and addition work in Faribault and Waseca.
Questions about concrete footings in Owatonna
How deep do footings need to be in Owatonna, MN?
Owatonna's residential plan checklist lists frost depth as 42 inches minimum, and state building rules set a minimum footing depth because of freezing. That minimum holds unless an engineer who knows soil mechanics makes a different call, so we plan every hole to reach the depth your plans call for.
Do I need a permit to build a deck in Owatonna?
Yes, every deck in Owatonna needs some kind of permit. The city requires a building permit for all attached decks and for freestanding decks 30 inches or more above grade, and decks that don't need a building permit still need a zoning permit. We check with the city early so the footing work lines up with whichever one applies.
How do I get ready for the footing inspection on a deck in Owatonna?
On an Owatonna deck permit, the first inspection is the post footings, with the holes dug and no concrete in them yet. The holes need to be cleared of loose material and the property pins left uncovered, because the inspector checks each footing's depth, its width at the bottom and where it sits under the zoning rules. We keep the holes clean and ready, so there's not much for you to do but wait for the sign-off.
What is the best way to pour footings in a Minnesota winter?
Thaw the ground first. A Michigan concrete trade group's cold-weather guide says concrete goes on thawed ground and that frozen ground gets thawed with ground heaters or blankets, so a winter job may add a thawing step before the pour. I'll tell you at the estimate whether yours is likely to need one.
How much do concrete footings cost in Owatonna?
There's no honest number until I've seen the spot, because the price comes down to how many footings you need, how deep they go and what's in the way of the dig. A continuous footing under a wall takes more digging and concrete than a single pad under a deck post, and a winter thawing step adds to it. Call (507) 599-0098 and you'll get a written estimate that spells out the prep and the reinforcement.
What is a frost protected shallow foundation?
It's a less traditional way to reduce how deep a foundation has to go, and a state labor department fact sheet written for northern Minnesota says state codes allow it. That sheet says the method saves on construction through shallower digging, less concrete and smaller forms, so if you're curious whether it fits your project, ask me about it at the estimate.
Related services that often go with footings
When a slab, step or wall has already dropped, lifting it back toward level can be a better fix than tearing it out and pouring it again.
Need a post or wall where a slab already sits? A clean saw cut removes just the section in the way and saves the rest of the floor.
Service areas around Owatonna for footing work
Truegrade Owatonna Concrete is based in Owatonna, Minnesota, and we pour footings in the cities around it. Faribault and Albert Lea are two of the 10 cities with their own page below, and we work in others nearby too.
Owatonna, MN
Get your footings planned before you build
Calling before the lumber's ordered gives us time to line up the depth, the inspection and a pour date that fits the rest of your build.