Foundation raising in Quincy MA - a house raised above predicted flood levels
Water in the cellar after every big storm? We check whether your house is a good candidate, then lift it above predicted flood levels.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
When does it make sense to raise a house in Quincy?
Foundation raising in Quincy, MA usually means lifting your house off its old foundation and setting it on open pilings above predicted flood levels, so storm water can pass underneath instead of filling your cellar.
If you're reading this, you've probably pumped out the cellar more than once or been told your house sits in a flood zone, and you want to know whether lifting it is realistic. The price moves with the size and weight of the house, how high it has to go, what shape the old foundation is in, how much digging your lot allows and whether a design professional has to draw up the plan. The schedule turns mostly on that design work, on what the city's proposed floodplain rules ask of your house and on the weather for dig days. I can't give you a real number from the curb, so I come out, measure and put it in a written estimate that spells out what's included.
How do you know your house might need raising?
Water in the cellar
If the cellar takes water every time a big storm comes through, the house simply sits lower than the water wants to go, and a pump only deals with it after it's already in. Each flood soaks the framing and everything stored down there, and that damage adds up storm after storm.
Furnace and heater down below
When the furnace, water heater and electrical panel live in the cellar, one bad flood can take them all out at once. Raising the house lets you get that equipment up out of the water's path, and waiting usually means paying to replace it again.
Sills that stay damp
Soft, stained wood where the house meets the foundation usually means water keeps reaching the bottom of the framing. Left alone, the rot spreads upward, and a house with rotten sills takes more repair work before it can be lifted safely.
How we handle foundation raising
Every job starts with an honest look at whether your house is a good candidate, because a lift is only as good as the house and what's under it, and when the job calls for it we bring in a design professional to draw it up. Before anyone digs, I explain how we'll dig and how much of your yard that opens up, since one pier maker's guide has crews reach the footing either with a trench along a whole wall or a square hole at each pier, and a trench opens a lot more ground beside the house. Then we dig, lift the house, build the new footings and supports it will sit on, and backfill and grade so water runs away from the house. Footings are the wide concrete base that spreads the house's weight into the ground, and I care about them most, because nobody sees them again after backfill and that's exactly where people get tempted to save money.
Raising a house usually touches the concrete around it. When a walk, patio or cellar slab is in the way of a pier, we use concrete cutting to take out just that piece instead of breaking up the whole slab. And because the house ends up higher and the yard gets dug up, plenty of jobs finish with concrete driveway building so the drive meets the garage at the new height and drains the right way.
Raising onto open pilings
This suits houses in a flood zone that keep taking water, because the living space sits up high and floodwater can move under it instead of pushing on the walls. It's the biggest change to how the house looks and how you get in, so plan on new steps up to a higher entry.
Digging at each pier
A square hole at each support suits tight lots, mature plantings and paving close to the house, because it disturbs less ground. I'll walk you around and show you where every hole goes before we start.
Trenching along the wall
A trench along the whole wall makes sense when the full length of the foundation needs to be opened up and worked on. It exposes much more of the yard beside the house, so expect more to put back afterward.
Get a written estimate for raising your house
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look. The visit and the written estimate are free, and there's no obligation.
(617) 691-5008- Based in
- Quincy, MA 02169
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about raising your house in Quincy?
Here's how a foundation raising job runs, from your first call to the day I walk you around the finished work.
Call or send the form
We get back to you and set a time for me to come out. Have your address, the size of the house and any flood zone details handy.
I look, measure and listen
I check whether your house is a good candidate, measure and talk through what you want from the project. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know exactly what you're paying for before you decide.
We line up permits and dates
If the job needs a permit, we pull it ourselves rather than hand you the paperwork. We pick dig and pour dates with the forecast in mind, because open trenches and fresh concrete don't do well in a soaking storm.
We dig, lift and finish
Our crew does the prep, the lift, the pour and the backfill. When we're done, I walk you through how to care for the new concrete and what to keep an eye on.
Why Quincy homeowners call Cornerstone Quincy Concrete to raise a house
I write and run your job
I'm the one who comes out to look at your house and write the estimate, and I run the work with my crew of finishers and laborers. The person who explained the plan to you is the one standing in your yard on dig day.
Pouring concrete since 2017
I started this business in Quincy in 2017 after learning the trade on a finishing crew under people who'd done it their whole lives. Nine years in, I still care most about the footings and supports, because that's where concrete holds up or doesn't.
Registered and insured in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires anyone bidding on or doing work on an existing, owner-occupied home of one to four units to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. We're fully licensed and insured, so you're not taking a chance on whoever is digging next to your house.
On a raised house, what matters most is what holds it up, the footings and supports you'll never see again once we backfill. Call or send us a message with your address, house size and any flood zone details, and I'll come take a look.
Raising houses in Quincy's flood district and the cities around it
If your house is in Quincy's floodplain overlay district, the city's proposed rules shape this job more than anything else. Under the proposed text, all construction in that district, including changes to an existing building, needs a special permit from the Board of Appeals. The same proposed text says a renovation big enough, measured against the building's market value, to count as a substantial improvement has to bring the lowest floor, cellar included, up to or above the Design Flood Elevation, which is the flood height the rules build to. Because these rules are still proposed and could change, we check with the city's building office before we set a date, and when your job needs a permit we pull it ourselves.
Most of the houses we're asked about sit on low ground near the water, often older homes with the furnace in the cellar and tight yards where the way we dig really matters. We're based in Quincy and work across the cities around it, and we hear the same flood questions from homeowners in Weymouth and Milton.
Questions about foundation raising in Quincy
How do I know if my house is a good candidate for raising?
A house is a good candidate when its structure is sound enough to lift and raising it fits what you want from the project, and a design professional can judge both. FEMA's guide to elevating homes includes a checklist a design professional may use to assess the building's condition, plus one for your own preferences among retrofitting options. I start every raising job with that same honest look, and I'll tell you plainly if your house isn't a good fit.
How much does it cost to raise a house near Quincy, MA?
Raising a house in the Boston area usually costs about $14,000 to $20,000 per house, and that's the going range around here, not a quote from us. The size of the house, how high it goes, the old foundation's condition and how much digging the lot needs all move your own number. Your written estimate spells out what's included, so you can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
Who oversees flood zone rules for a house in Quincy?
Under Quincy's proposed floodplain text, the Building Commissioner is the city's floodplain administrator. That's the office behind the flood rules for your house, so it's worth knowing the name before you start planning a lift.
What license should a contractor have to raise a house in Massachusetts?
Ask which credential the contractor holds for your project, because state guidance says a Home Improvement Contractor registration alone covers ordinary repairs, while larger projects such as an addition need a Construction Supervisor License. You can check a supervisor's license on the state's construction supervisor licensing page. Massachusetts also requires a written contract with certain provisions for work of $1,000 or more, so have one in hand before anyone digs.
How long does it take to raise a house in Quincy?
The lift itself is only part of the calendar, because the candidate check, any design work and what the city's proposed floodplain rules require all come first. After that, the dig and pour dates depend on the weather, since we won't open trenches or pour into a storm. I'll lay out the order of things when I come out, so you know what's waiting on what.
What is the best way to protect a house from flooding besides raising it?
Raising the house is one option on the state's list of storm upgrades, which also includes anchoring a building so it resists floating and putting protective covers over windows and doors. The state notes that not all of these options are inexpensive and that potential funding is available, so ask about it before you decide. I'm happy to talk through which approach fits your house when I'm out there.
Concrete work that often comes with a house lift
Concrete cutting
If a walk, patio or cellar slab sits where a pier has to go, clean saw cuts let us open just that spot and patch it neatly afterward.
Concrete driveway building
A house that sits higher often needs a new driveway that meets the garage at the right height and sheds water away from the new foundation.
Cities we serve around Quincy
Cornerstone Quincy Concrete is based in Quincy, MA, and we work across the cities around it. Weymouth and Milton are two of the 12 cities with their own page on this site, and we take jobs in others nearby too.
Quincy, MA
Find out if your house can be raised
Starting the conversation well before storm season leaves room for design work and permits, so the dig isn't squeezed into wet weather.