Concrete footings in Gautier MS - a solid base for each pier on a coastal lot
Planning a deck, porch or raised house on a low, flood-prone lot? We help you pick footings suited to wind and water.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What do concrete footings do, and which kind does my lot need?
Concrete footings are the pads or long strips of concrete in the ground that carry the posts and piers of a deck, porch or raised house. In Gautier, picking the right type for your lot matters as much as how well it's poured.
Most footing calls I get are for a new deck or porch on posts, a room addition, or a house going up above flood level. If you need a full slab under the house instead, that's slab foundation building. The price moves with how many feet of footing you need, how wide and deep each one runs, which type suits your site and what we find when we dig. The schedule mostly turns on the flood zone and permit check and on the weather. I look at the spot with you and explain what I see before I put anything on paper, so you'll know your own figure and the reason behind it.
How can you tell your footings need work?
Posts leaning or sinking
If a deck or porch post leans, or the floor above has dropped at one corner, the footing under it has usually settled or rotated. The longer it goes, the more weight shifts onto framing that wasn't built to carry it.
Soil washed from around footings
After a heavy rain or a storm, missing dirt around a pad usually means water is carrying soil out from under it. Each storm can take a little more, until the footing has less and less to stand on.
Cracked or crumbling pads
Chipping, flaking or rust stains on a footing often mean salt or water has gotten into the concrete and reached the steel inside. Rusting steel swells and breaks off more concrete, so a small repair can turn into a replacement.
How we build concrete footings
We start by talking through which kind of footing suits your site and how each post will tie into it, because on a coastal lot that choice matters more than anything we do with a trowel. Then we mark out the posts, dig and look at what's at the bottom of each hole. Dense sand usually takes a shallow footing well, but loose or soaked sand needs to be packed tighter or carried on piles first. We set forms and rebar, the steel bars that give concrete the strength it lacks on its own, and place the anchors the posts will fasten to. Then we pour and let the concrete cure, which is the wait while it gains strength before anything heavy sits on it. If a budget has to be trimmed, I'd rather trim somewhere other than the dig, because once the concrete is in, nobody can get back under it.
Footings often come with other work. When a house is going up off the ground, foundation raising and new footings get planned together so the posts land right where the footings are. When an old slab or walk sits where a footing needs to go, concrete cutting lets us open a clean hole without breaking up the rest.
Separate pad footings
Separate pad footings put one pad under each post, so there's less digging and less concrete. They suit decks, steps and porches only where wind and flood loads stay fairly low.
Continuous strip footings and grade beams
A strip footing is one long run of concrete under a row of posts. A grade beam is a long concrete beam at ground level that ties the posts together. Both take more concrete and digging, and they're what we lean toward for a house or porch that faces storm loads.
A tougher mix near salt water
Where the concrete will see salt water or spray, coastal building guidance calls for a durable mix made with sulfate-resisting cement. Such a mix rarely adds much to the price, so I'll bring it up if your lot is near the water.
Get a footing plan and price for your lot
We reply within one business day to set a time. I'll look at the spot with you and explain what I see before I put anything on paper. The visit is free, with no pressure and no obligation.
- Based in
- Gautier, MS 39553
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about footings in Gautier?
Here's how a footing job runs, from your first call to the day the posts go on, with me there to explain each step.
Call or send the form
Call (228) 263-3738 or fill out the form and tell us what's going on the footings, such as a deck, a porch or a raised house. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look, measure and ask
I come out to look at the spot, take measurements and ask how you'll use the space. Then I lay out your footing choices in plain words, with the reason for each, so you're comparing real options.
Sort out flood zone and permits
Before we set a date, I point you to the city or county office for your address with your flood zone and permit questions. Once those are settled, we put you on the schedule.
We dig, pour and finish
My crew and I prep each hole, then pour and finish the footings. I walk you through how to care for them while they cure and tell you when the posts can go on.
Why Gautier homeowners call Gautier Concrete for footings
The owner comes to every estimate
I come out to look at the job myself, and my crew of finishers and laborers does the work with me on site most days. The person answering your questions is the same person who'll be there when the concrete goes in.
Pouring on coastal lots since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, working on the low, wet lots and raised houses common along this part of the coast. On lots like these, the footing type and the post ties count most.
Licensed and insured for footing work
We're fully licensed and insured. That protects you if something goes wrong on your property while we're working.
Every choice explained before pouring
Concrete is hard to undo, so I show you why each footing goes where it does, sometimes with a sketch in the dirt, before you agree to anything. The job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
The best time to talk is before the first hole is dug, while every choice is still open. Request an estimate or call (228) 263-3738.
Footings, raised houses and flood rules in Gautier
The city's Planning and Building Department handles permits for construction, alteration and repair. The city also asks anyone planning any kind of construction to call first about the property's flood zone and what type of construction can go there. Before we start, we check with the city or county office for your address about what your footings need, and we walk you through the paperwork so you know who's handling each piece.
That flood zone call matters for footings. Many parts of Gautier can flood in heavy coastal rain, even outside the mapped flood hazard areas. In Zone AE, walls on shallow footings or slabs can be damaged by waves less than 3 feet high. That's why we talk through footing type before anything else. We're based in Gautier and work across the cities around it, and we see the same raised houses and storm-washed yards on jobs in Pascagoula and Ocean Springs.
Questions about concrete footings in Gautier
How much do concrete footings cost per linear foot in Gautier?
Across the US, installed concrete footings usually cost about $4 to $20 per linear foot, including the concrete, the labor and the digging. That's the market's range, not our price. A wider, deeper footing on weak soil can cost several times what a shallow one does. Your own figure comes after I've seen the site.
Do I need a permit for concrete footings in Gautier, MS?
Plan on checking with the city before any digging, because any development in the flood plain there has to be permitted. If the job will disturb the ground, a city checklist goes in with the building permit application and is completed before construction starts. We'll help you sort out which pieces are yours and which are ours.
What is the best footing type for a raised house in wind and floods?
Continuous strip footings or grade beams usually hold up better than separate pads. Piers on separate footings can rotate when wind or water pushes sideways, while a strip or grade beam ties the piers together and resists those loads much better. I'll walk you through which one fits your lot at the estimate.
What causes pier footings to fail in a hurricane?
Often it's the connection, not the concrete. Many failures during Hurricane Katrina came from weak ties between the columns and the footings below. Ask any contractor how each post will tie into its footing, and expect a clear answer.
How do I build footings on a lot that floods or washes out?
On a lot where deep scour is expected, meaning moving water washes away soil, footings may be the wrong choice. A federal building guide says shallow foundations shouldn't be used where deep scour and erosion are expected, and it calls separate footings especially vulnerable to flood forces. Owners on those sites look at other foundation types, and if I see signs of that on your lot, I'll tell you before we price footings.
Does a concrete contractor need a license in Mississippi?
Yes. Residential contractors in Mississippi have to be licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors. Ask anyone bidding on your footings for their license before you sign.
Foundation work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When a house is being lifted above flood level, raising it and setting new footings get planned together so every post lands on solid concrete.
Concrete cutting
If an old slab, walk or patio sits where a new footing has to go, we cut a clean opening instead of breaking up the whole surface.
Foundation installation
For a new home or addition, footings are one piece of the full foundation, and we can plan the whole thing from the dig to the finished pour.
Footing jobs across Gautier and nearby cities
Gautier Concrete is based in Gautier, Mississippi, and pours footings in Moss Point, Biloxi and the other cities listed here. Twelve cities have their own page, and we work in plenty of places in between.
Gautier, MS
Get your footings planned before you build
Have your address and any flood zone details from the city ready when you call, so we can settle the footing type on the first visit.