Foundation Underpinning Contractor in Greater Boston

OVERVIEW

Foundation underpinning is one of the least competitive keyword spaces for Greater Boston contractors — despite being a $10,000–$31,000 service that homeowners actively search for. Underpinning is required when a foundation has settled below its design elevation, when a basement needs to be lowered to gain headroom, or when a new addition needs to be supported at greater depth than the existing foundation. Schlickmann's structural relationships allow us to design and execute underpinning projects that most GCs refer out.

The two primary underpinning methods we use: helical piers (screw piles driven to load-bearing soil beneath the settling foundation, then connected with brackets to transfer the foundation load) and push piers (hydraulically driven steel piles that use the structure's own weight as resistance, then locked to the foundation). Both methods are permanent, have minimal site disruption, and can be installed in 2–5 days for most residential projects.

Basement lowering — sometimes called bench footing or underpin-and-dig — is a specialty we perform for homeowners who want to convert a low-clearance basement into full-height living space. The process involves underpinning existing footings in stages, then excavating beneath the existing slab to achieve the desired floor elevation. This is complex, permit-intensive work that requires an engineer of record and careful sequencing to avoid undermining adjacent footings.

Underpinning is always accompanied by drainage correction. Foundation settlement is almost always caused by bearing soil failure due to water — oversaturation that reduces the bearing capacity of the soil beneath the footing. Installing piers without correcting the drainage source is addressing the symptom without fixing the cause. Schlickmann's projects include drainage assessment and correction as part of underpinning scopes.