Concrete footings in Helena MT - a firm base that sits below the frost line
Planning a garage, addition or deck and worried it'll shift? We dig and pour footings deep enough that frost can't push them around.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into pouring concrete footings in Helena?
Concrete footings are the concrete base at the bottom of a wall or structure, set in the ground below where frost reaches. At Helena Concrete we dig, form and pour them in Helena so whatever you build on top doesn't heave or settle.
Most people calling about footings are getting ready for something bigger, like a garage, an addition, a deck or a shop, and the footings are the first thing in the ground and the first thing to get buried. The price mostly turns on how many footings the structure needs, what type it calls for and whether your lot is flat and easy to dig or sloped and tight. The schedule turns on the ground, because we wait for it to thaw before we pour, and on the forecast for the days after the pour. I'll walk your site, and the estimate I write is where your own number comes from.
How can you tell your footings aren't doing their job?
Deck posts sinking or leaning
A post that's dropped, tipped or lifted after a winter usually sits on a shallow pad or bare dirt that frost moves around. If you wait, the framing racks a little more every season and starts pulling its fasteners loose.
Cracks stepping through block
Cracks that run like stair steps through a block wall, or a wall that's started to lean, often mean the footing under it settled or wasn't deep enough. Left alone, those cracks let water in and keep widening.
Doors that stick each spring
When a garage or shed door binds in spring and frees up by summer, the structure is usually moving with the ground underneath it. That movement wears on the framing and the door, and it rarely stops by itself.
How we build concrete footings
Before any digging, we match the footing type to what it'll carry, since a deck post, a garage wall and an addition each want something different. Then we lay out each footing from your plans and dig down past where the ground freezes, and I check the bottom of every hole myself, because a footing has to sit on firm, thawed ground and not on loose fill or frost. We set the forms, tie in the rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart, and pour so the tops land at the height your builder needs. After that the concrete gets time to cure, the slow hardening that gives it its strength, before anything goes on top.
Some footing jobs start with an older problem. If an existing wall or slab has already dropped, foundation raising may need to come first, and when a footing has to go through a garage floor or other slab, we handle the concrete cutting to open just the space we need.
Continuous wall footings
A wide strip of concrete that runs under a foundation wall, which suits garages, additions and homes. It's a spread footing, the simplest and usually the most economical type.
Spot footings for posts and piers
Single pads or round piers under deck posts, porch columns and carports. They suit lighter structures that carry their weight at points instead of along a wall.
Pile footings for harder sites
Deeper footings for steep lots or ground that won't hold a spread footing well. They usually cost the most, so we only go this way when the site or the plans call for it.
Get a footing estimate for your project
Send the address, whether it's inside Helena city limits, what the footings will carry and a few photos. We reply within one business day, then I come out and write a free estimate with no obligation.
- Based in
- Helena, MT 59601
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about footings?
Here's how a footing job runs from your first call to the day we clean up, so you know who you'll talk to and what comes next.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're building and where it is. We'll set up a time for me to come see the site.
I walk the site
I come out myself, look at the slope, the access and the plans, and listen to what you want. The estimate spells out the footing type, how many and whether digging and site prep are part of the price.
We handle permits and timing
If you go ahead, we sort out the permit side and plan the pour around the weather. If the ground's still frozen, we wait for it to thaw instead of pouring on it.
We dig, pour and clean up
My crew and I do the digging, forms, steel and pour, then clean up when we're done. You're left with footings ready for the next stage of your build.
Why Helena homeowners and builders call us for footings
The owner walks every job
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, then I work on it alongside a small crew. The person who told you how deep we'd go is the one standing in the hole checking it.
In business since 2021
I learned the trade pouring concrete on my dad's crews and started Helena Concrete in 2021. He taught me to slow down on the prep, and that's still how we work.
Licensed and insured in Montana
We're licensed and insured. Montana requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the state Department of Labor & Industry, so it's fair to ask anyone who bids your job.
Time spent on the hole
Once a footing is buried, nobody sees it again, so we'd rather spend the time on depth and the bottom of the hole than rush to pour. That's the part you can't fix later without digging everything back up.
Footings are the one part of the job you won't get a second look at. Get in touch and I'll come walk your site. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Concrete footings and foundation work in Helena
Inside Helena city limits, the city's building official issues permits to build, alter or repair structures, and the city's list of work that doesn't need one names retaining walls not over 4 feet tall, not footings. That leaves the permit question open for your job, so the building office is the place to ask, and even work that's exempt still has to meet the city's code. Outside the city a different office may cover your address, and places that don't run their own program fall under the state's Building Codes Program. Either way, we find out which office covers your address and take care of the permit paperwork when your job calls for one.
Helena's design rules also give each building an earthquake rating that can depend on the soil at that site, so your plans may call for different footing sizes or steel than the house next door, and we pour to what the plans show. We're based in Helena and work across the valley, and we see the same hard winters and the same garages, decks and additions on jobs in Helena Valley Southeast and Helena Valley Northwest.
Questions about concrete footings in Helena
How much do concrete footings cost in Helena?
Installed concrete footings across the US usually cost about $700 to $1,500 per footing, covering materials and installation but not site preparation. Simple spread footings sit at the low end, while sloped sites and specialized footings like piles cost more per footing. Ask any contractor whether their price includes site prep, and our estimate will tell you plainly.
How deep do footings need to be in Helena, MT?
The City of Helena lists a 42-inch minimum frost depth, measured to the bottom of the footing, so each footing on a Helena job reaches at least that deep at its base. Frost depth is how far down the ground freezes in winter, and a footing above that line can get pushed up and dropped back. We dig to that depth or past it, depending on what your plans call for.
Who issues the permit for footings in Helena?
For work inside city limits, the City of Helena's building official issues building permits. Footings aren't on the city's exempt list, so it's worth confirming with that office before anyone digs, and as we covered in the Helena section above, we handle that paperwork when your job needs it.
Can concrete footings be poured in cold weather?
They can, but only on ground that isn't frozen, because frozen ground settles as it thaws and can crack the concrete sitting on it. Concrete industry guidance treats it as cold weather when the air hits or is expected to drop below 40°F while the fresh concrete is still being protected. That's why we watch the forecast for the days after the pour, not just pour day.
How do I make sure footings stay clear of utility and septic lines?
Call 811 before digging, and keep footings clear of septic tanks, leach fields, utility lines and enclosed meters, which is what a national deck building guide advises. It helps to have your septic location handy when I walk the site so we can lay out the footings around it.
How do I check a contractor's license in Montana?
Look them up in the state's Licensee Lookup System, which the Montana Department of Labor & Industry treats as its main source for contractor license credentials. Every construction contractor in Montana has to be licensed with the department, so it's a quick check before you sign anything.
Other concrete work that goes with footings
Foundation raising
When an existing wall or slab has already sunk or tipped, raising it back toward level can come first, before anything new gets tied into it.
Concrete cutting
Footings sometimes need to go in where concrete already sits, like inside a garage, and a clean saw cut opens just the space the new work needs.
Service areas for concrete footings around Helena
Helena Concrete is based in Helena, MT, and pours footings across the valley. The four areas below have their own pages, including Helena Valley West Central and Helena Valley Southeast, and we work in other cities around Helena too.
Get your footings planned before the dig
Footings come before everything else on a build, so having the estimate in hand early keeps your framer and the rest of the job from waiting on the ground.