Foundation raising in Helena MT - a house set higher on concrete built to carry it
When your house sits too low or rests on tired walls, we help raise it onto new concrete built to carry it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to raise a house in Helena?
Foundation raising in Helena means lifting your house off its old foundation, holding it on temporary supports and building a new or extended foundation underneath, so the house ends up higher on concrete made to carry it. It's a job measured in weeks, not days.
At Helena Concrete, most of what moves the price and the schedule is what your house sits on now, whether that's a basement, a crawlspace or a slab, and whether the old walls are good enough to keep. How high you want to go, what repairs turn up once things are open, the weather and the inspections all shift the calendar too, and we take care of the permit paperwork so you aren't chasing it. I'll walk your place and give you an estimate with your own figure.
How do you know your house needs to be raised?
Water running toward the house
If water collects against the foundation after a storm or the spring melt, the house usually sits too low for the ground around it. Every year you wait, that water keeps soaking the walls and whatever is under the floor.
Siding close to the dirt
When the bottom of the siding sits right at the soil, the wood behind it stays damp and the sills start to rot. The longer that goes, the more framing has to be fixed once the house is up.
Old walls cracked or crumbling
Chipping, wide cracks and a face that powders off in your hand usually mean the old foundation is worn out. Waiting tends to leave less of it worth keeping, which makes the job bigger.
How we handle foundation raising, from the ground up
Raising a house is a big step, so before anything moves we sit down and talk through whether your old foundation can stay, what a design review involves and where you'll stay during the lift. Then the house gets separated from its foundation, raised on hydraulic jacks and set on temporary supports, and we build the new or extended foundation underneath it. If there's a place to save money, I won't let it be the footings and the ground under them, because those get buried the day we pour and they're what the whole house comes back down onto.
Some jobs need clean openings through an old wall or slab, and that's where concrete cutting comes in. Once your house sits higher, the driveway may not meet the garage the way it used to, so it's worth talking about concrete driveway building while we're out there.
Extend the foundation you have
This suits a house whose walls are still sound, because building up from what's there keeps more of the old concrete working for you. We'll go over the review it needs before we count on it.
Replace the whole foundation
This suits a house whose old walls are too far gone to carry the raised house. It's a major project, and its final cost turns on the type of foundation you're putting in.
Houses that sit on a slab
A house whose slab is its floor can be lifted with the slab, but that's harder than lifting one over a basement or crawlspace, and it should go only to a contractor with a lot of experience lifting slab houses. Ask about that experience first, and I'll tell you plainly whether it's work we should take on.
Get a foundation raising estimate for your house
We'll get back to you within one business day, then I come out myself to walk the site and put together a free estimate with no obligation. Have your address and foundation type handy.
- Based in
- Helena, MT 59601
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about raising your house
Here's how a house raise goes from your first call to the cleanup, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send us a note
Reach us at (406) 324-9341 or through the form, and we'll set a time to come out. Tell us whether your house sits on a basement, a crawlspace or a slab.
Walk the site together
I come out myself, look over the foundation and listen to what you want from the raise. You get an estimate with your own figure, so you know the price before you decide anything.
Sort out permits and timing
If you go ahead, we take care of the permit side and plan the pour around the weather. That's also the time to line up where you'll stay during the lift.
Build it, then clean up
My crew and I do the foundation work under the raised house and clean up when we're done. You come back to a house sitting higher on new concrete.
Why Helena homeowners call Helena Concrete to raise a house
The owner walks your site
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, then I work on it alongside a small crew. The person who told you what your house needs is the one making sure it gets done that way.
Running our own jobs since 2021
I started this business in 2021 after years on my dad's crews around Helena, and he taught me to slow down on the prep. That habit matters most on a raise, where the work under the house can't be redone later.
Licensed in Montana and insured
We're licensed and insured. Since January 1, 2026, the state has required every construction contractor in Montana to be licensed with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, and you can check a contractor's license with the state before you hire anyone.
On a house raise, what counts most is the ground and the footings the house comes back down onto, so that's where I spend my time. Get in touch and I'll come take a look.
Raising a house and setting footings in Helena
A house set on taller walls may need new, larger footings, depending on the loads it has to carry, like snow and earthquakes. Helena's posted design requirements put the bottom of a footing at least 42 inches down because of frost, so any new footing we pour under your house goes at least that deep. The city also lets the seismic design category be worked out from the soil at your own site, which means the ground under your house can change what the design calls for, and the city's posted design requirements have the current figures.
We're based in Helena and work across Helena and the cities around it in the valley. On jobs in Helena Valley Southeast and Helena Valley Northwest we see plenty of older houses sitting close to the ground, and we give the footings and the way water runs off the same care there, after we find out which office covers your address.
Questions about raising a house in Helena
How much does it cost to raise a house in Helena?
Lifting a house just to raise the structure usually runs about $10,000 to $40,000 per job across the US, and that's the national market price, not ours. It covers the lift itself, so the foundation work underneath, any repairs and a place to stay come on top. Your own figure comes from the estimate after I walk your site.
How long will we be out of the house while it's raised?
Plan on staying somewhere else during the lift, which usually takes 2 to 7 days once the prep is done. Book that place early and count it in your budget, because weather and inspections can move the lift date.
How long does it take to raise a house?
On average the whole job takes 4 to 8 weeks from start to finish. It runs longer when the permit, the type of foundation, the height, repairs, weather or inspections slow things down.
Do I need a permit to raise my house in Helena?
Yes, the city's building official issues the permit for work that alters, repairs or moves a building, and you apply before any work starts. We find out which office covers your address and take care of the permit paperwork, and the city's building permit page is there if you want to read up.
Can my old foundation be reused when I raise my house?
Often it can, since most raising methods let you keep the old foundation, and one national guide calls reusing as much of it as possible generally the most economical way to go. A design professional has to check whether it can carry the raised house, so plan on that review before the lift.
How do I get my house ready to be raised?
Empty out the crawlspace or basement, and leave everything inside the house right where it is. Every utility gets disconnected for the lift, including plumbing, electric, gas, heating, cooling, phone and internet, so plan to be without all of them.
Related services that often go with a house raise
Concrete cutting
Sawing a clean, straight opening in old concrete keeps the cut where you want it, so the rest of the wall or slab doesn't break away with it.
Concrete driveway building
A house that sits higher often leaves the old driveway short of the garage, and a new slab poured on a packed base brings the two back together.
Service areas for foundation raising around Helena
Helena Concrete is based in Helena, MT, and we work across Helena and the cities around it in the valley. The site has pages for 4 service areas, including Helena Valley West Central and Helena Valley Southeast.
Tell us what your house sits on
Knowing whether it's a basement, a crawlspace or a slab lets us start with a straight answer about whether your raise is work we should take on.