Concrete footings in Clermont FL - a solid base set clear of your buried lines
Planning a deck, porch or addition that needs footings first? We set them on firm ground, clear of your septic and buried lines.
What goes into a concrete footing, and what drives the cost?
Concrete footings are the concrete bases a deck, porch, addition or other structure bears on, set below the ground on soil that's never been dug up, and in Clermont we build them so whatever goes on top has a firm, level place to sit.
Most people call us when they're planning something new, like a deck off the back, a covered porch or a room addition, and the plans say it needs footings before anything else. The price moves with how many footings there are, how deep and wide each one goes, how easy the spots are to reach and whether we hit roots, old fill or a slab that has to be cut first, which is something we usually only know once a hole is open. The schedule mostly turns on getting buried lines located, any permit and inspection, and the weather, and you'll get your own number when I come out for the estimate.
How we put in concrete footings
Before we mark a single hole, I'll ask you where your septic tank, drain field and any buried lines run, and we get the utilities located so the footings land clear of all of it. Then we lay out each footing where the plans put it, dig down to firm ground that hasn't been disturbed and clean out the bottom of every hole, because a footing sitting on loose crumbs of dirt will settle right along with them. We set the forms and any rebar, the steel that keeps the concrete from pulling apart under load, and check the heights twice the way my old boss taught me. Then we pour, level the tops and let them cure, which is the wait while concrete gains strength before it carries weight. Nobody sees the bottom of those holes once they're full, so that's where I spend my time, and it's the last place I'd cut to save money.
Some footing jobs start with other work. If an existing footing or slab has already sunk and left a porch or wall leaning, foundation raising brings it back up, and when a new footing has to go through a patio or garage slab, we use concrete cutting to open a clean square without cracking the slab around it.
Footing permits, inspections and Lake County ground around Clermont
Whether your footings need a permit is something we confirm with the city or county office that covers your address, and when a job needs one, we pull it and handle the inspections. Inside Clermont, once the permit is issued, inspections can be scheduled at certain stages of the job, usually with the city's Building Services, and depending on what you're building, staff from the Fire Department, Public Works or Utilities may inspect alongside them. We're based in Clermont and work in the cities around it across Lake and Orange counties and beyond, so the office changes with your address, and that's why I ask where the job is before anything else.
The ground under a footing matters as much as the paperwork. An older map of reported sinkholes in Lake County shows those records can include sinking from man-made things like collapsed septic systems and broken water mains, and the state's environmental agency also points to soil that was dug and never packed back, rotting stumps, broken septic tanks and buried trash. All of that sits right where a footing bears, so when a hole turns up old fill, a stump or debris, we keep digging until we're on firm, undisturbed soil, the same way we work on jobs in Minneola and Groveland.
How a footing job works
Call or send the form
Call (352) 995-0299 or send the form with what you're planning and where it's going. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I walk the site and ask
I look at where each footing needs to go and ask a lot of questions about septic, lines, access and what's going on top, then leave you an estimate. It spells out what we'll build and what it costs, and where something hidden underground could change that once we dig.
Permit, dig, pour, walk-through
Once you're ready, we handle any permit the job needs, get the lines located, then dig, form, pour and finish. When it's done we walk it with you and go over how long to wait before building on it.
Get a free estimate on your footings and the build above them
We'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out, look at where the footings need to go, ask about your septic and buried lines, and leave you a free estimate with no pressure and no obligation.
Questions before you book concrete footings
How much do concrete footings cost in Clermont?
I can't give you a fair number without seeing the site, because two jobs with the same count of footings can price very differently. Hand-digging in a tight backyard, deeper holes, cutting through an old slab or hauling out roots and buried trash all add time, while open access and clean, firm ground keep it down. You'll get your own number at the estimate.
Do I need a licensed contractor for footings in Clermont?
Yes, Florida law requires construction to be done by a licensed contractor, unless you qualify to build it yourself as an owner-builder. If you hire someone without a license and lose money, the state licensing board may not be able to help, and civil court may be your only way to get it back. Check the license before you sign anything, ours included.
How do I build footings for my own house legally in Florida?
Florida offers an owner-builder permit that exempts you from the licensed contractor law when you're building or improving a one-family or two-family home, as long as it's for your own use or occupancy. If you'd rather leave the holes and the pour to us, we're happy to do just the footings and let you take it from there.
What happens before anyone digs footings for a deck?
Somebody calls 811 to get the utilities marked, because a national deck building guide calls for that before digging and places deck footings clear of septic systems, leach fields, utility lines and enclosed meters. That's why I ask about your septic and lines first, as I said above, so the spots are settled before the first shovel goes in.
How long does it take to put in concrete footings?
Most of the time goes to the steps around the pour, not the pour itself, like getting lines located, any permit and the inspections. For deck footings, that same national guide has the building official check the soil in the field before concrete goes in, so leave room for that between digging and pouring, and then the concrete needs to cure before anything heavy goes on it.
Do I need sealed engineer plans for footings in Clermont?
Some projects do, since the city's plan requirements list construction plans signed and sealed by a Florida architect or engineer, but whether yours needs them comes down to what you're building. It's worth asking the city's building office early, and I'll bring it up at the estimate so it doesn't catch you later.
Why Clermont homeowners call Clermont Concrete Company for footings
I write the estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, and our own crew does the work with me on site. The person who heard about your septic tank is the one standing over the holes.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured. That keeps the state's help within reach if something goes wrong, as the licensing answer above explains.
Trained on an old-school crew
I learned concrete under a boss who made us tear out forms that weren't right, and I started this business in Clermont in 2023 after years on his crews. That's why the holes, forms and steel get checked before anything is poured.
Ready for Clermont's stage inspections
Clermont inspections can happen at certain stages of a permitted job, so we keep holes, forms and steel ready to be looked at before anything gets covered. You don't end up paying to dig out concrete that went in before it was checked.
Footings are only as good as the ground under them, so tell me what you're building and where, then send us the details or call (352) 995-0299 and I'll come take a look.
Other work that often goes with footings
Foundation raising
When an older porch, room or slab has dropped because the footing under it sank, raising it back to level can save tearing it out and starting over.
Concrete cutting
New footings sometimes have to go through an existing patio, garage floor or wall, and a clean saw cut helps keep the rest of that concrete in one piece.
Plan your footings and the build above
Call (352) 995-0299 or use the form with what you're building, the address and anything you know about where your septic and lines run, so I show up ready to look at the right spots.
