Foundation repair in Brentwood CA - fixing the cause, not just the crack
Cracked slab or a wall pulling apart? We find out why the ground moved, then fix the cause along with the damage.
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Is that crack in my slab a foundation problem?
Foundation repair in Brentwood, CA means fixing damage to the foundation your house already sits on. The part people tend to skip is working out why the ground moved, and a repair that ignores the cause usually cracks again.
Most people call us after spotting a crack and wondering whether it's a weekend patch or something bigger, and I can't honestly tell you which until I've looked at the house and the ground around it. The price depends on what's moving the ground, how much of the foundation it reaches, whether the fix is piers under the footing or sealing cracks, and whether the damage is somewhere hard to get at, like inside the house. The schedule depends on the same things, plus how much of the cause has to be handled before the repair itself. After the visit I put your own figure in writing, with photos of what I found.
How we handle foundation repair
Before we talk about piers or patches, I want to know why the ground moved. So we start outside, looking at where water reaches the soil around the house, and I ask about your watering and where rain runs off. We also find out whether your slab is post-tensioned, built with steel cables stretched tight inside the concrete, before anyone drills into it. Once we know the cause, we pick the repair that fits. That might be piers set under the footing to hold it up, or crack repair once the movement has been dealt with. Then our crew does the work and cleans up after itself.
When a foundation shifts, the masonry sitting on it usually shows it, so we check that too. A chimney that has cracked or started leaning from settling may need chimney repair, and brick walls with cracked mortar joints can be tightened back up with tuckpointing, which means scraping out the old mortar and packing in fresh.
What Brentwood's clay means for foundation repair
The clay soil around here, the series named for Brentwood, is a type called smectitic, and that kind of clay can soak up enough water to swell. It's usually moist from early December until May and dry the rest of the year unless it's watered. Clay shrinks and swells the most where wet and dry seasons are this distinct, so the ground under a house here can swell through a wet winter and shrink back through a long, hot summer. A yard that gets watered all summer stays wetter than the dry ground beside it, and the foundation feels that difference. That's why I walk the outside of the house before I look closely at any crack.
We're based in Brentwood and work in the cities around it and farther out, and we see the same clay and the same cracked slabs on jobs in Oakley and Antioch, so we start with the same questions there too.
- Call (925) 503-1047
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Brentwood, CA 94513
What happens when you call Allied Brentwood Masonry and Concrete in Brentwood?
Call or send the form
Call (925) 503-1047 or fill in the form, and tell us where the cracks are and when you first noticed them. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look it over with you
I come out myself and walk the house with you, inside and out, and show you what I'm seeing. If a crack is just a crack, I'll tell you that too.
You get it in writing
I send a written estimate with photos, showing what I found, what we'd do about it and what it costs. You don't have to remember it all from the driveway.
We do the work, then walk it
If you go ahead, we take care of any permits and our crew does the work. At the end we walk it together so you know how to look after it.
Why Brentwood homeowners call Allied Brentwood Masonry and Concrete for foundation repair
The owner looks at every job
I come out to every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site to set the layout and check the work while our own crew does it. The person who sized up your house is the same one watching the repair go in.
Years under older masons first
I learned this trade working for years under older masons before I started this business in 2021. Five years later, we're still best known for careful repair work and for explaining it so it makes sense.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters on a job where a crew is digging and drilling right next to your foundation.
You learn what to watch for
On clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons like Brentwood's, a crack that starts growing is your early warning, so at the final walk I show you which ones to keep an eye on. A homeowner who knows what to look for is the best inspector a wall can have.
A foundation job is done right when the cause is handled, and our work is satisfaction guaranteed. Tell us what you're seeing and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written foundation estimate with photos
We respond within 1 business day, and the quote is free, done on site by me, with no pressure and no obligation. Once you send the form, we call to set a time, I look at the foundation with you, and you get a written estimate with photos.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (925) 503-1047
- Location
- Brentwood, CA 94513
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about foundation repair in Brentwood
What signs mean my foundation should be checked in Brentwood?
A slab that lifts or cracks, walls that crack or separate, or two walls pulling apart at a corner are all reasons to consider having the soil and foundation looked at. They don't always mean a big repair, but noticing them early gives you a clear reason to book a visit before they grow.
What causes foundation cracks in clay soil?
Clay soil shrinks or swells only when its water content changes, so the ground around your house moves with the water that reaches it. Rain, lawn watering and runoff that collects in one spot can make clay swell a lot, so tell whoever inspects your house where the sprinklers hit and where water pools after a storm.
How much does foundation pier underpinning cost?
Pier underpinning across the US usually costs about $5,000 to $15,000 for 6 to 10 piers. That's a national figure, not our price, and your house may need fewer piers, more piers or a different repair entirely. Your Brentwood figure comes from the written estimate after I've seen the job.
Does it matter if my slab is post-tensioned?
Yes, because cutting or drilling into a post-tensioned slab after it's built can damage it and break one of those steel cables, which is called a tendon failure. Builders use these slabs on shrink-swell soil because the squeeze from the cables resists the pull that soil movement causes, so ask any crew whether your slab is post-tensioned before they core or drill.
What is the best way to fix a foundation when the damage is inside the house?
Helical piles are worth asking about, since one pile maker's manual says these screw-in steel piers can be installed with portable equipment in tight, interior spaces. The same manual notes they don't need heavy machinery next to the existing foundation. I'd only tell you whether they suit your house after I've looked at it.
How do I stop foundation cracks from coming back?
Deal with why the ground moved, not just the crack, because a crack patched over ground that's still moving usually opens right back up. Here that usually means looking at water first and then choosing a repair that holds the foundation, and the estimate spells out both parts.
Other masonry work that often follows
Chimney repair
When the ground under a house shifts, a heavy chimney can crack or start leaning away from the wall, and those gaps let rain in.
Tuckpointing
Cracked or crumbling mortar between bricks lets water into the wall, and fresh joints keep a brick wall tight once the ground under it has settled.
Book a look at your foundation
Take a few photos of the cracks and jot down where floors lift or walls pull apart, so I know where to start when I get there.
Request an estimateCall (925) 503-1047