On a tight Chicago lot, the neighbor's house is often a few feet from the hole. We dig in short sections, shore where needed and backfill with clean stone.
Foundations in Chicago sit on soft lake clay, and the building code and the engineer set how deep footings go and how wide they must be. We dig to the plan elevations, dig out soft or wet soil at the bottom and replace it as the engineer directs, and keep water out of the hole until the concrete crew is ready. In wet weather, a basement hole in Chicago clay can fill quickly.
Most Chicago houses have basements, and many old ones have brick or stone foundation walls that leak or bow. We dig beside existing foundations so repair and waterproofing crews can work, in short sections, with heavy equipment kept back from the wall. On tight lots, the dig may need shoring so it does not undermine a neighbor's house, walk or fence.
On teardown and new construction lots, we remove the old foundation and any buried debris, then dig the new basement or footings. Joliet and parts of the southwest suburbs have dolomite near the surface, which may need a breaker. Backfill goes in with clean, well-draining material in compacted layers, sloped away from the house. Window wells are drained to the footing tile while the hole is open.
Foundation excavation in Chicago: common questions
How deep are footings in Chicago?
The building code and the engineer set footing depth, and it must be below the frost line. The plans and the inspector confirm it for your project.
Can you dig next to my neighbor's house?
Yes, carefully. On tight lots we may shore the excavation so we do not undermine their foundation or walk.
Do you dig for new garages?
Yes. We remove the old slab and dig footings or a thickened-edge slab base for the new garage.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We walk the site with you.
- Written quote: Scope, equipment and price in writing.
- Utility locate & plan: We have utilities marked and plan access, haul-off and erosion control.
- Dig, grade & clean up: We complete the work, grade the site and haul away spoil.