Foundation installation in Kent WA - a level base with the drainage planned first
Building on a bare lot or adding on? We plan the type, the drainage and the water protection before anyone digs.
What goes into a new foundation for a house in Kent?
Foundation installation in Kent means building the slab, crawl space or basement your house sits on, and the deeper types take extra digging and supports to get there. Done right, it gives your house a level base and a plan for where the water around it goes.
Most people who call about this are building a new house or an addition, and the first question is usually price. What moves it is the foundation type, the size of the footprint, how deep we have to dig, what the soil and water on your lot need, and whether you want dampproofing or full waterproofing. If you're leaning toward the simplest option, our page on slab foundation building covers it. The schedule turns mostly on the permit, the weather and what we find once the ground is open, and your written estimate lists each part of the job so you can see where the money goes.
How we handle foundation installation, start to finish
I start by measuring and walking the lot, and before anyone digs we work out where the water will go, from the drain around the footing to the spot where it comes out. That plan sets where the cleanouts go, the openings used to flush the pipe, and where the daylight outlets go, the points where the drain empties onto open ground. Then we lay out the footprint, dig, and pack the subgrade, the soil the foundation sits on, so it doesn't settle later, and we set the forms and the rebar, the steel that gives the concrete its strength under load. After the pour we let it cure, the slow hardening that sets its strength, before anything goes on it. Your estimate says plainly whether it covers dampproofing, a coating that keeps the walls from soaking up ground moisture but won't hold back water under pressure, or full waterproofing, because those aren't the same protection. Last come the drain, the backfill and the final grading, so the ground ends up sloping away from your house. If the budget gets tight, the base is the last place I'd cut, because it's buried on day one and it decides how everything above it holds up.
Every foundation rests on concrete footings, the wide pads under the walls that spread the house's weight, so they're usually part of the same job. If the property also needs room to park, like a duplex or a small commercial building, we handle concrete parking lot building too, and it helps to plan the lot's grade with the foundation's drainage so the water from both ends up in the right place.
Why Kent homeowners call D&L Kent Concrete Construction for foundation work
I measure and walk your lot
I come out for the estimate myself to measure and walk the site, and once work starts our crew builds it while I run the job. That way the person who priced the layout is the same one checking it when the forms go up.
Building concrete since 2013
I started this business in 2013 after learning the trade from the ground up on a concrete crew. On a foundation, most of that experience goes into the part that ends up underground, which is the layout, the forms and the measurements.
Licensed, insured and easy to check
We're fully licensed and insured, and Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor & Industries. You can look up any contractor with the state's Verify tool to see whether the registration is active and a workers' comp account is open before you sign anything.
Your Kent lot checked first
Kent is updating its rules for critical areas such as wetlands, streams, shoreline buffers and geologically hazardous ground, and the state's earthquake hazard maps show where wet sandy soil loses strength or shaking gets stronger. We're based in Kent and work in Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma and many other cities nearby, and we look into both for your address before anything is laid out, so the plan fits the ground.
On a foundation, what matters most is the part you won't see again once it's backfilled. Call (253) 398-9060 or request an estimate, and have the lot address and the foundation type you have in mind ready.
Get a written foundation estimate for your lot
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to measure and walk the site. The estimate is free and in writing, with each part of the job listed, including the drainage and the water protection. There's no obligation to go ahead.
What foundation work looks like
Questions before you book foundation installation
Which foundation type costs the least to build?
A slab-on-grade foundation is usually the simplest and most affordable to build, and it's the most common type in Seattle and much of the Pacific Northwest. Basements and crawl spaces are the most expensive, so a slab keeps both the job and the budget simpler. If you need the space underneath, we'll go over what that adds when I walk the lot.
How much does a slab foundation cost in the Seattle area?
A slab foundation in the Seattle area usually costs about $9 to $17 per square foot installed. That's the going rate in the market, not our price, and where your job lands depends on the size, the digging, the drainage and the water protection it needs. Your estimate lists each of those parts in writing so you can see what you're paying for.
Does a crawl space or basement foundation need a drain around it?
Yes, a foundation that sits below the ground outside should have a drain around it, and that goes for a crawl space lower than the yard as much as for a basement. One trade guide advises running footing drains out to daylight, and where the lot doesn't allow that, a sump pump in a sump basket, a small pit with a pump that lifts the water, sends it out above ground and away from the house.
How do I get a building permit for a foundation in Kent?
The City of Kent Permit Center issues building permits for residential work, and you make an appointment with it to get one. We check which city or county office covers your address, take care of the permit when your job needs one and keep you posted on where it stands.
How long does foundation installation take in Kent?
Most of the time goes to the permit, the digging and the wait while the concrete cures, not the pour itself. A slab usually goes faster than a crawl space or a basement because there's less digging, and some of the schedule I can only pin down once the ground is open. I'll walk you through the order of the work and what each step waits on at the estimate.
What causes cracks in a new concrete foundation?
A few small hairline cracks are normal as concrete dries and shrinks, and they don't mean the foundation is failing. The bigger cracks usually come from what's underneath, like a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or water left to sit against the walls, which is why we spend our time on the prep.
Other concrete work that goes with a foundation
- Concrete footings
If you're adding a room, a porch or a garage that needs to carry weight, footings are the wide concrete base underneath that keeps it from settling unevenly.
- Concrete parking lot building
When a property needs room for tenants or customers to park, a concrete lot gives a hard surface that drains away from the building instead of puddling by the door.