Foundation Underpinning & Piering in Ottawa, Ontario

Underpinning extends a foundation footing deeper, in stages, to add ceiling height or bearing capacity. Bench footing keeps the existing wall in place and builds a lower step of new footing and wall in front of it, which is faster and less expensive but reduces the usable floor width slightly. Full underpinning removes and rebuilds the footing at the new depth, holding the original wall width but taking longer and costing more. Which one makes sense depends on the depth you need and the condition of the existing wall.

Doors and windows that have started sticking, floors with a new slope, visible gaps opening between a wall and the ceiling or floor trim, and cracks widening rather than staying stable are the most common signs that a foundation has settled enough to need underpinning rather than a surface repair. A basement that feels too low to finish comfortably is a different reason for the same work, driven by wanting more usable height rather than a structural problem. We confirm which situation applies during the on-site assessment before recommending the work.

Once underpinning is complete, the new footing and piers do the structural work permanently, so there’s no ongoing maintenance specific to the underpinned section itself. It’s still good practice to keep an eye on grading and drainage around the property, since the same soil conditions that caused the original settlement can still affect other, non-underpinned sections of the foundation if water isn’t managed properly. We’ll point out during the final walkthrough whether any other section of your foundation looks like a future candidate for the same work.