Underpinning Services

Lower the Floor Without Losing the House

Chicago's vintage homes often have basements too shallow for comfortable living space—six-foot ceilings that feel cramped and limit usability. Underpinning lowers the basement floor by extending the foundation deeper into stable soil, typically gaining 2 to 3 feet of headroom and transforming a storage area into finished living space.

The process works in carefully sequenced sections: excavating small pits beneath the existing foundation, pouring mass concrete to extend the footing down, then moving to the next section while the previous one cures. Chicago's clay-heavy soil, freeze-thaw cycles, and the presence of historic fill materials all factor into the engineering. We also offer benching—partial lowering around the perimeter—as a cost-effective alternative when full underpinning isn't necessary.

Permits are required, and neighboring properties need protection during excavation. A typical underpinning project takes 2 to 4 weeks, best scheduled between spring and fall when ground conditions cooperate. When complete, you have a basement with usable ceiling height and a foundation that sits on stable soil—increasing both your living space and your home's structural value.