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Serving San Rafael, CA and surrounding areas. (628) 234-2121
Sunken driveway, uneven patio, or a slab that has been settling for years? We lift and re-level concrete foundations across San Rafael using methods built for Marin County clay soils and seismic conditions.
Foundation raising in San Rafael lifts sunken or uneven concrete slabs back to level by pumping material into the void beneath them - most residential jobs take one day or less, with the slab ready for normal use within 24 hours.
If your garage floor has a noticeable dip, your patio has settled toward the house, or a section of your driveway catches your foot every time you walk past, the ground underneath that concrete has shifted. In San Rafael, the most common culprit is Marin County clay soil - it swells when wet each winter and shrinks in summer, gradually pulling support away from the slab above. Seismic activity from the Rogers Creek Fault can also shift soil in ways that cause slow, gradual settlement over time.
Foundation raising is almost always less expensive and less disruptive than tearing out the old slab and pouring new concrete. If the existing slab is still structurally intact, lifting is the right call. For properties where the foundation has settled so severely that a new pour is the only option, we can also handle the full slab foundation building work from start to finish.
If a door that used to swing freely now drags on the floor or will not latch, that is often one of the first signs a foundation has shifted. The door frame has moved slightly out of square because the slab beneath it has dropped. This is especially common in San Rafael older hillside homes, where decades of soil movement have had time to accumulate.
Small hairline cracks are normal in any concrete surface. But if you see cracks that are wider than a quarter-inch, run diagonally, or show one section clearly lower than the surrounding area, the ground underneath has given way. In San Rafael, this often happens after a wet winter when saturated clay soil has shifted beneath the slab.
If you place a marble on your floor and it rolls consistently toward one corner, or if you notice a slope while walking through a room, the slab beneath your flooring may have settled unevenly. This is not always dramatic - sometimes it is a subtle feeling that something is off. Trust that feeling and have it assessed.
San Rafael gets concentrated rainfall from November through March. If water collects against your foundation or in low spots on your driveway after a storm, that water is likely contributing to soil erosion under the concrete. Left unaddressed, this wet-dry cycle will continue pulling the ground away from your slab each season.
We offer two methods for lifting settled foundations: cement-soil slurry injection (mudjacking) and polyurethane foam injection. Both pump material beneath the slab through small drilled holes and lift it back to level. Mudjacking uses a heavier slurry mix and is well-suited for large slabs like driveways and garage floors. Foam injection uses a lighter expanding material, leaves smaller holes, and cures faster - making it a good fit for patios, interior floors, and areas where you need the surface back in service quickly. We assess your specific slab and explain which method we recommend and why before any work begins.
Foundation raising is not limited to residential driveways and patios. We also lift garage slabs, interior floor sections, exterior steps, and commercial lot areas throughout San Rafael. When a settled slab is part of a larger structural concern - for example, when concrete cutting is needed to create drainage channels before the lift, or when the project connects to a full slab foundation building project - we sequence the work so each phase sets up the next one correctly.
Best for large slabs like driveways, garage floors, and commercial pads where cost per square foot is the primary concern.
Best for patios, interior floors, and areas where faster cure time and smaller holes matter more than upfront cost.
The right choice when poor drainage is what caused the original settlement - addresses the cause and the symptom at once.
San Rafael sits on some of the most active geological ground in California. The Rogers Creek Fault runs through Marin County, and the Bay Area has a well-documented history of seismic events that shift soil and cause foundations to settle unevenly. Add to that the clay-heavy soils common throughout the flatlands near the bay - soils that swell significantly during the wet season from November through March and then dry and shrink in summer - and you have a setting where foundation movement is not unusual. It is a natural consequence of where the city is located and how the ground behaves over time.
San Rafael also has a large share of homes built between the 1940s and 1970s, when soil compaction standards were less rigorous than they are today. Foundations from that era have had decades of wet-dry soil cycles working against them. Homeowners in newer developments like Terra Linda, as well as those in older hillside neighborhoods, all encounter the same pattern. We also serve homeowners throughout Novato and Vallejo, where the same clay soil and seismic zone conditions create similar foundation challenges.
When you reach out, we ask where the problem is, how long you have noticed it, and whether there are related issues like sticking doors or water pooling. Expect a response within 1 business day and a site visit scheduled at your convenience.
We walk the affected area, check the extent of settlement, assess what is underneath, and look at drainage conditions. After the visit, you receive a written estimate explaining the recommended method, why, and what the work will cost.
For qualifying structural work, we pull the City of San Rafael permit and handle all the paperwork. Once approved, we schedule the lift at a time that works for your household - most jobs take a single day.
We drill small holes, pump material underneath until the slab rises to level, then patch the holes flush with the existing surface. We walk you through the finished result and let you know what to watch for in the coming weeks.
Free on-site estimates. Written quotes before any work begins. We handle permits from start to finish.
(628) 234-2121We serve San Rafael and 11 surrounding communities in Marin County and the broader Bay Area. Local presence means we know the specific soil conditions, permit offices, and hillside access challenges in each neighborhood we work in.
Marin County clay soils and the Rogers Creek Fault create foundation challenges that contractors from outside the area often underestimate. We assess both the soil movement cycle and the seismic history of your site before recommending a method.
Every estimate we provide specifies the method, the material, and the scope in writing - no verbal agreements, no line items that appear later. You know exactly what you are paying for before a single hole is drilled.
For structural foundation work in San Rafael, we pull the permit, schedule the inspection, and manage the paperwork from first application to final sign-off. A permitted, inspected lift creates a clean record that protects your home at resale.
Foundation raising in San Rafael requires more than equipment - it requires knowing why the slab settled in the first place. The California Geological Survey maps the seismic and soil conditions across Marin County, and we use that knowledge alongside our on-site assessment to recommend a solution that addresses the cause - not just the symptom.
Precision cuts through slabs and walls for drainage channels, plumbing access, and structural openings.
Learn moreNew slab foundations for ADUs, room additions, and garages poured to current seismic and soil code.
Learn moreSan Rafael winters are hard on settled slabs. Get a free on-site estimate now and know exactly what needs to be done before the wet season hits.