Underpinning Cost Calculator
Full Planning & Project Management
Experience Over 15 Years
Insured & Licensed Underpinners
Underpinning Cost Calculator
Potential Rebates for
Basement Underpinning
Toronto Services
Concrete works and other
Services by Rock Basements
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Projects Completed Last Year
Areas We Serve
GTA
Our team performs basement underpinning mostly in Greater Toronto Area (where our office is located).
We are used to tight and complicated spaces to work around. Proud to serve the city of Toronto with what we do best!
Halton
Rock Basements goes as far as Halton Region to serve clients with underpinning and basement lowering services.
Many builders prefer underpinning with entire house renovation instead of building from the ground up in Oakville and Burlington.
Peel
Many buildings in Mississauga and Brampton are as old as some first neighbourhoods in Toronto area.
They have low height basements and crawlspaces that can be fully excavated to legal occupancy height.
Typical Additional Costs
May not be included in quote
1. Heated Floors: It makes sense to install heated floor system during underpinning before new concrete is poured.
2. Interior Demolition: Semi finished basements require demolition of walls and floor before excavation and concrete work begins.
3. Spec and Size Beams/Posts: Although we can order material for you, architects and engineers need to spec each structural beam/post.
4. Basement Walkout: We do make basement walkouts, but it is priced separately by architectural drawings (permit required).
5. Cuts for Windows: New basement can be designed with larger windows for legal rent purposes or yourself to enjoy more natural light.
Basement Lowering Cost Factors
Access
Simply looking at the drawings we cannot give a detailed estimate.
Project manager needs to analyze site condition and access to basement. Preferably we have space to put disposal bin and conveyor belt.
Otherwise costs are going to go up for underpinning and excavation by hand.
Depth
Deeper we go, the more expensive the underpinning project is going to be.
It takes a week to excavate middle part of 800 sq ft basement and lower in by 2 feet. It takes double the effort and disposal cost when we go past 3 feet.
Deep excavation may have underground water.
Soil
There are several types of soil that make hand digging easier (sand) or harder (rocky clay).
Unfortunately we cannot always predict what type of soil is under your basement slab, but nearby projects can give us an idea.
Projects with access for machinery to excavate wont be affected as much by soil type.
Scope
Every basement lowering project has different scope of work and prices vary accordingly.
Some have only excavation and underpinning of foundation wall, while others need temporary supports, cut outs and beam installation.
To get better idea of full costs and breakdown ask our project manager.
Method
Believe it or not, there are several methods of underpinning foundation wall.
We wont go into engineering details, pouring method and type of concrete, but possibilities and reasons can be explained on site.
The cost difference is not significant, but it adds up to overall underpinning price.
Location
Have you heard before that hiring local company is the way to go?
It simply means that companies that don’t need to travel a lot can charge at less cost.
We know the soil, local regulation and are comfortable to perform underpinnings around Greater Toronto Area.
Payments for
Basement Underpinning
Financing
Rock Basements is always being asked by clients if we have financing options for basement underpinning work.
Unfortunately we do not offer financing options but can work with third party landers that deal directly with clients or general contractors.
As long as the terms of payment match or at least are close to what we ask for the job, we can work with any financial party.
Payment Structure
Normally we break underpinning work payments into 4 parts which are due upon completion some stages.
First stage is deposit or start of underpinning. Other stages very, but go somewhere around completion for foundation walls and full excavation.
Last payment is due upon completion of entire project. We release engineer reports and permit right after.
Deposit
For medium and large size construction projects such as basement lowering with walkout and other scope of work we may for a deposit.
It is simply guarantee the start date and align workers with equipment to be ready for the job.
Deposits are mandatory for home owners, builders and general contractors.
Discounts
For larger projects that involve basement underpinning and other services such as walkout, addition and other scope we typically give discounts.
General contractors and home builders that work with us for now years may get discounted prices for some of the work as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rock Basements updates website and changes prices annually. We try to follow the costs and inflation as it goes up every year.
Unfortunately sometimes prices increase slightly mid year due to unexpected supply chain problems, COVID and other issues that affect construction in Ontario.
You can get exact cost of underpinning and basement lowering only with project manager based on existing drawings and site condition.
Costs may change on monthly basis and we are going to reflect them on estimates.
Website is updated annually with average prices for all work that we do in waterproofing, concrete and underpinning industry.
Rock Basements provide estimates that are valid for 2-3 month and we guarantee prices that are sent out to clients.
There are many factors that can drive up the prices in construction business and underpinning is not an exception.
Three main factors are:
- Material Cost Increase – when concrete, lumber, cinder block and other materials go up in price, our overall costs automatically increase.
- Increased Wages – Government of Ontario constantly increases minimum wages for workers and we have to stay competitive to keep the best guys in underpinning.
- Carrying Costs – with annual inflation, everything continues to go up. Business is not easy to maintain and at every corner there is an expense. We are talking about insurance, license fees, gas, office and even marketing.
Matching the price for basement lowering is very tricky. To start, we have to be able to take on your project at the monet (sometimes, Rock Basements is overloaded with projects for next few month. Secondly we have to compare apples to apples, and basement underpinning has many details involved such as drain installation, temporary support, waterproofing, underpinning method and excavation depth. Lastly we would only be able to match quotes of reputable companies that are licensed, insured and known in our industry for quality work.
Short answer is No. Every project is different and our calculator is for average size and complexity basement lowering. Although it may not be exact, basement underpining calculator gives home owners a base line of costs they should expect for their job. Some may turn down the idea of lowering basement simply from looking at potential expenses and some can start preparing financially. Contact Rock Basements for onsite visit and accurate estimation for your job.
It is possible to give ballpark cost for the work without ever visiting the house, but the less information we have, the less accurate pricing may be.
Obviously, delailed proposal is made after permits are approved and we have visited the site. There are complicated circumstances when visiting is impossible and our company can calculate the work based on drawings and onsite images provided by the client.
Rock Basements team can also provide assumed proposal with adjustment to depth, size and complexity of lowering.
Our Average Basement Underpinning project costs around $60 000, it will take a long time to save such amount if you are willing to pay entire amount without financing.
The most popular option of landing money for basement underpinning is to refinance existing mortgage. Your bank can help you with application and within few weeks it can be approved with required amount to cover all work.
Last option is to borrow money for basement lowering through second lenders. It is a short term financing with slightly higher percentage.
Yes, if your budget is under provided estimate, we can work on overall scope of work.
Although we suggest doing full spectrum of waterproofing together with basement lowering, technically, it is possible to exlcude sump pump, back water valve and few other details.
Lower excavation can be performed to save some money for clients.
As of 2020 we extended our services and now renovate basements under lowering process.
Ask our salesman about discounts when hiring us to both underpin and finish the basement to create fully liveable space.
Rock Basements provide discounts for large projects in Greater Toronto Area.
