Foundation installation in Cupertino CA - a base planned for your soil and slope

Usually a crawl space, since it handles uneven ground better than a slab does. Cupertino's general plan also has new building follow the land's natural shape, without mass grading or big flat pads, especially on hillsides. So on a slope we plan the foundation to work with the grade, not flatten it.

Plan on one, because one engineering group's guidance says every foundation design should include soil data. That usually means a site visit, soil borings and testing the samples, and what it finds steers the foundation type and the steel we put in it.

Put your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows a mapped hazard zone or an area not yet evaluated. In a zone, most homes need a site investigation by a state-licensed engineering geologist or civil engineer. State rules exempt a single-family frame house up to two stories outside a project of four or more units, but cities can be stricter.

The house has to be raised before the new foundation goes under it, and that's an added cost on top of the foundation itself. I'll be upfront about that at the estimate, because it's the part that surprises people.