Underpinning Services
Foundation depth increases
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.
Your Project
Team
David Petlicki
“David is a Chicago native who earned both his BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He brings over 10 years of structural engineering experience across a wide variety of residential, educational, commercial, medical, industrial, and military projects, including both adaptive reuse and new construction. He demonstrates a strong commitment to client collaboration and takes satisfaction in developing optimal structural solutions for his projects.”
Tom Bartosiewicz
“Tom has extensive experience building roof decks, having completed over 3,000 projects. He leverages his background as a road and bridge engineer to guide his construction team in delivering quality work. If an answer needs to be found, Tom will find it.”
Kevin Wojtas
“Kevin is a skilled Production Coordinator with extensive experience in the architecture and planning industry. He demonstrates competency across AutoCAD, landscaping, InDesign, public speaking, and sustainable design. He also serves as a media and communications specialist and holds a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”