Foundation raising in Franklin TN - a house that sits above the flood line
Your Franklin house sits low in a flood-prone spot or took real flood damage. We lift it higher, working from a structural engineer's plan.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does raising a house in Franklin involve?
Foundation raising in Franklin means lifting the whole house off its foundation and setting it higher, usually above the flood level the rules set for that spot. Every utility line is disconnected before the lift and hooked back up at the end.
Most people who call about this have a house in a spot that floods, or one that took a hard hit in the last storm, and they want to know if lifting it makes sense. The price turns mostly on the house itself, like how big it is, what it sits on, how high it has to go and how much has to come loose and go back on. The schedule turns on what happens before we touch it, like the engineer's inspection, the flood zone check and the permits, so your written estimate lays out what's included and what isn't once I've seen the house.
How do you know your house may need raising?
Water inside after heavy rain
If water reaches your crawlspace, garage or lower floor every time a big storm sits over Franklin, the house is likely too low for its lot. Each time it happens the damage stacks up, and the repairs get harder to justify.
A big repair bill after a flood
When a flood leaves you with a long list of repairs, it's worth asking whether putting it all back at the same height makes sense. Depending on how big that bill is, the city may decide for you, which we cover in the questions below.
Stains and soft spots down low
Water lines on the drywall, a musty smell and a soft floor near the outside walls usually mean water has been getting in more often than you've noticed. Rot in the framing matters here, because the house has to be sound before anyone can lift it.
How we handle foundation raising
Lifting a whole house starts with making sure it's sound enough to lift, so we want a structural engineer involved and a flood zone check done before we plan anything. Once the plan is set and the permits are in, we clear and dig around the foundation so the lift can be set up, the house goes up to the height the plan calls for, and we build the foundation up underneath it. Then the house is set down on its new foundation, and we finish and clean up the work around the base.
A lift usually touches the concrete around the house too. When a patio, stoop or old slab is tied into the foundation, we use concrete cutting to make a clean break so the house can rise without tearing it loose, and since the driveway rarely meets the garage the way it used to once the house sits higher, we often follow up with concrete driveway building to bring it up to the new height.
Simple square or rectangular houses
FEMA's guide says a plain square or rectangular house is easier to lift than one with wings and add-ons. These usually go up in one piece, which keeps the planning simpler.
Houses with garages, porches or additions
Attached garages, porches, wings and additions often have to be detached and lifted separately, especially when they sit on their own foundations. That's more work and more planning, so it's one of the first things I look at.
Get a written estimate for raising your house
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a free visit. I come out, look the house over and write you an estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (615) 716-3053- Based in
- Franklin, TN 37064
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about raising your house?
Here's how a house lift runs from your side, from the first call to the last walk-through.
Call us or send the form
You call (615) 716-3053 or fill out the form, and we set a time for me to come out. If you know what your house sits on, slab or crawlspace, tell us then, since it shapes everything after.
I come look at the house
I look at the ground, the drainage and how a lift fits the property, including everything attached to the house. If the engineer or the flood zone check hasn't happened yet, I'll tell you that's where we start.
You get a written estimate
It spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can see what you'd be paying for before you commit to anything. We also sort out the permit side with the right local office.
The crew lifts, I walk it
Our crew does the work to the engineer's plan, and the utilities are hooked back up at the end. When it's done, I walk the finished job with you.
Why Franklin homeowners call Superior Franklin Concrete to raise a house
The owner plans and leads it
I come out to look at every job, write the estimate myself and lead the crew that does the work. On a lift, that means the person who read the engineer's plan is the one standing at your house when it goes up.
Running our own crew since 2021
I learned concrete on other people's crews before starting this business in 2021, after years at an office job. What I like best is a job with a puzzle in it, and lifting a whole house has more of those than most.
Licensed and insured, ask to see it
We're licensed and insured, and the City of Franklin notes that Tennessee requires contractors to be licensed, registered or both, and that only licensed building contractors may do building work. Licensed contractors can show receipts for their licenses, so ask any contractor you're weighing, us included, before you sign.
If you're weighing a lift, the first visit is where we sort out the engineer and the flood zone question. Contact us or call (615) 716-3053 to set it up.
Foundation raising and flood permits in Franklin
Every lift in Franklin needs a permit, because the city requires one for all development, and work in the floodplain also needs a floodplain development permit, both checked with the city's Building and Neighborhood Services. The Harpeth River and the creeks that feed it carry the most flood risk in the city, so houses near them are the ones most likely to need that second permit. If you ask, the city's Floodplain Manager will tell you for free whether your property is in a flood zone, and that answer is the first thing I want before we plan. It matters for big remodels too, since the city says improvements costing 50% or more of a building's market value have to meet the current rules for a new building. We handle the permit paperwork that's ours to pull, and if part of the job needs an engineer or another trade, we tell you who that is.
We're based in Franklin and work across the cities around it, and the same questions about the engineer and the flood zone come up wherever the house is. On jobs in Brentwood or Columbia, the permit may come from a different office, so we find out which one covers your address before anything else.
Questions about raising a house in Franklin
Call (615) 716-3053Yes, every lift in Franklin needs a city permit, and one in the floodplain needs a floodplain development permit as well. In a mapped flood hazard area, the permit file also has to show the house was properly elevated, and FEMA encourages using its Elevation Certificate for that, which you can also use to get flood insurance.
Yes, FEMA's guide says to get a structural engineer's help before you even consider raising a slab house, one built on concrete poured right on the ground. We bring the engineer in from day one on slab homes and work to that plan.
The city says a home whose repair costs equal or exceed 50% of its value before the damage has to be elevated above the base flood elevation, the flood height the rules are built around. Compare your repair estimate with that value early, because the answer can set the shape of the whole project.
Through new steps or a new entry built up to the higher floor, and FEMA's guide says workable, good-looking solutions can usually be found. It's the part many owners worry about most, so we work the new concrete steps into the plan and the estimate from the start.
The cost comes from what your particular house needs, so your number comes from the written estimate after I've seen it. Features like a chimney add to the cost because they have to be braced or removed during the lift, and the engineer's plan and how high the house goes weigh in too.
Start with an inspection by a design professional, because FEMA's guide says the house's framing and connections have to stand up to the stresses of a lift. Lifting a house that isn't sound can cause expensive damage, so that inspection comes before plans, permits or prices.
Concrete work that often goes with a lift
Concrete cutting
Cutting gives you a straight, clean opening or break in an old slab, so the concrete you keep isn't cracked by a jackhammer working beside it.
Concrete driveway building
A new driveway is worth a look when the old one is cracked, holds puddles, or no longer meets the garage at the right height after other work.
Service areas around Franklin
Superior Franklin Concrete is based in Franklin, Tennessee, and works across the cities around it, from Brentwood down to Columbia. The seven cities below have their own pages, and we work in plenty of places in between.
Franklin, TN
Start your house lift with one visit
Have your foundation type and the city's flood zone answer ready when you call, so the first visit goes straight to planning.