NW Structural & Shoring — Since 1974
House Lifting & Raising in Seattle
We lift homes across Seattle and beyond. Family cabins in remote areas and riverfront properties also benefit from new foundations, taller basements, ADUs, added stories, and flood protection. All work is engineered, permitted, and set back down on a solid foundation. For more than fifty years, Seattle homeowners and contractors have called us for the lifts other companies walk away from.
FREE SAME-DAY SITE VISITS · CALL JEFF (206) 714-0096
When you need this
Taller ceilings & basement ADUs
Lift the house, dig down or build up, and turn a crawl space or low 6-foot basement ceiling into legal living space. This could be your fastest path to a basement ADU under Washington’s HB 1337 rules.
Add a story instead of moving
Need more space and don’t want to move? Turn a single-story home into a two, or three-story home.
Floodplain elevation
Raise your home above base flood elevation for more protection. King County requires BFE+3 ft (base flood elevation plus 3 feet) for all new work in floodplains.
New foundation
The right fix for a failing pre-war (1890-1939) foundation: lift, replace, set back down.
Why Seattle homes need it
Old houses, wet ground
Seattle sits on glacial till and outwash that stays put when dry but softens and shifts through our long wet season. Thousands of the city’s pre-1950 homes were built on shallow, unreinforced foundations or post-and-pier framing that was never designed for today’s loads, or today’s rainfall, and the occasional earthquake. When those foundations crack, tilt, or sink, patching rarely holds. Lifting the house and building a proper foundation beneath it solves the problem at its source, and it opens the door to the basement, ADU, or added story the original builders never imagined.
Our approach
Every lift starts with a lift plan. Whether the lift is a few inches or a full story, or two, the house stays level the whole way.
Once the house is up, it rests on locked steel cribbing while the new foundation, basement, or next floor is built beneath it. Homes generally stay habitable while cribbed, and we coordinate utility disconnects and reconnects so service is only interrupted around the lift itself.
How it works
1
Site visit & estimate
Free and no pressure. We walk the site, listen, and give you a straight assessment with a written estimate.
2
Engineering & permits
We help coordinate a team for architectural, engineering, and geotechnical needs.
3
Lift/shore/build
Our crews do the structural work — homes stay habitable during most projects.
4
Final inspection & sign-off
Work is inspected for quality, documented, and signed off before we call the job done.
Related services
Straight Answers
How much does it cost to lift a house in Seattle?
Every house is different from the construction to the location, even the landscaping. Lifting a house independently of its existing foundation — to raise it or replace what is underneath — can run from $10,000–$100,000 or more depending on location, size, access, and soil. Every project gets a written estimate after a free site visit.
Can we live in the house while it is lifted?
In most of our projects, yes — homes generally stay habitable while cribbed, though utilities are briefly disconnected during the lift itself.
How long does a house stay lifted?
Typically 3–6 months while the new foundation, basement, or first floor is built beneath it.
Do I need a permit to lift my house in Seattle?
Yes. Lifts require structural permits (SDCI in Seattle, county elsewhere). Your project architect or engineer will submit those.
Do you work outside of Seattle or the Puget Sound area?
Yes. We have been known to take on the fun projects, even go into the woods to raise a few cabin foundations.
Recent house lifting projects
Ballard daylight basement
A 1918 craftsman raised on steel I beams so a full-height daylight basement could be built underneath it.
West Seattle floor addition
A single-story home held overhead on steel I beams while an entire new first floor was framed beneath it.
Get a straight answer about your house
Free site visit, honest assessment, written estimate – often the same day you call. Ask for Jeff.