The Short Version
A 1920s craftsman near Upper Manito Park on Spokane’s South Hill. The original footings were too shallow and downspouts had been directing water toward the foundation for years. The front yard slopes toward the house — every rain event, every snowmelt was feeding the problem. The footings settled, the porch started moving.
We tore everything out and rebuilt the porch from the ground up. New footings well below frost line, a dry well to redirect water permanently, and a full rebuild that matched the craftsman character of the home. No structural engineer was required for this scope.
What We Found
The original porch footings were shallow — likely poured at or just below grade, which is common in Spokane homes from this era. On a south-facing lot where the yard slopes toward the house, that’s a slow-motion problem. Downspouts compounded it for decades, directing roof runoff straight to the footing locations.
The result: footings that had settled unevenly, a porch structure that had moved with them, and a foundation that couldn’t be saved by patching. The only correct fix was to start over at the right depth.
What Made This Job Complicated
- Shared driveway — We couldn’t block access. Equipment staging and material delivery had to work around an active shared drive the entire project.
- Drainage wasn’t optional — Replacing the footings without solving the water problem would have been a temporary fix. We installed a dry well to intercept and redirect water away from the new foundation.
- South Hill grade — The lot drops going north, which means the front of the house is the low point relative to the yard. Any water management solution had to account for the natural drainage direction.
- Full porch rebuild — This wasn’t a post swap. The scope included excavation, new concrete foundation walls, new posts and columns, new cedar shingle cladding on the column piers, and new concrete steps with a curved profile matching the original character of the home.
The Build
How It Was Permitted
No structural engineer was required for this project. The scope — foundation replacement and porch rebuild — was permitted through the City of Spokane without engineering drawings. Building and Planning staff performed desk calculations to verify post and footing sizes were sufficient for the load. Permit obtained, work inspected as it was completed.
The Result
New foundation well below frost line. Dry well installed to manage water long-term. Porch rebuilt to match the craftsman character of the home — arched opening, cedar-clad columns, new concrete steps.