Dig Footings for a Deck or Porch — Augered or Dug Below Frost
You have a deck, porch or sunroom plan with footing locations marked, and you need the holes dug deep enough and clean enough to pass the footing inspection.
JMB Builders will dig footings for a deck or porch, or a small addition on piers, across the Twin Cities metro. Holes are augered or dug by machine or by hand below frost depth at the locations on the plan, cleaned out and left ready for the footing inspection before concrete. Gopher State One Call before digging. Priced per project after a site visit.
- Priced per project after a site visit
- Augered, machine or hand dug below frost
- Ready for the footing inspection
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Deck and porch footings in Minnesota have to go below frost depth. A footing that stops short gets lifted by frost every winter, and the deck or porch ends up out of level with the doors and the house.
Most footing holes are augered: a round hole drilled straight down at each location on the plan. Where the plan calls for a wider footing pad, or rock, roots or tight access stop an auger, the holes are dug with a mini excavator or by hand. Either way the bottom is cleaned of loose soil so the footing bears on undisturbed ground.
The holes are left open and protected for the footing inspection. Footings are formed and poured after the inspector signs off, then the posts or piers go on.
What you supply
- Deck, porch or addition plans with footing locations and sizes
- Building permit and the inspection schedule
- Photos of the area, the access and anything close to the house: AC, meters, window wells
- Private lines you know about: irrigation, invisible fence, power to a shed
What JMB supplies
- Gopher State One Call locate before digging
- Footing locations laid out from the plan and checked against the house
- Holes augered, machine dug or hand dug below frost depth
- Loose soil cleaned out of the bottom so the footing bears on undisturbed ground
- Open holes covered or marked until the inspection
- Spoils spread on site or hauled off as quoted
- Ground protection on the lawn along the access path
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of footings and their size on the plan
- Auger versus machine-dug pads versus hand digging
- Rock, roots, old concrete or buried debris in the holes
- Access to the backyard and room for a machine next to the house
- Spoils spread on site or hauled away
- Old deck footings or posts to remove first
Send the plan with the footing layout, photos of the yard and access, and the permit status. We look at the site and write a firm per-project quote.
How long it takes
Most deck and porch footing jobs are done in one day. The footing inspection follows before any concrete is placed.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Augered deck footings
Round holes drilled below frost depth at each post location on the plan, cleaned out and ready for the inspection and the concrete form tubes.
Porch and sunroom footings
Larger or more footings for a three-season porch or sunroom on piers, dug to the plan with the bottoms cleaned for inspection.
Hand-dug footings in tight spots
Footings next to the house, under an existing deck or in a yard a machine cannot reach, dug by hand to the same depth.
Dig Footings for a Deck or Porch — Augered or Dug Below Frost: questions, answered
How deep do deck footings have to be in Minnesota?
Deck footings have to go below frost depth, which is set by the Minnesota building code and can vary by county. Your city lists the required depth with the deck permit, and the inspector checks it before concrete. The holes are dug to that depth or to the plan, whichever is deeper.
Can you dig deck footings with an auger?
Yes, most deck footings are augered. An auger drills a clean round hole straight down and is quick. When the plan calls for a wider footing pad, or rock or roots stop the auger, the hole is dug by machine or by hand instead.
Can footings be dug right next to the house?
Yes. Footings near the house are laid out to miss the existing foundation, window wells, meters and the AC unit, and dug by hand where a machine would get too close. Service lines near the house are located first.
Do the footing holes need an inspection before concrete?
In most Twin Cities cities a deck or porch permit includes a footing inspection with the holes open. The inspector checks the depth and the bottom of each hole. Concrete is placed after it passes.
Can you dig new footings where an old deck was?
Yes. Old posts and shallow footings are pulled out and the new holes are dug to the new plan. Old concrete that is in the way is broken out and hauled off, and that is part of the quote.
What happens to the dirt from the footing holes?
Footing holes do not make much dirt. It is usually spread in a low spot on the lot or raked out in a flower bed. If you want it gone, it is hauled away and the quote says so.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
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