Foundation Footings Visible Above the Existing Slab

In older New Jersey homes, the original foundation footing is sometimes poured just beneath the existing basement slab, which leaves it exposed as a concrete ledge around the basement perimeter. Homeowners perceive it as a step or curb intruding into the floor area.

This condition signals that any future floor lowering must incorporate underpinning, because excavating below the existing footing without reinforcement would undermine the structure. A combined digout and underpinning project addresses both the visible obstruction and the underlying structural limit.