Resources

We do — they come out of questions we get asked on estimates often enough that it seemed worth writing the answer down properly rather than explaining it from scratch each time.

No. Everything here is written to be useful whether you call us, call someone else, or do the work yourself.

We'd rather you make a good decision than an uninformed one that happens to go our way. A homeowner who understands why footing depth matters is a better customer for any contractor worth hiring.

Treat them as the general standard rather than as your local rule. Building codes across the Kansas City metro follow common standards, but requirements for footing depth, railing height and structural connections are set by your own city and county and they aren't uniform.

We confirm the specifics for your jurisdiction as part of pulling the permit.