How to Make a Pier Footing

Decide where to situate the pier footing. Mark the location on the ground with spray paint. The mark should be at the center of the pier footing, where the post will sit.

Place a cardboard concrete form tube where you want the footing. The mark for the post should be at the center of the tube.

Draw a circle on the ground around the bottom of the form tube with the spray paint as an outline for the hole. Make the outline at least six inches away from the tube so that the hole is larger in diameter than the form tube.

Dig the hole with the shovel to the depth required by the building code. Make the hole bell-shaped, with the bottom about 25 percent larger than the top.

Pour the concrete into the hole for the footing. The size of the footing depends on the diameter of the pier. Generally, a footing must be at least as deep as the diameter of the pier and twice the diameter. For example, a 24-inch-diameter pier needs a footing at least 24 inches deep and 48 inches in diameter.

Insert the vertical rebar into the wet concrete footing. Use the size and amount of rebar required by the building code.

Cut the form tube to the height you need with a utility knife. The top of the form will be the height of the pier above ground.

Place the cardboard form tube in the hole. Check the form with a level to ensure that it is straight. Shovel dirt around the outside of the form to hold it in place. Fill the area surrounding the form with dirt.

Pour concrete into the form tube. Stop when the concrete reaches the top of the form. Smooth the concrete at the top of the form with a trowel. Move the trowel in a circular motion to finish the concrete. Keep working the trowel until the concrete at the top of the pier footing is smooth and level.