Wichita · Derby · Andover · Haysville · Newton
Foundation repair in Wichita, KS
A cracked or bowing basement wall, doors that have stopped latching, a floor that slopes? Call, and you are put through to an independent local foundation repair company that can look at the house and tell you what it finds.
Wichita Foundation Repair Help is a referral service. The company you speak with does the inspecting, the pricing and the work.
Worth noting down before you call
- Where the crack, gap or slope is, and roughly how big.
- When you first saw it, and whether it has changed.
- What is under the house: a basement, a crawl space or a slab.
- Any water: damp walls, a sump that runs often, puddles by the house.
What are you seeing?
Start with the sign you have noticed
Each page says what the sign often means, what else can cause it and what a company checks.
- Cracks in walls, ceilings or brickStair-step cracks in brick, diagonal cracks at door corners, a chimney leaning away.What it can mean
- Doors and windows that stickFrames going out of square, latches that miss, gaps that taper across the top of a door.What it can mean
- Sloping, sagging or bouncy floorsThree complaints with three different causes. Which one you have decides who should look.What it can mean
- Cracks in the foundation itselfVertical, diagonal, stair-step or horizontal: reading a crack in a basement wall or slab.What it can mean
- Bowing or leaning basement wallsA level crack part of the way up a block wall, and a wall that leans in at the top.What it can mean
- A sagging floor over a crawl spaceLeaning piers, a dropped beam, damp wood: what holds the floor up and how it is put right.What it can mean
- Water pooling next to the housePuddles at the wall, downspouts that empty at the footing, and which trade to call.What it can mean
Local ground
The soil changes across Wichita, and so do the problems
Regional ground described by the Kansas Geological Survey and local authorities.
West side
Old river terraces
The Kansas Geological Survey describes older terrace deposits beside the Arkansas River valley. A house on a terrace can have different ground from one on the modern flood plain. Ask what soil and any placed fill were found beneath the actual footing.
The river valley
Sand and silt
The Arkansas and Little Arkansas river valleys contain sand, gravel, silt and clay deposits. The Kansas Geological Survey describes much of the flat land beside the Arkansas as poorly drained. Report past water entry and changes in sump activity; a valley location does not establish the soil beneath one house.
East and northeast
Clay over shale
Eastern Sedgwick County has upland soils with clay-rich subsoil, described in the county hazard plan. The Kansas Geological Survey identifies the Wellington Formation, including shale, limestone and gypsum. Andover also warns homeowners about expansive clay. Record seasonal changes without assuming that soil is the cause.
Add a frost line 24 inches down and summer rain that comes in thunderstorms, and you have the reasons basements here crack and lean. The full account is in why foundations move in Wichita.
How it works
One call, then an inspection
Call and describe it
Say what you have seen and where the house is. The four notes above cover most of what you will be asked.
A local company picks up
You speak with an independent foundation repair company that works in your area. It arranges a time to inspect.
You get findings and a price
The company explains what it found and what it proposes. Whether to go ahead is your decision.
More detail, including what this service does not do, is on how it works.
Before you hire
Four local things worth knowing
Structural repair needs a permit
In Wichita and the unincorporated county, permits come from MABCD. The repair company normally applies. See permits.
Contractors are licensed locally
Kansas leaves it to cities and counties. In Wichita the licence is MABCD's. See choosing a company.
Some cities want an engineer
Andover requires engineered plans for foundation repair. An engineer is also useful when proposals disagree. See inspections.
No two prices are alike
The number depends on how many supports, how deep and how easy the access is. See what affects the cost.
Guides
Read up before the inspection
- Why foundations move in WichitaRiver sand, old terraces and upland clay over shale, plus frost and thunderstorm rain.Open
- Push piers to wall anchors, one by oneEach repair method and the job it is meant for, without a recommendation.Open
- Engineer or repair company: who inspectsTwo kinds of inspector, the measurements they take, the papers to request.Open
- Permits: MABCD and the nearby citiesMABCD in Wichita and the county, and the cities that issue their own.Open
- A sale with a foundation questionThe Kansas statute on what agents must tell, and the folder each side needs.Open
- Gutters, trees and dry spellsA twice-yearly walk-round and the upkeep that keeps soil moisture even.Open
Nearby towns
Outside Wichita
Each page covers the soil there and the office that issues permits. The full list is on the service area page.
Questions
Before you call
Is Wichita Foundation Repair Help a repair company?
No. It is a referral service. When you call, you speak with an independent local foundation repair company, which inspects the house and gives you its own findings and price.
What does it cost to call?
Nothing beyond your usual phone charges. Before you book an inspection, ask the company whether the visit carries a fee.
Which towns are covered?
Wichita and nearby towns including Derby, Andover, Haysville, Newton, Maize, Goddard, Valley Center, Park City, Bel Aire, Augusta and El Dorado. The service area page has the full list.
Should I call about a wet basement?
If water is the only problem and nothing is cracking or moving, a basement waterproofer is the right trade. If the water comes with wall cracks, a leaning wall or sloping floors, call about foundation repair.
How quickly should I act on a crack?
Most foundation movement is slow, and there is time to measure, take photos and arrange an inspection. The exception is sudden change: if a wall shifts noticeably or you fear it may give way, get out and call 911.
Ready to have it looked at?
Talk to a foundation repair company near Wichita
Call and describe what you are seeing. You will speak with an independent local company that can arrange to inspect the house and give you its findings and its price.
Foundation repair for houses
Basement walls, settling, cracks, crawl spaces and sloping floors in Wichita and nearby towns.
Call (316) 555-0119Calls may be recorded. See the referral disclosure and privacy policy.