Des Moines Foundation Co.: Foundation Repair, Basement Waterproofing & Concrete Leveling in Des Moines, IA
Des Moines Foundation Co. does foundation repair by reading the house first: what is moving, which way, by how many inches and what is pushing it. Sealing one crack usually costs $250 to $800. A bowed wall usually costs $5,000 to $15,000, so a foundation repair contractor owes you a clear answer on which of those you have.
Request a quote
A crack, a leaning wall, water after rain or a sinking slab? Tell us which, and we call back with what it most likely means.
Bidders here can propose different fixes for a leaking basement. The first thing is to determine if the foundation walls are actually being pushed in or damaged. If this is the case, those need to be fixed before any kind of sump pump or other kind of water fix is done. Otherwise it's wasted money. Sometimes the whole answer is a downspout, and replacing those usually runs $220 to $625.
- Crack sealing, $250 to $800 per crack, a few hours
- Bowed wall, $5,000 to $15,000, about 1 to 3 days
- Floor and wall readings come before any fix gets named
- Water and structure get priced as separate problems
- Mats go down where equipment crosses the yard
Slab, crawl space or wall? Run your square feet
Typical prices per sq ft for Des Moines jobs, from the source below. Your quote follows a look at the job.
$800 to $1,800
Call (515) 303-3709 for your priceAt a glance
| One crack sealed | $250 to $800 |
|---|---|
| Bowed wall, whole job | $5,000 to $15,000 |
| Wall anchors | $80 to $150 a linear foot |
| One repair pier | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Piers inside city limits | Building permit required |
| Anchors, plates, braces | No city permit if structure stays unaltered |
| Longest repairs | Weeks or months, usually living at home |
Residential Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing
Start with the symptom you can see. Each card names what usually causes it and what we do about it.
Foundation Repair for Settling and Sinking Houses
Foundation repair for settling and sinking houses can definitely be costly. Some signs can include doors that are starting to stick when you open and close them and floors that look and feel like they're sloping. The first step is stopping the sinking. If the foundation does need repair, some of these big jobs can take weeks, but owners can typically stay at home during the process, since most of it is outside and underneath the house. A typical job could be $4,500 to $20,000.
Basement Waterproofing, Inside or Outside the Wall
Basement waterproofing, inside or outside the wall, is for a home that has some type of foundation leak. We would first look at the gutters and the yard slope and be sure to have the water coming from these two areas diverted away from the house. The inside fix would be drain tile that goes into a sump basin, which pumps water away from the house. Inside work can cost $6,000 to $12,000. For outside work, the wall can be coated from a trench. An interior job takes about 2 to 3 days.
Crawl Space Encapsulation
Crawl spaces, typically on one-story homes or additions, sometimes need crawl space encapsulation, which is a vapor barrier over the dirt and walls with a dehumidifier controlling the air humidity. The old plastic should be pulled out first. This can come at a cost of around $3 to $10 per square foot. If the old plastic is left underneath, it can trap the water and smell or become moldy. Most crawl spaces take about 1 to 3 days.
Bowing Basement Wall Repair With Anchors
Bowing basement wall repair with anchors is a way to stop the soil from pushing the foundation inward, which causes a bow in the wall. A plumb line can measure the bow, how severe it is and whether it keeps moving. Anchors outside keep the wall from moving anymore. If there is no room in the yard to do this, the bracing will take place from the inside.
Helical Piers and Push Piers for a Sinking Foundation
A helical pier is a device that has screw blades and twists into the ground, and it suits a porch or an addition better. Push piers are more for a sinking foundation that holds heavy house weight. We pull the building permit the city requires for both, and the bid says how many piers go where and why.
Concrete Leveling and Mudjacking for Slabs
Sunken driveways, garage floors and sidewalks that tip toward the house can often come back up. Crews drill small holes, pump grout or foam under the slab and patch the holes. Concrete lifting cures fast, with foot traffic in 24 hours and cars in 2 to 3 days. You should always get a few different quotes and options from specialists who deal with sunken driveways in this area. You can pay for mudjacking to lift the driveway up, but if the problem keeps occurring, it's going to have to be removed. You only want to pay once.
Foundation Crack Repair and Injection
Direction tells you more than width. A straight vertical crack in a poured wall is often shrinkage from curing, and we fill it through its full depth so the repair reaches the soil side. That takes a few hours. We would skip injection on any wall still moving, because the crack just opens again.
Foundation Inspection Before You Buy or Sell
Several Des Moines foundation jobs begin with a line on a home inspection report. Our foundation inspection records floor readings, crack locations and how the downspouts drain, then we tell you which items matter and which can wait. You should first do some research and see if there have been reports of foundation problems in this area. If you can find any foundation crack reports, then you should pay the extra inspection cost of around $400 to $750 to be sure the foundation is in good shape.
Crawl Space Repair and House Leveling
A bouncy floor above a crawl space usually points to a weak beam or a tired support post, often after years of damp. We raise the beam itself and set proper supports, because stacked shims under a sag don't last. With house leveling, the goal is the best level the framing tolerates.
Holding a foundation bid you can't judge?
Bids on the same wall can run thousands apart, and they often solve different problems. Tell us what the bid proposes and what the wall is doing, and we will say whether the repair matches the movement.
Commercial Foundation Repair for Rentals and Older Buildings
Rental Property Foundation Repair
We hand landlords a written foundation repair scope sorted into what is urgent and what can wait, so a wet corner in one unit doesn't turn into a whole-building bid.
Townhome and HOA Foundation Repair
A shared wall or a common downspout raises who owns the problem. We give HOA boards readings by unit, so the fix and the bill can follow the movement.
Church and Older Commercial Building Repair
Older buildings carry heavy masonry on old footings. We note where mortar needs repointing and where a wall is actually moving, then keep those two jobs on separate lines of the bid.
Foundation Reports for Agents and Sellers
When a sale inspection flags a wall, agents need an answer the buyer can read. Our report states the movement in inches and names the repair it calls for.
Commercial Sidewalk and Parking Slab Leveling
Commercial concrete lifting closes a small area for a short time. We mark trip edges along sidewalks and parking pads, then raise those panels before anyone tears out good concrete.
Specialty Foundation and Drainage Services
Sump Pump Installation With Battery Backup
Heavy rain is the worst moment for a power cut and a dead pump. We size the sump basin to the water it receives, set a check valve on the outlet pipe and add battery backup where you want one.
Carbon Fiber Straps for Early Wall Movement
Carbon fiber straps bond flat to a wall that has just started to bow, and they take up almost no room in a finished basement. They hold a wall where it stands, without pulling it back. To our eye they fit modest movement, while a wall already leaning hard wants anchors or steel.
Chimney and Front Porch Settling
A porch or chimney pulling away from the house is often a lighter load on a shallower footing. Helical piers suit that, because they don't depend on the weight above them. We check the gap against a dated pencil mark first, since an old gap that has stopped growing may need only mortar.
Brick and Clay Tile Foundation Wall Repair
Roughly a quarter of the houses here predate 1940. If yours stands on red brick or clay tile and you've heard a whole new wall is the only way, get a second reading. We test which courses are loose, repoint what is sound and rebuild only the section that has actually failed.
Foundation Replacement When Repair Won't Hold
Replacement is the rare answer. A wall that has crumbled through or a footing that has broken apart can pass the point where anchors help. We price foundation replacement beside the repair, so you can see what the larger job would buy you.
Structure or Water, Sorted at Home
Two tests come before any call. Set a level on the sloping floor, then walk outside during rain.
What you see and what it usually means
| What you see | Usually points to | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Sideways wall crack | Wall pushed inward | Plumb line |
| Stair-step block crack | One corner sinking | Dated pencil ticks |
| Vertical poured crack | Concrete curing | Leaks after rain |
| Water at floor edge | Wet soil outside | Downspout ends |
| Cracked basement floor | Slab only | Doors above it |
Glacial Clay, Frost and Rain in Des Moines
In Des Moines, the last glacier that went through here left a pebbly type of clay beneath the surface, which causes poor drainage. This wet clay can play havoc with foundation walls as it presses against them. Sometimes it moves and cracks foundations. The frost here works the soil down to 42 inches and messes with the foundation once again. The first try is to take all the runoff from the roof and around the yard away from the foundation and house, and see if that stops the movement. The glacier laid that clay down about 13,000 years ago, and the city adds 36.55 inches of precipitation a year, 36.5 inches of snow and nearly 128 nights at or below freezing.
How a Foundation Repair Runs in Des Moines
An estimate should read like a chart.
From the first call to the last reading
- You describe what the wall or floor is doing.
- We take floor elevations, plumb the walls and date each crack.
- Outside, we follow the rain.
- The written bid lists structure and water separately, with counts, unit prices and anything it leaves out, so you can hold it against another company’s.
- A locate ticket goes in before digging, and it stays valid for 25 days.
- Afterward we re-read the same points against a fixed reference.
Iowa registration and city permits
Iowa requires contractors to register, and you can ask for the number. Out-of-state firms must also file a surety bond or its alternative. City permit questions go to 515-283-4200.
How Long Foundation Repair Takes
Piers are the usual reason a job stretches.
Typical foundation job times
| Job | Typical time | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Crack injection | A few hours | Resin cure |
| Wall anchors, one wall | 1 to 3 days | Yard access |
| Piers | 2 to 5 days | Pier count, permit |
| Interior drain tile | 2 to 3 days | Basement length |
| Encapsulation | 1 to 3 days | Drainage, mold |
Foundation Repair Cost in Des Moines
This is market data, never our price sheet. Big totals come from a count of piers or feet of wall, so ask for the unit price.
Des Moines foundation price ranges
| Job | Usual range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Wall anchors | $80 to $150 | Linear foot |
| Repair pier | $2,000 to $4,000 | Each |
| Exterior waterproofing | $10,000 to $18,000 | Whole job |
| Sump pump | $600 to $2,500 | Installed |
| Mudjacking | $4 to $9 | Square foot |
| Foundation inspection | $400 to $750 | Visit |
| Wall crack patch and coating | $1,275 to $1,517 | 120 sq ft |
The coating row is for zip 50309, 2026, and it’s crack patching plus a coating, with no drain tile. The rest are national figures, 2026.
Ask what the bid leaves out
Drainage, masonry, refinishing and yard repair often sit on someone else’s list. Have each one named in writing, with who handles it.
Years ago, the owner of a ranch-style house with a daylight basement had water that kept leaking into a non-livable area. The area kept filling up with water, so the owner invested in a sump pump to get rid of that water. That lasted for several years. A few years later, the sump pump could not keep up with the amount of water, so the owner brought in a foundation expert who found several cracks in the foundation. They had to dig down far enough to repair them. After that, the problem was solved.
We measure the movement before we name a fix
A level on the floor, a plumb line on the wall, then outside to see where the rain goes. Those readings sort a structural job from a water job, and the estimate states them in inches.
Foundation Work Around Des Moines
Des Moines Foundation Co. works across Des Moines, IA, and the Polk, Warren and Dallas County suburbs, including Ankeny, Urbandale, Waukee and Norwalk.
Polk County
- Pleasant Hill
- Windsor Heights
- Carlisle
- Altoona
- West Des Moines
- Urbandale
- Clive
- Johnston
- Ankeny
- Bondurant
- Grimes
- Mitchellville
Warren County
- Norwalk
- Indianola
Dallas County
- Waukee
The city's permit rules stop at the Des Moines limits, and each suburb runs its own building department. Urbandale and West Des Moines list the same 42-inch frost depth as the city.
The median Des Moines house dates from 1963, and two of every three went up before 1980, so decades of frost have already worked at most of these walls.
Des Moines Foundation Questions, Before Anyone Digs
Is foundation repair covered by homeowners insurance?
Foundation repair is usually not covered by insurance, as it is counted as maintenance. A couple of exceptions can apply, like a burst pipe or fire damage. Read the policy, and also ask an agent to be sure.
Do I need a structural engineer for foundation repair?
Usually, when the cause is unclear or a crack keeps spreading, an engineer can judge what is moving and why. A written report can cost anywhere from $500 up to a staggering $3,000. That written plan lets several companies bid one scope, so their prices compare.
How much basement wall bowing is acceptable?
No single number fits every wall, and growth tells you more. Tape a dated plumb line from the top of the wall, note the gap at mid-height and read it again in a few months.
Does a foundation repair warranty transfer to the next owner?
Whether a warranty transfers depends on the company. Each company sets its own terms. Some companies do have a lifetime transferable warranty. Always get the cost, timeline, and warranty in writing.
Will my driveway come back flush after mudjacking?
Sometimes a driveway does come back flush with where it used to be, but no company can promise it unseen. There should be a target height written down. The minimum job usually is around $300 to $700. Bundling the sidewalk into the same visit can help with that minimum.
Do wall anchors tear up the yard?
A wall anchor typically does not tear up the yard. There's one small dig for each anchor, and it can be backfilled easily. Call 811 before any digging to identify buried utility lines. The 811 call has to go in 48 hours ahead, weekends excluded.
Where can a sump pump discharge in Des Moines?
Sump pump discharge in Des Moines can never go into the sanitary sewer. If the water goes over a sidewalk, the owner must fix this. The Public Works Department can answer where this water should be diverted. Rules for storm sewer hookups read differently across city pages, so call Public Works at 515-283-4950 about your address.
Do epoxy and urethane foam differ for crack injection?
Epoxy and urethane foam do differ for crack injection, and contractors argue about this. Epoxy is rigid with a strong bond, whereas urethane foam is not as rigid but is easier to place in the area.
Request a quote
Call (515) 303-3709 and describe it, or leave your notes on the house in this form and expect our call.