Foundation repair in Lawrence
From houses in the National Register districts around downtown to newer neighborhoods farther out, connecting Lawrence homeowners with a foundation contractor.
Lawrence homeowners with a bowing basement wall, a crumbling stone foundation, a settling corner or floors that sag can call to be connected with a foundation repair contractor that works inside the city. Lawrence was founded in 1854 by the New England Emigrant Aid Company and had 94,934 residents in 2020, so its houses cover more than 150 years of building practices.
The historic neighborhoods
Old West Lawrence, Oread, Hancock and Breezedale are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with most of Rhode Island Street in East Lawrence. Pinkney and North Lawrence are among the other neighborhoods closest to downtown. Many houses in these areas stand on stone or brick foundations, often with a partial basement or cellar and a crawl space under a later kitchen or porch. Those foundations can last a very long time when water is kept off them; problems start when gutters fail and the mortar joints wash out.
Building on the hill
Mount Oread, the ridge the University of Kansas sits on, divides the Kansas and Wakarusa river drainages and tops out around 1,020 feet. Streets on its slopes have houses with tall downhill walls, retaining walls and walkout basements, where water running downhill and soil creep put extra load on the uphill side. Lower in the valleys, USDA's Martin soil series, whose type location is in Douglas County, is a very plastic, sticky clay that formed below limestone outcrops from shale and limestone residuum. Clay like that swells with water and shrinks as it dries.
Permits and licenses in the city
The City of Lawrence requires a building permit for foundation repairs that structurally alter the foundation, such as adding piers, steel posts, helical piers, I-beams or tie-back anchors, and for basement drainage systems. The work needs either a pre-engineered system with an ICC-ES report or a report from a Kansas professional engineer. The city licenses contractors by class through Planning and Development Services, and you can check a license in the city's database.
Common questions
Do you cover the historic neighborhoods near downtown?
Yes. Call with your address in Old West Lawrence, Oread, Hancock, Pinkney, East Lawrence or anywhere else in the city and we'll connect you with a foundation contractor that works there.
Does foundation repair need a permit in Lawrence?
Repairs that structurally alter the foundation, such as piers, steel posts, helical piers, I-beams and tie-back anchors, need a city building permit, as do basement drainage systems. Some minor maintenance may be exempt.
Services in Lawrence
- Bowing basement wall repairWalls pushed inward by wet clay: anchors, steel beams, carbon fiber or excavation, plus the drainage fix.
- Limestone and brick foundation repairRepointing, rebuilding and supporting the stone and brick foundations under Lawrence's older houses.
- Foundation piers and underpinningPush piers, helical piers and other underpinning for settling corners, walls and additions.
- Sagging floor and crawl space supportSteel posts, new beams and footings to level bouncy, sloping floors over crawl spaces and old basements.
- Basement crack repair and drainageSealing leaking cracks, interior drain tile and sump pumps, and the outside fixes that keep clay drier.
Nearby areas
Wall bowing in, mortar crumbling, or floors starting to sag?
Call and a foundation contractor who works in Douglas County will take a look and explain your options.