Foundation repair in Lecompton
Kansas's territorial capital sits on a bluff above the Kansas River, west of Lawrence, with some of the oldest buildings in the county.
Homeowners in Lecompton and the surrounding countryside can call to be connected with a foundation repair contractor that serves northwest Douglas County. Lecompton was founded in 1854 on a bluff on the south bank of the Kansas River and was the territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861. It's a small town, with 588 residents in 2020, and Constitution Hall, where the Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857, is now a museum run by the Kansas Historical Society.
Old foundations on a bluff
Houses in a town this old include some with foundations of local stone laid with lime mortar, and farmhouses that have been added onto several times. Stone foundations do well as long as water is kept off them. When gutters are missing or the ground slopes toward the house, mortar washes out, stones loosen and walls can start to bulge. Repointing with a compatible mortar, rebuilding loose sections and fixing drainage is often what's needed, not wholesale replacement.
Hillside lots
On a river bluff, lots slope. Houses built into a slope carry soil against the uphill wall and lose support on the downhill side if the soil there erodes or creeps. Watch for cracks that run diagonally from the corners of the downhill wall, doors that drift on the downhill side, and gaps opening at porches and steps.
Permits
Lecompton is an incorporated city; ask the city office about permits inside town. Rural homes nearby fall under Douglas County.
Common questions
Can an old stone foundation in Lecompton be repaired instead of replaced?
Often. Depending on condition, stone walls can be repointed with a compatible mortar, rebuilt in sections, or supported from inside. Have a contractor or engineer look before deciding.
Do you cover rural homes outside Lecompton?
Yes. Call with your address and we'll connect you with a foundation contractor that serves northwest Douglas County.
Services in Lecompton
- 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.