Foundation repair in Lincoln NE - a fix matched to what's causing the damage
Doors that stick, a wall that's cracked or starting to bow? We find out whether the house is still moving, then fix what's causing it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
When do cracks in a Lincoln foundation need repair?
Foundation repair in Lincoln, NE steadies a house whose foundation has settled or whose basement walls have cracked or bowed, so the movement behind your cracks and sticking doors stops getting worse.
Most people call us after a door starts sticking, a crack in the basement wall gets longer, or a wall looks like it's leaning in. Some of those need real work and some don't, so the first job is telling which. The price turns on what your house needs, like how many piers or how much wall, whether we dig outside or work from the basement, and how much has to be cleared out of the way. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and whether the ground outside is workable, and your written estimate spells out the repair and its cost for your house. We're licensed and insured, and Nebraska requires anyone doing repair work on a house that isn't their own to register with the state Department of Labor, though registration on its own doesn't vouch for the quality of the work.
How we handle foundation repair
I start by finding out whether the house is still moving, because there's no point fixing a crack that's still opening. I look at the cracks, the doors that stick and the walls themselves, and work out what's behind the damage, whether that's a corner that's sunk, a wall the soil is pushing in, or water sitting where it shouldn't. The repair I suggest follows what I find, and if a crack is only cosmetic, I'll tell you that and point you to a much smaller job. When there's real work to do, our crew digs out or sets up inside, makes the repair and cleans up before we leave.
Foundation trouble rarely stays in the basement. When a house shifts, the mortar in the brick above it can crack along the joints, and tuckpointing, cutting out the old mortar and packing in new, is how we close those up once the movement has stopped. A chimney can crack or pull away from the house for the same reason, so if yours has, we'll look at chimney repair on the same visit.
Piers for a settling foundation
This suits a house where one side or corner has dropped and the doors along it have started to bind. Piers attached to the foundation can hold it where it is or lift it back close to where it started, depending on how far it's gone.
Bracing for a cracked or bowed wall
This suits a basement wall that's cracked or leaning in because the soil outside is pushing on it. The bracing is picked to match how far the wall has moved and why, and it often goes in from the basement side.
If a crack is getting wider or a door that used to close fine now sticks, call (402) 202-7624 now, because a house that's still moving keeps doing damage.
What happens after you call about foundation repair in Lincoln?
Here's how a foundation job runs with us, from the first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one who comes out, and I stay with the job until it's done.
Call or fill out the form
Call (402) 202-7624 or use the contact form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps if you know roughly when the cracks or sticking doors started.
I look at the damage
I come out myself, look at the damage and what's causing it, and walk you through what I'd do and why. You get a written estimate with the work spelled out, so you know the cost before you decide, and if you go ahead we handle any permit the job needs.
Our crew does the work
Our own small crew of masons does the repair, and I'm on the job with them. When it's done, I walk the finished work with you before we call it finished.
Get a written foundation repair estimate on site
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the cracks and what's causing them, and give you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(402) 202-7624Foundation repair in Lincoln and the ground under it
Building permits in Lincoln go through the city's Building and Safety office, and the city's homeowner permit list names decks, sheds, garages and wall changes but not foundation repair, so that list doesn't settle whether your job needs one. When a job does, we file the application and set up the inspections, and if it isn't clear, we check with the office that covers your address before work starts.
The soil here is the bigger story. A 1980 county soil survey says foundations and basement walls in one soil complex in the county should be built to handle the soil shrinking and swelling, and it calls replacing the soil against those walls with less clay a good idea. The same survey rates Pawnee and Mayberry soils as highly likely to shift as they freeze and to shrink and swell. Clay that swells when it's wet and pulls back when it's dry is a common reason walls crack and bow, so I look at what's pushing on a wall before I brace it. We're based in Lincoln and work in the cities around it, and we take the same kinds of calls in Seward and Crete, where the job runs the same way.
Foundation repair questions from Lincoln homeowners
What do foundation settlement cracks look like?
Settlement cracks often start at the corners of doors and windows and spread out from there. The same uneven settling can leave those doors and windows hard to open or shut, so if you're seeing both, the house has likely shifted unevenly and it's worth having someone look.
Is every crack in my foundation a problem?
No. Some cracks only change how a wall looks, while others mean structural damage that weakens how the house carries its weight. One extension guide says some tilt and cracking in an older building is acceptable once settling has stopped, so the real question is whether the house is still moving, and the same guide says any large repair starts with a professional look at the soil and the structure.
How much does foundation pier work cost in Lincoln, NE?
Installing 8 foundation piers in Lincoln usually costs about $7,500 to $22,000 per job, and that's the typical range in the area, not our price. Where yours lands depends on how many piers the house needs, how deep they have to go and whether we work from the yard or the basement. Your written estimate shows what I'd do and what it costs.
Will foundation repair dig up my yard or basement floor?
It can, depending on the method. One pier maker's install guide calls for digging along the foundation down to the footing, the wide concrete base the wall sits on, either as a trench or as a hole at each pier, and for inside work it calls for cutting out a square of the basement floor at the wall, so you'd clear that spot first. Another maker says its helical piles go in with portable equipment in tight indoor spaces without vibration, and one trade publisher says a carbon fiber grid can steady a bowed wall with no digging at all.
What is the best way to fix a bowed basement wall?
The best fix is the one that matches the cause and how far the wall has moved. One trade publisher lists carbon fiber staples for cracks, carbon fiber straps for bowed walls, and helical ties that support the wall and take pressure off it, and says they work alone or together. I pick the approach once I've seen the wall and what's pushing on it.
What is the best way to keep water away from a foundation in Lincoln?
Footing drains, other drainage and a basement sump pump are the usual answers. For one soil type it mapped, the same county soil survey says those help reduce wetness in rainy periods. If water is part of why your wall cracked, I'll say so in the estimate, because bracing a wall that stays soaked only buys time.
Masonry work that often follows foundation repair
A leaning chimney or a crack where it meets the roof can let water inside, and it's easier to deal with while we're already looking at the house.
Brick that's lost mortar lets rain into the wall, so fresh joints are worth doing once the foundation work has the house holding still.
Send photos of your cracks and doors
Call (402) 202-7624 or use the contact form to send a few pictures and tell us when you first noticed them, so I come out already knowing what to check.