Modest postwar houses, sloping streets and basements that have seen a lot of springs
Raytown, about 10 miles southeast of downtown with around 29,000 people, is a city of 1950s and 60s ranch homes on gently sloping streets.
Raytown grew fast after the war, and most of its houses are modest brick-front ranches, many with carports, set along streets that slope gently toward the creeks that cross the city. Foundations are mostly concrete block, with some early poured walls. The problems follow the age and the ground: horizontal cracks and bowing in block walls, stair-step cracks at corners that are settling, and water at the base of the wall each spring.
Raytown homeowners often tell us they've been watching a crack for years. That's sensible, and sometimes the right answer is to keep watching. We measure it, note it, and tell you honestly. When it has moved, the fix is usually less dramatic than people fear: a few straps or anchors on one wall, a downspout or two rerouted, and an interior drain along the side that takes water.
What we see most in Raytown
Bowing block walls
Straps or anchors on the wall that moved, not the whole basement.
Corner settlement
Piers where stair-step cracks show a corner dropping.
Spring seepage
Interior drains on the walls that take water, tied to a sump.
Honest monitoring
Old, stable cracks measured and noted, with no work sold.
Neighborhoods and parts of town
- Along Raytown Road
- Off Blue Ridge Boulevard
- Near Highway 350
- Off Woodson Road
- North toward Gregory Boulevard
- Neighborhoods off 63rd Street
- South toward 87th Street
- Near Sni-A-Bar Road
Services in Raytown
Crack repair · piers · bowing walls · waterproofing · French drains · sump pumps · crawl spaces · slab lifting · free inspection
Questions from Raytown homeowners
I've had this crack for years. Should I worry now?
If it hasn't changed, maybe not. We'll measure it and compare. If it's wider, longer or leaking, it's time to deal with it.
Can you fix just one wall?
Yes. Most Raytown jobs focus on the wall or corner that's moving, plus the drainage that's causing it.
Do carports affect the foundation?
A carport's roof can dump a lot of water at one spot if it has no gutter. We check where that water goes.
Nearby: Independence · Lee's Summit · Gladstone · the whole metro