Frost Heave

Understanding Frost Heave: A Hidden Risk to Your Foundation

In Iowa and northern Missouri, winter doesn’t just bring snow and ice. It brings deep freezes that can quietly shift the ground beneath your home. One of the most damaging results is frost heave: a slow, silent force that can lift concrete, crack foundation walls, and cause structural stress over time.

At Anchored Walls, we’ve been repairing frost-related foundation issues since 1978. We know how local soil conditions and freeze-thaw cycles affect homes across this region. In this article, we’ll break down what frost heave is, why it matters, and how to protect your home before minor damage turns into costly repairs.

What Is Frost Heave?

Frost heave occurs when moisture in the soil freezes and expands, pushing the ground and anything on top of it upward. As the temperature drops, water trapped in the soil turns to ice, causing the soil to swell. When it thaws, the ground settles back down, only to rise again with the next freeze.

This repeated movement can shift concrete slabs, crack foundation walls, and disturb the structural base of your home. It's particularly common in areas with moisture-retaining soils, like those found throughout Iowa and northern Missouri, where freeze-thaw cycles are part of every winter season.

Over time, the pressure created by frost heave can leave lasting damage if left unaddressed.

How Frost Heave Damages Foundations

When frost heave pushes soil upward, it doesn’t move evenly. Some areas may lift more than others, creating uneven pressure that your foundation wasn’t designed to handle. Over time, this can lead to structural problems both inside and outside your home.

Here’s how frost heave typically causes damage:

• Cracked Foundation Walls: Expanding soil can press against basement walls, leading to horizontal or stair-step cracks, especially in block or poured concrete walls.
  
• Uneven Footings: As the soil lifts, portions of the foundation can shift or settle at different rates, creating sloped floors or visible gaps in framing.
  
• Concrete Slab Movement: Frost heave often affects garage floors, patios, or sidewalks, where unsupported slabs rise and fall with the changing ground.
  
• Increased Water Intrusion: Movement and cracking open paths for moisture to seep in, leading to basement leaks, mold growth, and long-term water damage.
  

Left untreated, these issues often worsen with each winter season. Even minor heaving one year can result in bigger shifts the next in areas with poor drainage or high clay content.

Why Frost Heave Is Common in Iowa and Missouri

Homes across Iowa and northern Missouri are particularly vulnerable to frost heave because of the region’s unique combination of climate, soil, and drainage conditions. Each winter brings deep freezes followed by thaws, sometimes within the same week, creating the perfect setup for soil movement under and around your foundation.

Several factors make frost heave more likely in this region:

• Moisture-Retaining Soils: Many areas we serve sit on expansive clay soil, which holds water and swells aggressively when frozen.
  
• Frequent Freeze-Thaw Cycles: It’s not unusual for temperatures to rise and fall repeatedly throughout the winter. Each cycle contributes to more ground movement.
  
• Poor Drainage in Older Properties: Aging homes or homes built without modern grading and drainage systems tend to collect water near the foundation, increasing frost risk.
  

Whether you live in a growing city like Des Moines or a rural town near the Missouri border, these conditions can affect your home, and the damage may grow worse with every winter.

How to Prevent and Repair Frost Heave Damage

Frost heave can’t be stopped entirely, but its effects can be minimized and repaired with the right foundation solutions. Whether you're seeing early signs of damage or dealing with long-term movement, Anchored Walls offers proven methods tailored to Midwest homes and soils.

Here’s how we address frost heave:

• Improve Surface Drainage: We often recommend grading and gutter extensions to keep water away from the foundation, reducing soil saturation before the ground freezes.
  
• Install Basement Waterproofing Systems: Interior drainage channels, sump pumps, and vapor barriers help manage water buildup that contributes to frost movement.
  
• Stabilize Bowing or Cracked Walls: Our wall anchor systems are designed to counteract lateral pressure and restore structural stability.
  
• Level Sunken Concrete Slabs: For sidewalks, driveways, and garage floors, we use targeted polyurethane injections to lift and stabilize sunken concrete.
  
• Repair Structural Cracks: Sealing and reinforcing foundation cracks helps prevent further movement and blocks pathways for water intrusion.
  

Every home is different, so we start with a detailed inspection to understand your foundation, your soil, and your goals. From there, we’ll recommend solutions that are both practical and long-lasting.

Schedule a Free Inspection with Anchored Walls

If frost heave has left your foundation cracked, uneven, or leaking, Anchored Walls is here to help. Since 1978, we've repaired thousands of Iowa and Missouri homes using trusted methods, honest pricing, and region-specific expertise. From foundation stabilization to waterproofing and slab leveling, we tailor every repair to your property’s exact conditions.

Schedule your free inspection today and get solutions backed by our Life-of-the-Structure Warranty and Money-Back Guarantee. Every job is handled by our in-house team with no subcontractors, no shortcuts.

Protect your home before winter damage gets worse. Reach out now and let Anchored Walls restore your foundation with repairs you can count on.