If you’ve noticed bowed walls, foundation cracks, basement moisture, or uneven concrete around your Des Moines home, don’t wait. Contact Anchored Walls today to schedule your free foundation inspection. We proudly serve homeowners throughout Des Moines and the surrounding Iowa area.
Protect Your Home from Iowa’s Harsh Soil and Shifting Seasons
In many Des Moines neighborhoods, the foundation takes constant pressure from clay-heavy soil, seasonal flooding along the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and long freeze and thaw cycles. Over time, that shows up as bowing block walls, step cracks near basement windows, water seeping across the floor after storms, or concrete around the house that has settled and now tilts back toward the foundation.
Anchored Walls has been working with those conditions around Des Moines since 1978. The company started with wall anchors for pushed-in basement walls and grew into a full foundation and waterproofing contractor for central Iowa. Today their in-house crews install anchors, repair settled foundations, add interior drainage and sump systems, stabilize crawl spaces, level concrete, and cut in egress windows for homes in and around the city. Repairs are designed for local soil conditions and backed by a life-of-the-structure warranty with a money-back guarantee, so the fix is meant to hold up through many more Des Moines winters.
Foundation problems in Des Moines tend to show up as changes you can see and feel around the house. In the basement, cracks can run straight across a block wall, or they can zig-zag up from the corners in a stair-step pattern that follows the mortar joints. Some walls start to lean in through the middle so the blocks look pushed in along a gentle curve instead of sitting straight.
Upstairs, people notice doors that used to close cleanly now rubbing at the top corner or needing a shove to latch. Floors can feel like they dip toward one side of a room. Outside, you might see cracks near basement windows, at corners, or concrete that has settled away from the foundation and left a gap. All of these point to the soils around the house pushing on the walls or shifting under the footing as they swell, shrink, and move water.
Anchored Walls built its reputation around Des Moines by repairing pushed-in basement walls. For bowing or leaning walls, their crews install steel wall anchors that extend out into stable soil away from the foundation. Inside the basement, those anchors connect to steel plates on the wall. Over time, the system can be tightened to help straighten the wall and keep it from moving further. Cracked sections are repaired, loose blocks are reset, and weak spots are reinforced so the wall can carry the load again.
When a homeowner in Des Moines calls with concerns about cracks or movement, Anchored Walls sends a specialist to look at the walls, floors, and grading around the house. They explain what is happening in plain language and recommend repairs that match what they see on that specific home.
In Des Moines, basement water problems usually show up during long rains or when snow starts to melt. Water can track in along the line where the wall meets the floor, leave damp circles in the middle of the slab, or collect in low spots near floor drains. Paint may bubble or peel off block walls, and a musty smell can hang in the space for days after a storm. In finished basements, you might see base trim swelling, carpet staying damp at the edges, or rust on metal posts and stored items.
Most of that is tied to how central Iowa soils hold water against the foundation. Clay around the house can stay saturated after heavy weather, pushing moisture through small gaps, hairline cracks, or seams at the footing. Older Des Moines basements often have little or no interior drainage, so any water that makes it through the wall or up from under the slab has nowhere controlled to go.
Anchored Walls installs interior basement drainage systems for homes in and around Des Moines. That usually means cutting a narrow channel along the inside of the basement perimeter, setting a drain system down at the footing level, and surrounding it with clean stone so water can move freely into the line. The channel carries water to a sump basin, where a pump discharges it to the outside away from the foundation. In many homes, they add wall protection that lets moisture drain down into the system instead of onto the floor.
When a homeowner in Des Moines calls about a wet basement, Anchored Walls looks at where the water is actually coming in, how often it happens, and what equipment is already in place. From there, they can explain whether a new interior drain, an upgraded sump pump, wall protection, or a combination of those will keep the space dry. The aim is a basement you can use without worrying every time the forecast calls for days of rain.
A lot of Des Moines homes sit over open or semi open crawl spaces. When those areas stay damp, the house shows it. Floors can feel soft or uneven in spots. You might notice a musty smell that gets stronger near vents or along interior walls. In some homes, insulation hangs down in clumps, and you can see condensation on ductwork or pipes when the air is humid.
That moisture often comes from bare soil, open vents, and water that seeps in along the edges of the foundation. Summer humidity in central Iowa keeps the space damp, and cool air in the crawl space can make that moisture collect on wood and metal. Over time, that leads to mold, wood decay, and sagging floor framing.
Anchored Walls repairs and encapsulates crawl spaces in and around Des Moines. Their crews seal the ground with a durable vapor barrier, close off open vents and gaps that let in outside air, and address standing water with drainage and a sump system where it is needed. They also install crawl space dehumidifiers sized for the space, so any remaining moisture in the air is pulled down to a controlled level instead of soaking into wood and insulation. If floor framing has started to drop, they can add or adjust support posts so the structure above the crawl space is carried properly again.
When a homeowner calls about sagging floors or crawl space odors, Anchored Walls inspects the space itself, not just the rooms above it. They look at moisture levels, wood condition, support layout, and how outside water reaches the area. Then they explain what it would take to dry the crawl space, control humidity, and bring the floors back to a stable, solid feel.
In Des Moines, it is common to see concrete that has dropped or shifted. A sidewalk square might sink at one corner so it catches your toe. Driveway panels can settle along the garage so there is a lip you feel every time you pull in. Front steps sometimes drop on one side or pull away from the porch, leaving a gap that looks worse each year.
Most of the time, the slab itself is fine. The problem is the soil underneath. Washout from downspouts, soft spots near the foundation, and freeze–thaw movement can all leave empty pockets under the concrete. With nothing solid to sit on, the slab settles, tilts, and starts creating trip hazards and poor drainage.
Anchored Walls levels settled concrete around Des Moines homes using a polyfoam lifting process. Small holes are drilled through the slab, and expanding foam is injected underneath. As the foam fills voids and hardens, it raises the concrete back toward its original height and gives it a stable base. This can bring a low sidewalk panel back up to match the next one, lift a driveway edge at the garage, or bring a tilted step back to a safer, even surface.
When Anchored Walls looks at sunken concrete, safety is a key part of the conversation. Uneven slabs can trip kids, visitors, or delivery drivers and can collect water against the foundation. By lifting the slabs with polyfoam and improving the slope, they work to remove those trip edges and send water away from the house instead of toward it.
A lot of older Des Moines basements were poured long before anyone thought about using them as regular living space. Windows are small, set high on the wall, and do not meet today’s egress standards. When you start planning a bedroom, family room, or office downstairs, the question of “how would someone get out in an emergency” comes up fast.
Adding an egress window solves a few problems at once. It gives a clear escape route, brings in real daylight, and lets a finished room meet modern code. From the outside, a proper well and cover also keep soil and water away from the opening so you are not trading one problem for another.
Anchored Walls installs egress windows in basements around Des Moines. That work usually includes excavating next to the foundation, cutting a clean opening in the concrete or block wall, setting the new window unit, and installing a code sized window well with a ladder or built in steps. Drainage at the bottom of the well is tied into stone and a drain line so water does not sit against the wall. Inside, the opening is trimmed so the new window ties into the finished space.
When a homeowner calls about adding an egress window, Anchored Walls looks at how the basement is laid out, where the grade sits outside, and which wall makes the most sense for light, safety, and access. The result is a window that looks planned, works with the house, and makes the lower level safer and more usable.
Anchored Walls has been working on basements and foundations in and around Des Moines since 1978. A lot of their early work came from homeowners with walls pushed in toward the driveway or the back yard, and from referrals by people who had seen those walls straightened and braced. Over time, the same families started calling back for drainage, crawl space work, and concrete issues because they already knew who had been under their house.
The work is done by in-house crews who do this every day in central Iowa soils. The same people who set wall anchors in a bowing wall may also be the ones cutting in an egress window or laying out an interior drain on another project that week. That experience shows up in how they explain a problem, talk through options, and set expectations before the work starts. Homeowners know who will be on site and who to call with questions.
Repairs are backed by a life-of-the-structure warranty and a money-back guarantee on qualifying systems. That means the company plans to stand behind the work as long as the house is standing, whether it is for a wall anchor job on the south side of Des Moines or a drainage system in a basement closer to the river. For many homeowners, that mix of local history, consistent crews, and long-term backing is what makes Anchored Walls the first call when something changes in the foundation.
If you are seeing new cracks in your basement walls, musty smells after it rains, sagging floors, or concrete that has started to sink around your Des Moines home, it is worth having someone look at it before it gets worse. Those changes often come from the same soil and water issues that Anchored Walls deals with every day.
Anchored Walls offers inspections for foundations, basements, crawl spaces, and concrete in and around Des Moines. A specialist walks the property with you, looks at the areas you are worried about, and explains what they see in plain language. If repairs are needed, you get a clear plan, pricing, and information about the life-of-the-structure warranty before any work starts.
If something about your home does not look or feel the way it used to, you can reach out to Anchored Walls and get straight answers about what is going on under your house.
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