In Conrad, the self-proclaimed Black Dirt Capital of the World, that same deep clay-loam topsoil holds water against basement walls long after a storm — so JLB delivers foundation repair and basement waterproofing to homes across this Wolf Creek town in Grundy County.
Get a precise analysis of your foundation and waterproofing situation, and a clear estimate on what any fixes or corrections might cost.
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JLB Foundation Repair is a local company — not a franchise. We serve Conrad and the surrounding Des Moines metro with foundation repair, waterproofing, crawlspace encapsulation, and drainage solutions. Watch to learn who we are and how we work.
On the deep clay-loam subsoils of the Iowan Surface, houses around Giese Park and the Conrad Aquatic Center tend to settle slowly as that moisture-holding ground swells and shrinks with the seasons. JLB lifts and stabilizes those settling foundations with steel piers and braces the loosening stone and block walls common in Conrad's pre-1940 downtown homes, then seals the cracks left behind.
How we do it: foundation repair at JLB.
Conrad earned its "Black Dirt Capital" name from topsoil that holds water against basement walls long after a storm, and Wolf Creek's floodplain pushes the water table higher every spring melt. JLB answers that with interior drain tile feeding a sump pump, plus injected sealing of the cracks where seepage works through aging block and poured walls.
How we do it: basement waterproofing at JLB.
Damp air off Wolf Creek and the surrounding wet prairie ground keeps Conrad crawlspaces humid enough to rot framing and breed mold. Rather than treating only half the home, JLB spray-foams both the crawlspace and the basement together, sealing out that moisture across the whole foundation for stronger protection at a lower cost than single-area jobs.
How we do it: crawlspace encapsulation at JLB.
Gently rolling farm-town lots and clay-loam ground that drains slowly leave rainwater pooling near foundations on Conrad's residential streets. JLB tackles this from the surface down by regrading low spots, extending downspouts well past the walls, and trenching in French drains that carry both surface runoff and groundwater safely away from the home.
How we do it: french drains & drainage at JLB.
When repeated freeze-thaw finally crumbles the mortar in an old stone or block wall near downtown Conrad, patching no longer holds and the wall has to come out. JLB rebuilds these failed and bowed walls in steel-reinforced poured concrete, footing them below the frost line so the new foundation stands up to Iowa's hard winters and shifting clay.
How we do it: foundation wall replacement at JLB.
Two Ways to Pay Over Time
12 Months Same As Cash
Pay the full balance within 12 months and you pay no interest.
5 Years at 6.99% APR
A lower monthly payment, spread over 60 months.
On approved credit. Ask for full terms at your free estimate.
Black Dirt Days every June is a fitting celebration for a town that calls itself the Black Dirt Capital of the World, and the same prosperous Grundy County farm ground behind that nickname is what JLB navigates under Conrad's homes. The deep clay-loam that grows the crops also surrounds the foundations near downtown, the streets ringing Giese Park, and the newer lots out by the Conrad Aquatic Center and Oakwood Golf Course. JLB runs this work from its Boone office at (515) 444-9234 — the nearest of the company's three central-Iowa crews, an in-house team that knows how this particular ground behaves rather than a national franchise dispatched from out of state.
Wolf Creek is the variable that sets Conrad apart. Homes on the lower ground near the creek catch a water table that climbs with every spring melt and heavy summer storm, and that rising groundwater is what drives moisture against basement walls long before any crack becomes obvious. Because Grundy County sits on the older, weathered Iowan Surface east of the fresher glacial ground out west, the till here is dense central-Iowa clay that holds whatever Wolf Creek pushes into it — saturating, swelling, then drawing back as the season dries. JLB's answer to that valley saturation is to relieve the water pressure first: interior drainage that intercepts the groundwater at the footing and a sump system that carries it well clear of the house, then structural reinforcement only where the wall has already moved.
JLB provides foundation repair and basement waterproofing throughout Conrad and the surrounding Grundy County countryside — from the older homes around downtown and Giese Park to the newer streets near the Conrad Aquatic Center and out toward Oakwood Golf Course. Our Boone crew knows how this deep black-dirt clay behaves through an Iowa year.
Conrad's deep, water-holding clay-loam soil and the seasonal rise of Wolf Creek's water table produce foundation trouble that builds quietly before it speeds up. Whether your home is a pre-1940 stone basement near downtown or a block foundation on the streets around Giese Park, these are the signs worth catching early.
What each warning sign means and how we fix it: foundation repair, waterproofing, and crawlspace encapsulation.
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
The deep clay around Conrad swells and shrinks with every wet and dry spell, and Wolf Creek's spring rise pushes the water table up against basement walls. If you've noticed cracks, dampness, or sticking doors in your Conrad home, a free professional assessment finds the cause before it compounds into a bigger repair.
Not Sure What You're Dealing With?
Click any symptom below to learn what it means, what's likely causing it, and how we can help. Most of these are more common — and more fixable — than you'd think.
Diagonal, stair-step, or horizontal cracks in drywall, plaster, or brick usually trace back to soil movement beneath your foundation. The heavy clay soils in the Kansas City and Des Moines metros expand and contract seasonally, which can shift your foundation over time. The good news: this is very fixable with the right approach.
Water entering through floor joints, wall cracks, or seeping through porous concrete means groundwater pressure is pushing moisture into your basement. An interior drainage system and sump pump can solve this permanently — and we can usually have it done in a day or two.
When a foundation settles unevenly, it can shift your home's frame just enough to make doors and windows bind. This is one of the earlier signs of foundation movement — and catching it early often means a simpler, less expensive repair.
That musty smell is moisture. Up to 40% of the air in your home rises from below — from your crawlspace and basement. If there's excess humidity down there, it affects your whole home. Encapsulation seals it out, and you'll notice the difference in your air quality right away.
Floors that slope toward the center or an exterior wall usually mean the support structure underneath needs attention. Push piers can stabilize your foundation and often lift it back to level — giving your floors a second life.
Water collecting near your foundation means your grading or drainage isn't directing water away effectively. French drains, regrading, extended downspouts, and drain pipes can redirect water away from the house — protecting your foundation for the long haul.
A basement wall that has bowed more than 2 inches inward, shifted off its footing, or shows multiple structural cracks may have moved beyond what bracing can fix. When carbon fiber straps, I-beams, or wall anchors are not enough, the wall needs to be removed and rebuilt with reinforced concrete. This is the last resort — but it is the permanent fix when the wall itself is compromised.
The deep clay-loam that earned Conrad its Black Dirt Capital nickname holds water and swells against foundation walls. JLB scopes every repair around how this central-Iowa clay actually bears load and moves, rather than treating a symptom and leaving the cause in the ground.
Homes near Wolf Creek's floodplain catch a water table that climbs through spring melt and summer storms, driving moisture against basement walls. JLB designs interior drainage and sump systems built for the chronic saturation that defines Conrad's lower-lying lots.
From hand-laid stone and block basements in the pre-1940 downtown homes to the poured walls on Conrad's newer streets, JLB carries the training and equipment to repair every foundation type found across this Grundy County town.
JLB runs Conrad from its Boone office, the nearest of three central-Iowa crews — an in-house team, not a franchise. Foundation repair, waterproofing, and concrete all come from one company, and every estimate is free with clear written pricing up front.
What Our Customers Say
"We had cracks running up our walls and doors that wouldn't close. JLB came out, explained exactly what was happening with the soil under our house, and had the piers installed in two days. Floors are level again. Wish we hadn't waited so long."
"Three other companies gave us the runaround. JLB showed up, did a thorough inspection, and gave us a straight answer. The repair held up through an entire Missouri winter with zero new cracking."
"Our crawlspace was a mess — moisture, mold, the works. JLB encapsulated it AND spray-foamed our basement in the same project. The difference in our home's air quality is incredible. Great value for the price."
Real Projects. Real Results.
Every photo is from an actual JLB job site — not a stock photo. See the work we do every day across Kansas City and Des Moines.
Two Ways to Pay for It
12 Months Same As Cash
Pay the full balance within 12 months and you pay no interest.
Best if you can pay it off within a year.
5 Years at 6.99% APR
A lower monthly payment, spread over 60 months.
Best for bigger projects.
On approved credit. Ask for full terms at your free estimate.
Most residential jobs in Conrad are completed in a few days once work begins. A targeted crack repair or a section of carbon-fiber reinforcement is often a one-day job, while a full interior drainage system with a sump pump usually runs a couple of days depending on the basement's size and access. Everything starts with a free on-site inspection, after which JLB provides written pricing and a scheduled start date. Because the crew works out of the Boone office — the closest of three central-Iowa teams — Conrad sits within a comfortable service range, so scheduling does not depend on a truck driving in from another metro.
They can. On Conrad's newer streets, including the lots out toward the Conrad Aquatic Center and Oakwood Golf Course, homes built on recently graded ground sometimes settle as the disturbed fill soil consolidates over the first several years. The heavy Grundy County clay compresses unevenly, especially where backfill around the foundation was not fully compacted, which can show up as hairline cracks, a sticking door, or a slab edge that has dropped. It is usually correctable while it is still early. JLB inspects newer Conrad homes the same way it does older ones — identifying whether the movement is routine settling or something that needs pier stabilization — and recommends only what the home actually requires.
Yes. JLB's structural foundation repairs carry a warranty that transfers to the next owner, which matters in a well-kept, stable community like Conrad where homes hold their value. A documented, transferable warranty gives a future buyer confidence that the repair was done properly and is still backed, and it lets a seller present completed foundation work as an asset rather than a concern during the sale. The specific terms and coverage length are spelled out in writing at the time of the work, so a Conrad homeowner knows exactly what carries forward to a buyer before anything is signed.
Tell us about your Conrad home — the neighborhood, the age, and what you're seeing. Our Boone-based team schedules an on-site inspection that accounts for Grundy County's heavy clay soil, the Wolf Creek water table, and your home's specific foundation type.
Our Locations
We're always close enough to help — our crews are local to your area.
Stop the Damage. Get Answers Today.
A free estimate takes 45 minutes and tells you exactly what's going on under your house — and exactly what it takes to fix it.
