Foundation block wall installation in Springfield IL - walls that hold the ground back
Building an addition or a new house and need basement walls? We set block on a solid footing and backfill only when it's ready.
What goes into building a block basement wall in Springfield?
Foundation block wall installation in Springfield, IL means setting concrete block on a poured concrete footing to build your basement walls, which carry the house and hold back the soil pressing against them.
Most people who call about this are adding on or building new, and they want the walls under it done once, because nobody wants to dig a foundation out twice. If what you've got is an old wall that's cracked or bowing, that's foundation repair, and it's a different job. On new walls, the price moves with how tall and long the walls are, plain or reinforced block, how much water protection your lot calls for and how easily we can get trucks and block to the hole. The schedule turns on the permit, decent weather for the footing pour and the wait for bracing or the floor deck before any dirt goes back. The estimate gives you the number for your house.
How we handle foundation block wall installation
We start with the footing, poured in place below the frost depth, because that's what keeps frost heave, the soil lifting when the water in it freezes, from damaging it. Our crew lays the block on that footing, plain or reinforced depending on how much soil the wall has to hold back, and then we put on the water protection your lot needs, along with the drain at the base. I hold off on pushing dirt back against new block until the walls are braced or the floor is on, because rushing that step is how new walls crack. When we do backfill, the heavy machines stay off it unless the walls were designed for that load.
Once the house is up, a lot of people want the outside finished to match. We handle walkway construction to tie a new entry into the drive, and outdoor kitchen masonry for a cooking area off the back, built to look like it belongs on the house.
Block foundations, permits and lot checks in Springfield
The City of Springfield reviews and inspects building work, and its building permit application lists foundation-only work as a project type. If your lot sits in a floodplain, the city also wants a floodplain development permit before anything starts, and it counts new buildings, rebuilding and substantial improvements to an existing house as development. We check with the city for your address before we start, and if the job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork.
Most block foundations we build go under additions and new houses, and the lot decides a lot of it, from how the water drains to how much dirt sits against the wall to how close the trucks can get. We build the same way on jobs in Chatham and Decatur, where we check with that city's office before we start.
How building a block foundation works
Call or send the form
Call (217) 210-0722 or send the form with your address and the rough size of the walls. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look the site over
I come out myself, look at the lot and your plans, and tell you what I see, including which wall type and water protection I'd use there. Then I write up the estimate so you have the number for your job in hand.
We sort permits and dates
Once you say go, we find out what your city or village asks for at your address. Then we put the job on the calendar.
We build it and walk it
Our crew pours the footing and lays the block, and I'm on the job working alongside them. When it's done, I walk the walls with you before we pack up.
Get an on-site estimate for your new basement walls
We reply to every call and form within one business day. I'll come out, look the job over and write up a free estimate on site, with no obligation to go ahead. Have your address, the rough size of the walls and whether your lot's in a floodplain handy.
Questions before you build a block foundation
How much does a foundation block wall cost per square foot in Springfield, IL?
Installing a concrete block wall across the US usually costs about $16 to $19 per square foot of wall. That's a national figure for the block wall itself, not our price, and your footing, wall height and water protection will move your own number. I'll give you a figure for your lot once I've seen it.
Is a reinforced block basement wall better than a plain one?
Not always, since plain block walls have held back soil well for a long time. Reinforced walls are getting more popular because a thinner wall can resist big backfill pressure, so if a lot of soil will be packed against your wall, it's worth asking whether a thinner reinforced design suits your house. I'll tell you which one I'd build and why.
What is a surface-bonded block wall?
It's a wall where the block is stacked without mortar, then both faces get a coat of bonding mortar full of small glass fibers. Applied properly to the required thickness, it comes out about as strong as a standard plain wall, with a dampproof coating on each face.
Is dampproofing enough for a block basement in Springfield?
Dampproofing, a basic moisture coating, is enough on lots where groundwater drains freely through loose backfill down to a drain. A high water table or heavy clay can build water pressure against the wall, and most block is porous, so that's when a membrane makes more sense. Membranes depend less on perfect surface prep than coatings do, and many hold together better if the wall settles or shifts.
How long does a new block foundation take to build?
Longer than the block work alone, because the calendar runs on the permit, the weather for pouring the footing and the wait for bracing or the floor deck before backfill. I'll lay out the order at the estimate so you can line it up with the rest of your build.
What is the best way to grade around a new foundation?
Finish the backfill with a top layer of soil that soaks up little rain, and slope the ground away from the house. That sends rain off across the yard instead of down along your new wall.
Why Springfield homeowners call Artisan Springfield Concrete and Masonry for block foundations
The estimator works the job
I look at every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on the wall with our crew while it goes up. The person who priced it is the one making sure it's built that way.
In business since 2013
We've been at this 13 years. I'll still tell you when a smaller job or a plainer wall is the right call for your house.
Licensed and insured, papers ready
We're licensed and insured. Ask to see it when I'm out for the estimate, because you should know who's working on your house.
Straight talk about your lot
A Springfield permit doesn't say whether the land suits the project, so research on soil compaction and mine subsidence, ground sinking over old mines, is on you as the owner. I'll tell you plainly if I think that's worth checking before the footing goes in.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If you're planning a basement, send us the details and I'll come take a look.
Other work around a new house
Outdoor kitchen masonry
If the new house comes with a back patio, a masonry grill station or counter gives you a place to cook outside that matches the rest of the build.
Walkway construction
New houses and additions usually leave a dirt path to the door, and a built walkway gives everyone a solid, even route from the drive.
Book an estimate for your new basement walls
Call (217) 210-0722 early, so the permit check, the footing pour and the wait before backfill can fit around your builder's schedule.
