Foundation repair for Lawton-area homes

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us your town and what you're noticing in the house.

2. We connect you

   We connect you with an independent foundation repair contractor that serves Lawton and Comanche County.

3. They call you back

   They measure the house, explain what's moving and why, and quote the repair directly.

Who is this site for?

Owners of houses in Lawton, Cache, Elgin and the rest of Comanche County who are seeing signs that the foundation is moving: stair-step cracks in brick, drywall cracks over doors, sticking doors and windows, gaps under baseboards, sloping or springy floors, or a home inspection report that flagged the foundation. It's for slab-on-grade houses and older pier-and-beam houses alike. This site covers privately owned homes; on-post housing at Fort Sill isn't part of it.

Why do so many Lawton foundations move?

Mostly because of the clay. Much of the ground around Lawton is clay that shrinks and swells with its moisture. The USDA soil series named for Lawton was described from a site in Comanche County and is mapped alongside Hollister, Foard and Tillman soils, which USDA classifies as clay soils with high-shrink-swell (vertic) features. Hollister, for example, cracks more than 30 inches deep and stays cracked for months in most years. When those clays dry out they shrink and pull away from the foundation; when they get wet they swell and push back.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey has noted that swelling clays like montmorillonite can expand to 1.5 to 2 times their dry volume when wet, and that more than three-quarters of Oklahoma sits on bedrock that can produce expansive soils. Lawton's long, hot summers (July highs average about 97°F) dry the ground deeply, and storms and lawn watering soak it again. The house rides on top of that movement.

Which signs should I take seriously?

• Stair-step cracks in brick or block, especially near corners and windows
• Diagonal drywall cracks running up from door and window corners
• Doors that stick, swing open on their own, or won't latch
• Floors that slope, dip or feel bouncy
• Gaps between baseboards and the floor, or between the wall and the ceiling
• Brick pulling away from window frames or garage door trim
• Cracks that get wider or come back after they've been patched

One hairline crack doesn't mean the foundation has failed. Several signs together, or signs that keep getting worse, are the reason to have the house measured. See our inspection and crack repair page for what an evaluation should include.

What does foundation repair actually involve?

It depends on the foundation type and what's moving it:

• Slab foundations that have settled at a corner or edge are usually supported and lifted with piers driven or screwed down to firmer soil or bedrock. More on slab repair.
• Pier-and-beam houses often need shims, new or reset interior piers, replaced sill plates or beams, and better crawl space drainage. More on pier-and-beam repair.
• Pier types include steel push piers, helical piers and pressed concrete piers, each with tradeoffs. Compare them.
• Moisture control around the house, through gutters, grading and drainage, is often the most important part of keeping a repair stable. More on foundation drainage.

Is piering always the answer?

No. Some movement in expansive clay is seasonal: the house drops a bit in a dry summer and comes back up after a wet spell. Piering a house that is mostly heaving, rather than settling, can create new problems. A good contractor looks at the pattern of movement, the drainage, the trees and any plumbing leaks before recommending piers. If the recommendation is a lot of piers and the reasoning isn't clear, it's reasonable to get a second opinion or an independent evaluation from a licensed professional engineer.

What should I do before anyone comes out?

• Note which doors and windows stick and when it started
• Photograph cracks with a coin or tape measure for scale, and date the photos
• Check gutters and downspouts during a rain to see where the water goes
• Look for water pooling against the foundation after storms
• Note any unexplained jump in your water bill, which can point to a leak under the slab

Are you a foundation repair company?

No. Lawton Foundation Repair is a referral service. We connect you with an independent contractor that serves your address, and that contractor evaluates, quotes, performs and warranties the work. Before hiring anyone, read our tips for choosing a foundation contractor and the Lawton foundation repair guide.

Areas we cover

• Lawton
• Cache
• Elgin

Planning ahead? Read our Lawton foundation repair guide.