Foundation Repair in Cincinnati
Swiss-trained masons stop the water first, then repair your old stone, brick or block foundation by hand.
Most foundation trouble starts with water
Sand on the basement floor, or joints that weep after every storm? On an older Cincinnati house, that’s usually a downspout or a bad grade working on soft mortar.
We fix the water, then repair the wall by hand. If it needs piers or another engineered fix, we say so and bring in a structural engineer.
What we fix
Many pre-1920 Cincinnati houses sit on local limestone laid in lime mortar. Damp and freeze-thaw wash the joints out long before the stone quits.
Washed-out stone joints
Raked out by hand and repointed in a soft, lime-rich Type N or Type O mortar.
Stair-step cracks
Stainless steel helical bars set across the crack tie the wall back into one piece.
Dropped or bulged stones
We take the section down and reset it in the same bond.
Block basement walls
Type N mortar to ASTM C270 in the joints, then a parge coat that sheds water.
Old brick foundations
A softer lime mix for soft brick, never hard portland cement.
Water at the wall
Downspouts carried off and the ground regraded to fall 6 inches in the first 10 feet.
See the Difference
Limestone foundation repointed, shifted stones reset and a new parge band added at grade
Masonry in Cincinnati since 1993.
Swiss-trained masons · Licensed, bonded & insured · $2M liability and workers' comp · OSHA-trained crews · One-year workmanship warranty
The owner looks at every foundation in person and prices it himself in a free written estimate. If the job needs a permit, we pull it.
★★★★★
“We inherited a historic home with a failing stone foundation. Swiss Masonry worked with our structural engineer and the city’s historic preservation office without us having to babysit a single conversation. They know how to work with old buildings. Highly recommend.”
Rebecca S.
Stone Foundation
★★★★★
“Replaced a crumbling porch and repaired the foundation brick. Honest pricing and they explained every step. Would hire again without hesitation.”
Marcus L., West Chester
Foundation Brick
Foundation repair questions
Do you install piers or wall anchors?
No. Swiss Masonry repoints, stitches, parges and rebuilds masonry foundations. If a wall needs piers or anchors, we bring in a structural engineer and a company that installs them.
Can an old stone foundation be repaired instead of replaced?
Usually, yes. Most Cincinnati limestone and rubble foundations fail at the mortar, not the stone, so repointing in a lime-rich mortar keeps the wall in service.
Why does my basement wall leak at the mortar joints?
Water outside the foundation takes the weakest path in, which is the joints. Fixing downspouts, gutters and grade, then repointing, usually ends the leak.
Related Services
Tuckpointing · Historic masonry restoration · Retaining walls · Concrete · Gutters and soffits
Nearby Service Areas
Clifton · Hyde Park · Over-the-Rhine · Northern Kentucky · Lawrenceburg · All service areas
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