Foundation Repair in Indianola

Indianola at a glance

Indianola is the county seat of Warren County, with 15,833 people (2020), about 19 miles south of downtown Des Moines.

What that means for your foundation

Indianola has a historic core of older homes around the square and Simpson College, plus newer neighborhoods on the edges. Older foundations may be brick or clay tile and show their age in sloping floors; see house leveling. Homes near the college often have stone or brick foundations with additions on newer block, and the joint between them is a common crack spot.

Older basements

Low, damp basements with original drains are common in the older blocks near downtown. Older basements may have original clay tile drains that have silted up.

Balloons and opera

Indianola was founded in 1849 as the seat of the new county, near its geographic center, and took its name from a newspaper story about a Texas ghost town of the same name. It incorporated in 1863. Today it hosts the National Balloon Classic each summer and the Des Moines Metro Opera, and is home to Simpson College. Homes around the old square can carry a century of settling; see foundation repair. Porches, chimneys and rear additions on the older houses each sit on their own footings, so gaps where they meet the main house are a common thing to point out to a contractor.