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Serving Ankeny, IA and surrounding areas. (515) 963-5532
Ankeny Concrete & Masonry is a masonry contractor serving Ames, IA with stone masonry, foundation repair, and chimney work - providing in-person estimates and responding to new requests within 1 business day.
Homes in the Somerset and Stone Brooke neighborhoods were built with an eye toward attractive exteriors, and stone masonry - steps, accent walls, and veneer work - is a natural fit for that aesthetic. Our stone masonry work is designed to hold up through Iowa's freeze-thaw winters without the cracking and shifting that shortcuts produce.
The clay-heavy glacial soils across Story County expand when wet and shrink when dry, which puts steady pressure on basement walls year after year. Ames homeowners near Ioway Creek or on low-lying lots deal with spring water intrusion and foundation cracking more often than they should have to.
Homes in Ames's Near Northside and College Creek neighborhoods were built from the 1920s through the 1960s, and many of those chimneys have never been repointed. Mortar that has been absorbing Iowa winters for 50 or 60 years is past due for attention, especially before water works its way into the flue.
Subdivisions on the south and west sides of Ames that went up in the 1990s and early 2000s have driveways and sidewalks now hitting 20 to 30 years - right at the age when freeze-thaw cycles have accumulated enough damage to warrant replacement or significant repair.
Lots on Ames's hillier streets and the edges of newer subdivisions often need retaining walls to manage grade changes and hold soil in place through spring snowmelt runoff. Clay soil without proper drainage backing will push a wall over within a few seasons.
Brick-veneer homes in Ames that were built in the 1980s are now in the window where the original mortar is softening and ready to fail. Repointing before water gets behind the brick is the least expensive way to extend the life of any brick exterior by another 20 years.
Ames sits in Story County on glacially deposited soils that are high in clay content. Clay soil is one of the most demanding environments for masonry work in the country. It absorbs water, swells against anything it surrounds, then shrinks and cracks as it dries. That cycle happens every year - every wet spring and every dry summer is another round of pressure on your foundation, retaining walls, and any concrete flatwork near the ground. The frost line in central Iowa goes down around 40 inches, so freeze-thaw stress hits deeper here than in most of the Midwest.
Ames also has two very different housing eras sitting next to each other. Homes in the Near Northside and College Creek areas were built from the 1920s through the 1960s and have original mortar and foundations that have seen 60 to 100 Iowa winters. Homes in Stone Brooke and Somerset on the south side are 20 to 30 years old and hitting their first major maintenance cycle. A masonry contractor who works regularly in Ames understands that those two situations call for different approaches, different materials, and different assessments.
Our crew works throughout Ames regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry contractor work here. Ames sits about 30 miles north of our base in Ankeny, and the Story County soils and temperature patterns are consistent enough with Polk County that our team knows what to expect before we arrive on any job in the area. For permitted work, we coordinate with Ames Building Services at City Hall on Clark Avenue, which handles structural permits for residential masonry jobs.
Iowa State University shapes the character of Ames in ways that matter to our work. Faculty and research staff tend to own their homes long-term and invest in maintenance rather than deferring it. The neighborhoods on Ames's south and west sides - Stone Brooke, Somerset, the areas south of Lincoln Way - have large single-family homes on modest lots where driveways, walkways, and front steps are the most common projects we see. If you live near Reiman Gardens or near the older Campustown neighborhoods, the masonry needs on your block look different from a newer south-side subdivision - and we bring the right assessment to each.
We serve Ankeny as our home base and regularly take jobs throughout Story County and surrounding communities. If you have neighbors or family in the area who need a referral, our team covers a broad stretch of central Iowa.
We respond to all new requests within 1 business day. When you contact us, describe what you are seeing - a crack, a leaning wall, water in the basement - and we schedule a time to come look.
We walk the job with you and explain in plain terms what we found, what is causing it, and what fixing it involves. For any structural work, we include the permit process and cost in the written estimate - no surprises later.
For jobs that require a City of Ames building permit, we pull it before any work starts. Most crews are on-site within one to two weeks of estimate approval, depending on season and schedule.
We walk you through the finished work before leaving, answer questions, and provide written warranty documentation. Most jobs are complete in one to three days with no need for you to vacate.
We serve Ames and Story County with in-person estimates, permitted work, and a written quote before anything begins. No pressure, just an honest look at what your home needs.
(515) 963-5532Ames is a city of about 66,000 people in Story County, roughly 30 miles north of Des Moines. Iowa State University has been the city's anchor for over 150 years, and the university campus - along with the nearby USDA research facilities - draws thousands of faculty, staff, and researchers who make Ames their long-term home. The result is a community with a strong homeownership base in its family neighborhoods, even as the student population cycles through. The city's distinct residential neighborhoods - from the older Near Northside to the newer south-side subdivisions - each have their own building stock and maintenance needs.
The older parts of Ames, including the Campustown area and the streets north of Lincoln Way, have homes built from the 1920s through the 1960s - a housing era that produces steady demand for chimney work, foundation attention, and masonry restoration. The newer south-side neighborhoods like Stone Brooke and Somerset have larger homes on modest lots, with concrete driveways and stone veneer details that are now hitting their first major maintenance window. Nearby communities we serve include Grimes and other communities along the I-35 corridor south toward Des Moines.
Restore your foundation's strength and protect your home from further damage.
Learn MoreBuild stable retaining walls that control erosion and define your landscape.
Learn MoreTransform any surface with the timeless look of natural stone veneer.
Learn MoreConstruct solid, long-lasting concrete block walls for any application.
Learn MoreInstall reliable block foundation walls built to support your structure.
Learn MoreDesign and build a custom outdoor kitchen built to last all seasons.
Learn MoreCreate a safe, beautiful walkway that enhances your property's curb appeal.
Learn MoreBuild handcrafted brick walls that add character and lasting value.
Learn MoreRepoint brick joints to stop water intrusion and restore structural integrity.
Learn MoreWe serve Ames and the surrounding Story County area - call now or submit a request online and we will get back to you within 1 business day.