KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Concrete Raising Systems is one of several businesses across the metro that’s felt the impact of the record amounts of rainfall this year.
Ken Praiswater, co-owner, said both the rain and the snow have been rough.
“The soil puffs up and if we should put it on frozen ground, the soil, when it thaws out, it settles down,” Praiswater said. “Also, here in the summertime we don't work when it's raining, it just makes a whole mess. So therefore it has not been a good year as far as weather. It's been a great year, as far as problems.”
Praiswater said many calls they’ve been receiving have been weather-related, including flooded basements.
Due to the heavy rainfall, the company is backed up by about 30 days. The focus has been on current projects and reducing the number of calls, to make sure current ones get finished.
Praiswater said thankfully the weather has been kind to them the past week or so to get that work done.
To prevent further weather-related issues with your home, Praiswater urged homeowners to take a look at their gutters.
“That's our friends, the gutters,” Praiswater said. “So many of them are putting water right next to the concrete which causes the dirt underneath to settle. And if they don't get that water away from the home, eventually it's gong to cause trouble.”
Praiswater said there are also things to look at in the driveway.
“If you see a void underneath or a space underneath the concrete, you need to get it taken care of right away,” he said. “If you see lines starting to crack, that means, as a rule, the support has dropped underneath the concrete.”
Praiswater said it makes no difference whether the support is 10 inches deep, or one inch deep, the concrete, the weight itself can cause problems. He urged homeowners to get an issue such as that looked at as soon as possible.
