Foundation repair in the Ranchettes
For homes on the larger lots of the Ranchettes, where the county, not the city, handles building permits.
Homeowners in the Ranchettes can call to be connected with a foundation repair contractor that drives out to the larger lots north of Cheyenne. The Ranchettes is a census-designated place, not a city, with 6,199 residents in 2020 spread across about 49 square miles. That's a lot of ground for fewer than 2,500 homes, and it shapes what foundation problems look like out here.
What causes foundation trouble on acreage lots?
Open lots get the full force of the weather. Snow drifts against the windward side of a house and melts into the backfill in spring, and summer storms can drop heavy rain and hail in a short time. If grading around the house has flattened or the downspouts empty next to the wall, that water soaks the soil right where the basement wall carries the most load. Many homes here also have outbuildings, shops and additions built at different times, sometimes on shallower footings than the house. A crack where an addition meets the original house is a common call.
Who handles permits in the Ranchettes?
Because the Ranchettes is unincorporated, building permits and inspections go through the Laramie County Planning and Development Office rather than the City of Cheyenne. For new footings, the county asks for an open hole report signed and stamped by a Wyoming design professional before the footing inspection. The form asks whether the footing sits on undisturbed native soil and whether expansive soils were found. If your repair involves new footings or piers, ask the contractor how the county's inspection process will apply.
Getting a contractor out to an acreage
When you call, give the road and nearest cross street, tell us whether the house has a full basement, a walkout or a crawl space, and mention any outbuildings you'd like looked at while they're there.
Common questions
Does the City of Cheyenne handle permits in the Ranchettes?
No. The Ranchettes is unincorporated, so building permits and inspections go through the Laramie County Planning and Development Office.
Can the contractor look at a shop or garage foundation too?
Ask when they call you back. Many foundation contractors will evaluate detached garages and outbuildings on the same visit.
Services in Ranchettes
- Basement wall repairBowing, leaning or cracked block and poured walls, stabilized with anchors, braces or straps, or rebuilt.
- Foundation piers for settlementPush piers and helical piers that carry a sinking corner or wall down to firmer soil, with lift where it's safe.
- Heaving basement floorsCracked, lifting basement slabs and the walls and doors above them: finding the cause and the fix.
- Foundation crack repairSealing and structurally bonding cracks in poured walls, and judging which cracks are cosmetic and which aren't.
- Foundation inspections and engineer reportsElevation surveys, crack mapping and engineer evaluations for worried owners, buyers and sellers.
Nearby areas
Leaning basement wall, new cracks, or a floor that's lifting?
Call and a foundation contractor who works around Cheyenne will measure the house and explain what's going on.