Who runs JC Cement
JC Cement belongs to Joe Gomez. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County, and the number on this site, (515) 777-5018, is his.
Most of what Joe does is below ground. Basements that take water every spring. Old foundation walls of stone and brick where the mortar has turned to sand. Brick joints that need tuckpointing. Small basement windows that need to become a real way out, and the wells outside them.
The work he takes on
This is the work Joe lists. If you need something close to it that is not here, like a sump pump or concrete steps, ask him.
- Basement waterproofing: finding where water gets in and stopping it at that spot
- Basement wall repair: old stone and brick walls filled and coated in cement, a new concrete ledge poured along the base, brick piers wrapped in cement
- Tuckpointing: bad mortar cut out and new mortar packed in, outside and down in the basement
- Egress windows: the bigger opening, the window and the well, for basement bedrooms
- Window wells: new wells put in and old ones replaced
Why Joe starts with the water
Most basement trouble in Des Moines comes back to water. The clay ground holds it against the walls. Snow piled along the house melts in spring while the ground is still frozen. Summer storms dump a lot of rain fast. Over the years that water works through old mortar and into cracks, and in winter it freezes in the joints and pushes them apart.
So Joe starts with where the water is getting in and what the wall is made of. A fresh coat of cement on a wall that is still getting soaked from outside will not hold up. He tells you what he sees and what he would do, and you know the plan before anything gets dug or cut.
Where the photos came from
Every photo on this site came off Joe's phone, from his own jobs. They are small because he texted them. They show old basement walls of rough stone and brick, other old walls coated in cement, steel forms and rebar set along the base of a wall for a new concrete ledge, a pier wrapped in cement beside an old brick one, and digging outside along a foundation and inside a basement.
All ten are on the Our Work page.
Getting hold of Joe
Call or text (515) 777-5018. A text with a photo of the wall or the wet spot and your part of town is the easiest way to start.
Joe is based in Des Moines. If you are in a town nearby, call or text and ask.