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Serving Rathdrum, ID and surrounding areas. (208) 508-0030
Rathdrum Concrete & Masonry serves Cheney homeowners with foundation block wall installation, foundation repair, tuckpointing, and brick work - responding within 1 business day and providing free written estimates on every job in Cheney.
A large share of Cheney's homes were built between the 1940s and 1970s with block wall foundations that are now 50 to 80 years old - exactly the age range where cracked mortar, bowing walls, and moisture intrusion become real issues in this climate. Our foundation block wall installation work includes proper footing depth below the frost line, steel reinforcement in the cores, and exterior waterproofing - the details that determine whether a foundation lasts another 50 years or starts failing in the first decade.
Cheney's 40 to 50 inches of annual snowfall and repeated freeze-thaw cycles put consistent stress on the block foundations common in this area's older housing stock. Stair-step cracks along mortar joints, walls that bow inward under soil pressure, and moisture showing up after spring snowmelt are all signs that a foundation has been under stress for years and needs attention before the next winter compounds the damage.
Brick veneer on Cheney homes from the 1950s through 1970s has been through 50 or more winters on the Palouse plateau, and mortar joints on those surfaces often show softening, crumbling, or gaps that let water in. Tuckpointing - raking out the deteriorated mortar and replacing it with fresh material - stops the freeze-thaw cycle from continuing to widen those gaps and extends the life of the exterior brick without the cost of full replacement.
Older Cheney homes built in the mid-20th century often have original masonry chimneys that have never had a professional inspection. The combination of heavy snowfall loading the chimney crown and repeated spring freeze-thaw cycles breaking down mortar joints means that chimneys on these homes frequently have hidden moisture damage going into heating season - something worth checking before the first cold snap of fall.
Cheney's newer subdivisions on the edges of town sit on the flat, open Palouse landscape where wind exposure is significant and property definition matters. Concrete block walls provide durable fencing, privacy, and sound barrier options that hold up in this exposed climate better than wood or vinyl - without the maintenance cycle those materials require after every hard winter.
Mid-century Cheney homes with brick veneer exteriors or brick chimneys see the same freeze-thaw damage as any masonry surface exposed to Palouse winters: spalled brick faces, cracked joints, and water infiltration that slowly works deeper into the wall assembly. Addressing individual brick failures and deteriorated sections early prevents the damage from spreading to the underlying structure and keeps repair costs manageable.
Cheney sits at about 2,400 feet on the Palouse plateau - slightly higher and colder than nearby Spokane, which means the freeze-thaw cycle here is more aggressive. Average annual snowfall of 40 to 50 inches and winter temperatures that regularly drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit put consistent stress on any masonry surface exposed to the elements. Water finds cracks in fall, freezes and expands in winter, and forces those gaps wider each spring. For concrete driveways, block foundation walls, chimney stacks, and brick veneer on older homes, that cycle runs every year without stopping. A large share of Cheney's housing was built between the 1940s and 1970s, putting those structures at 50 to 80 years old - exactly the age range where the cumulative damage from this climate starts to show up as bowing walls, failed waterproofing, and deteriorated mortar.
Spring snowmelt adds a specific problem that flat, open Palouse land makes worse. When heavy snowpack melts quickly and the ground beneath is still frozen, meltwater has nowhere to drain and pools against foundation walls for days or weeks at a time. Older Cheney homes without modern exterior waterproofing see this pressure translate directly into basement moisture and foundation wall movement. The rental housing market near Eastern Washington University also plays a role - properties that have cycled through multiple tenants over the decades often have deferred maintenance on masonry and concrete that has been ignored until it becomes a larger problem. Both owner-occupied homes and rental properties benefit from a masonry contractor who understands which issues are cosmetic and which ones are structural.
Our crew works throughout Cheney regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry work here. Structural masonry permits in Cheney are handled through the City of Cheney Building Department, which our team coordinates with directly for foundation and structural masonry work in the city. We are also familiar with the Spokane County permit process for properties on the edges of the city limits.
Cheney is a city with two distinct housing zones that we work across regularly. The older neighborhoods near the Eastern Washington University campus - homes built in the 1940s through 1970s - are where we most often handle foundation repair, tuckpointing, and chimney work. The newer subdivisions on the west and south edges of town are more likely to need concrete flatwork, block walls, and driveway work. Knowing which part of Cheney a property is in tells us quite a bit before we even arrive on site.
Cheney's location along Interstate 90 puts it in easy reach of the broader Inland Northwest. We regularly serve homeowners in the nearby community of Spokane, WA, where similar freeze-thaw conditions affect older brick and block construction. We also cover properties in Airway Heights, WA, just north of Cheney along Highway 2, where the housing stock and climate demands are comparable.
Call us or submit a request through our contact form. We respond within 1 business day. If you are not sure whether your issue is a masonry problem, describe what you are seeing - we can usually tell you over the phone whether a site visit is needed.
We visit your Cheney property to assess the scope - checking the foundation, masonry surfaces, soil drainage, and any structural concerns. You receive a written estimate covering labor, materials, and permit costs. No pressure to decide on the spot.
If a permit is required, we file with the City of Cheney on your behalf. Review typically takes one to two weeks. We confirm your start date once the permit is approved - earlier in the season means more flexibility on scheduling.
Our crew completes the work, cleans the site, and walks you through the finished project - including curing timelines for concrete and any maintenance steps relevant to your specific job. We answer questions before we leave, not after.
We serve Cheney, WA and respond within 1 business day. Free written estimates, no obligation.
(208) 508-0030Cheney is a city of about 12,000 people in Spokane County, sitting on the edge of the Palouse roughly 16 miles southwest of Spokane along Interstate 90. Eastern Washington University has been at the center of Cheney's identity since 1882, and the campus shapes both the housing market and the day-to-day character of the city. The neighborhoods closest to EWU are primarily older single-family homes and smaller rental properties - homes built in the 1940s through 1970s on modest lots with attached or detached garages. Further from campus, newer subdivisions developed in the 1990s and 2000s sit on larger lots with a more suburban feel. Most long-term residents chose Cheney specifically because it offers a quieter, more affordable alternative to Spokane while remaining close enough for commuting and services.
The open Palouse landscape that surrounds Cheney is defined by rolling wheat fields and wide-open sky - a very different setting from the wooded hillsides of North Idaho. Just south of the city, the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is a well-known local landmark and a destination for residents throughout the area. Cheney is also a natural base for homeowners who commute into nearby Spokane for work, and many of our Cheney customers also own rental or investment properties in the surrounding area. We serve the whole Cheney market as well as nearby Airway Heights and other Spokane County communities where the same Palouse climate creates the same masonry and foundation challenges.
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Learn MoreWe serve homeowners throughout Cheney, WA and respond within 1 business day. No sales pressure - just a straight answer on what your project needs.