Foundation Repair in Keithville, LA
Keithville, LA is an unincorporated community on US 171 south of Shreveport, LA, and it gave its name to one of the clay soils that matter most for foundations in south Caddo Parish. Send one request, and independent foundation and crawl space companies that work south Caddo Parish can quote it for free.
Get a Free Quote Call (318) 633-1685A railroad community with no town hall
Keithville is said to have grown up around a railroad junction in the early 1880s and to take its name from Perry Keith. Today it is unincorporated, with a 71047 ZIP code: no town government, no town permit office and no separate Census count.
So the best housing picture comes from Caddo Parish as a whole: a median year built of 1975, about 59% of homes built before 1980, about 17% in 2000 or later, and about 60% owner-occupied (Census ACS 2020–2024). Around Keithville that likely means a mix of older homes on piers over a crawl space and newer slab homes, but no count of foundation types exists for the area.
The Keithville soil series
Keithville gave its name to a soil. USDA NRCS describes the Keithville series as a clayey upland soil, and it is mapped across south Caddo Parish:
| Property | Keithville series (USDA NRCS) |
|---|---|
| Where it forms | Broad, nearly level or gently sloping uplands |
| Parent material | Loamy over clayey sediment of Tertiary age |
| Drainage | Moderately well drained, very slowly permeable |
| Seasonal water | Saturated above the clay layers to a depth of 2 to 3 feet in winter and early spring |
| Shrink-swell | High (linear extensibility up to about 7.5%; clay up to about 45%) |
| Extent in Caddo Parish | About 34,400 acres, roughly 6% of the parish, plus about 5,800 acres mapped as "Urban land-Keithville complex" |
A soil map is not a site report. Neighboring lots can sit on Eastwood, Metcalf, Guyton or other soils, and parish-wide about 43% of Caddo is mapped in high to very high shrink-swell clay. Look up your address on Web Soil Survey before assuming anything about your own ground.
What perched winter water means for a house
The phrase that matters in that soil description is "saturated above the clayey layers." In winter and early spring, water can sit on top of the dense clay a couple of feet down instead of draining away. Summer then dries the same clay out: August is the driest and hottest month at Shreveport Regional Airport, with about 2.9 inches of rain and average highs near 94.9 °F (NOAA 1991–2020).
Under a pier-and-beam home, a long wet season can keep the crawl space damp, which raises the risk of rot in sill plates and joists and invites termites. Look for:
- A musty smell inside the house
- Standing water or mud under the house after rain
- Stained or soft wood along the sill
- Floors that sag or feel soft underfoot
- Doors that drift out of square
Termite treatment is done by an LDAF-licensed pest control operator, not the foundation company. On a slab home, the same wet-then-dry cycle can contribute to edge lift or settlement. Either way, drainage around the house usually comes first. See crawl space repair and pier and beam repair.
Permits and costs for an unincorporated address
Because Keithville is unincorporated, permits fall under the City of Shreveport's Permits and Inspections office, which issues permits across Caddo Parish except Greenwood, LA. Structural repairs generally need a permit from your city or parish; your contractor should pull it. Foundation repair over $7,500 generally calls for an LSLBC-licensed contractor; look the company up at lslbc.louisiana.gov.
If the crawl space is the issue, national guides put crawl space repair at about $500–$7,500 (Fixr), an installed vapor barrier at $1,500–$4,000 (Fixr) and full crawl space encapsulation at $1,500–$15,000 (This Old House). A crawl space dehumidifier runs about $800–$2,000 installed (This Old House). These are typical national ranges, not quotes; more are in the Shreveport foundation repair cost guide.
A liner over a crawl space that still takes on water can trap the problem, so ask each company how its plan handles water first. Compare options on the crawl space encapsulation page.
Get free quotes in Keithville
Shreveport Foundation Services is a free quote service, not a contractor. Independent companies serving south Caddo and Shreveport, Louisiana reply to you directly, and they may pay to receive requests.
Keithville, LA foundation questions
Who issues permits for foundation repair in Keithville, LA?
Keithville is unincorporated, so it falls under the City of Shreveport's Permits and Inspections office, which handles all of Caddo Parish except Greenwood. Structural repairs generally need a permit, and your contractor should pull it. Ask for the permit number before work starts.
Is the Keithville soil series bad for foundations?
It is rated high for shrink-swell, and it can hold perched water above its clay layers in winter and early spring (USDA NRCS). That can contribute to movement and damp crawl spaces, but it does not mean every house on it has a problem. Check your lot on Web Soil Survey and go by what the house shows.
Should I encapsulate my crawl space in Keithville?
Maybe, but water comes first. If the crawl space floods or stays muddy, drainage and grading fixes usually come before a liner or dehumidifier. Then compare a basic vapor barrier ($1,500 to $4,000, Fixr) with full encapsulation ($1,500 to $15,000, This Old House) in written quotes.
Cracks, sticking doors or a soft floor? Get free foundation and crawl space quotes.
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