Chesterfield, Missouri: what the ground under the city is like
Chesterfield sits in St. Louis City, on dissected till plain with a claypan. The soil mapped here is predominantly classified somewhat poorly drained — and that classification, not the rainfall total, is what decides how a basement behaves.
50% of the mapped soil area around Chesterfield is wet enough that the USDA describes it as needing artificial drainage.
Linear extensibility 6.6% — high.
Shallowest annual water table around 70 cm (2.3 ft).
Values are for St. Louis City, which is what the soil survey resolves to. Full county report · soil map for a specific address.
The ground under Chesterfield
Dissected till plain with a claypan. Old till with an abrupt clay horizon 30-60 cm below the surface
The claypan is a hard clay layer a few tens of centimetres under the lawn. Water sits on it and spreads sideways. The typical symptom is seepage through the upper part of the wall rather than at the floor.
When it shows up here
| Water | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground movement | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Water peaks in April and May with the spring rains. The dry late summer is when soil movement shows up instead, so the two problems take turns.
Climate pattern for this physiographic region, not a forecast for your house and not from the soil survey. It answers a question homeowners actually ask: when does this show up.
What repairs cost in Missouri
| Reference job | Modelled range |
|---|---|
| Interior drain along two walls + sump pump | $4,800–$10,300 |
| Exterior excavation of one 40 ft wall | $3,600–$10,250 |
| Underpinning on 10 piers | $14,250–$30,400 |
Regional factor for MO: ×0.95. Full cost breakdown for Missouri · run your own dimensions.
ZIP codes in Chesterfield
63005, 63006, 63017
Soil does not stop at a city boundary, and neither does this data — every ZIP code above resolves to the same county soil survey. For the individual survey polygons around one address, use the soil map.
Other places in St. Louis City
Questions about Chesterfield
Is the soil the same everywhere in Chesterfield?
No. These values describe St. Louis City as a whole, which is the unit the soil survey publishes. Within a city, map units change over a few hundred metres — the soil map draws the actual polygons around a point and is the honest answer for one address.
Which contractor should I call in Chesterfield?
We do not rank or recommend individual firms and we are not one. What this page is for is knowing which kind of work the ground here points to before anyone quotes you, and which claim to check. If you want quotes, the form below passes your request to the named networks.
Does this replace an inspection?
No. It tells you what the ground is; an inspection tells you what your building is doing on it. The useful order is: read this, print the brief for your county, then have someone look.
Get quotes in Chesterfield
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