What Causes Bowing Walls?
When the soil around your foundation takes on moisture, it expands and can place inward pressure on your basement walls. When enough of this pressure is applied over time, your walls can crack, bow, and tilt. This may become less visible when the soils are dry, but it is the constant cycle of these wet and dry conditions that puts strain on your basement walls and foundation, and may compromise the structural integrity of your home.
If you have noticed your basement walls bowing or leaning inward, it’s time to call your local Cedar Rapids bowing basement wall repair team at MidAmerica Basement Systems! Our team has worked on many homes in the region, and offers numerous repair options for long-lasting wall support. One method we use often in homes in Cedar Rapids is foundation wall anchors, which attach your basement walls to stable soils outside your home. Installing foundation wall anchors is a minimally invasive technique that provides great structural support over a long period of time.
Foundation wall anchors can repair many Davenport bowing basement wall problems. Soil anchors are placed in the ground outside.
Steel rods attached to soil anchors extend through the foundation wall and wall plates. Wall plates distribute clamping pressure. Tightening nuts on the threaded ends of the rods stabilizes the wall for a permanent solution.
Identifying Symptoms of Foundation Wall Failure
The indications of basement wall issues and the signs of foundation settling are similar, so it’s important to call your Cedar Rapids bowing basement wall repair team for a professional assessment. Here are some of the symptoms that we look for:
Diagonal cracks at wall corners or around window or door frames
Stair-step cracks or horizontal cracks in walls
Inward bulging or bowing of walls
Walls that are sliding in from the bottom or leaning in from the top
Walls that are visibly damaged, allowing soil and/or water inside
Any of these could be a sign of foundation wall failure and require repair.
How Much Does Moisture Affect Clay Soils?
These two clay samples started out exactly the same in size, weight, and composition. The sample on the right was allowed to dry out, while the one on the left was kept moist.
If a small sample of clay can gain this much volume when it gets wet, just imagine how dramatic the changes are in the soil around your home!
Solutions for Bowing Basement Walls in Cedar Rapids
For the most efficient repair of bowing basement walls, MidAmerica Basement Systems often uses foundation wall anchors. Our special Geo-Lock™ wall anchor systems are some of the best in the industry, and offer foundation stability that you can count on for decades to come.
If for any reason wall anchors aren’t an option for you, we may recommend the PowerBrace™ system, which uses a series of I-beams installed inside the basement to protect against future inward movement.
Are you concerned about bowing basement walls in your Cedar Rapids home? Get in touch with our Cedar Rapids bowing basement wall repair team at MidAmerica Basement Systems today and ask for your free estimate!
Installing Foundation Wall Anchors
At MidAmerica Basement Systems, we recommend the Geo-Lock™ Wall Anchor System to stabilize failing foundation walls. Our Davenport foundation wall anchor contractors follow these six steps when installing our warrantied wall anchor system:
Holes are dug for earth anchors: We will determine the optimal location in your yard to maximize system effectiveness. Then, our team will carefully remove the sod and place it aside before drilling a hole for the earth anchor.
Once the outside hole has been excavated, our installation experts will core a small hole through the bowing basement wall and drive the steel anchor rod through the hole. It will extend below the soil all the way through your yard and into the hole we dug earlier.
The rod is attached to the earth anchor in the yard, and the entire piece is buried below grade using the same soil we removed earlier. Because all our wall anchor systems are made with premium galvanized steel, it won’t rust or deteriorate in your yard. Even so, every Geo-Lock™ earth anchor we install comes with a 25-year warranty against manufacturing defects, as well as our own in-house quality and performance warranty to ensure you get the protection your home deserves.
Once the exterior parts of the system are set in place, it’s time to place the wall plate inside. The rod we extended through the yard is situated in the center hole of the wall plate, and a large nut is screwed into place to stabilize your wall and anchor it in place.
Our team understands the importance of restoring not just the stability of your home, but its appearance as well. We make it a point to leave each property as we found it, which means restoring the sod we displaced earlier as well as any other landscaping that may have been disturbed.
Tightening wall anchors is an essential and ongoing part of our process. Geo-Lock wall anchors can do more than stop the inward movement of your walls. In some cases, they can actually straighten foundation walls over time, significantly repairing it or returning it to its original position.
Saving a wall with the PowerBrace™ system. This innovative system stabilizes bowing walls and can even straighten walls over time.
PowerBrace™ System
When foundation wall anchors aren't an option—whether there isn’t enough viable yard to work with or for any other reason—PowerBrace might be the solution to fit your needs. This interior bowing wall repair system uses a series of I-beams to brace and stabilize the basement walls against further inward movement, and it, like wall anchor systems, can help re-straighten walls over time in some cases.
Contact Us for Bowing Wall Stabilization and Repair
At MidAmerica Basement Systems, we're proud to provide warrantied solutions to permanently halt the inward progress of bowing, buckling foundation walls.
Get your free, no-obligation Davenport bowing basement wall repair estimate in Illinois or Iowa by calling the location nearest you or filling out our online contact form.