Bowed Walls

Bowed, cracked or leaning basement walls in Indiana are a sign that something is going very wrong with the structural integrity of your property.

A home is usually the biggest investment a person or family makes - not to mention the value of the possessions contained within it.

This issue happens when hydrostatic pressure from too much water building up against the walls, or the soil that is around your property swells and exerts pressure that forces the foundation wall inward.

Using traditional methods, Indiana & Illinois homeowners have had few choices for repairing foundation walls, with none of them being entirely satisfactory. 

• Installing steel I-beams vertically against the bowing wall is one of the oldest repair methods, but it takes up valuable basement space, places additional stress on existing lumber framing, and does not provide a means for straightening the bowed wall. 
• More recently, carbon fiber technology has become available and provides some space saving advantages, but is not appropriate for older stone foundations, and still does not offer a means of straightening a damaged wall. 
• Excavating around the wall and building a new basement wall is a possibility, but it is terribly expensive, time consuming, and destrctive to landscaping.

Grip-Tite® Wall Anchor System Is the Solution!

The Grip-Tite® Wall Anchor System utilizes proven engineering methods to secure and stabilize deteriorating basement walls. What's more, the system works on any kind of basement wall - concrete block, clay block, poured concrete, timber, or stone.

The system consists of an interior wall plate, an exterior soil anchor and a connecting steel rod to stabilize foundation walls by counteracting pressure exerted against the wall.

This system gives the property owern an alternative solution to complely removing and rebuilding basement walls that have become cracked, leaning, or bowed - frequently as a result of pressures exceeding the allowable design capacity of the wall.

The Grip-Tite® Wall Anchor's are spaced in different locations along a wall and rod extenders can be used to avoid decks, flowerbeds and other landscaping.

As well, installing The Grip-Tite Wall Anchor System® usually takes less than one day. The technicians have been trained to leave your home and lawn as it was before the installation. Anchors are placed in specific locations along the wall, and rod extenders can be added to avoid all decking, cement work, flower beds, and other landscaping. Because the system works with the wall and ground, structural changes to your house are unnecessary. This results in cost savings for your budget over traditional, invasive methods.

Benefits:

• Minimal excavation or disturbance to property, lawn or landscaping.
• Installed in a day or less.
• No wait – can be installed year-round.
• Easily installed in areas with decks, landscaping or flowerbeds.
• Cost-effective - less cost than re-building foundation wall(s).

Whether the cracking or bowing is caused by hydrostatic pressure, expansive soil or another problem, don't risk the investment in your home by failing to address the issue.

Fortress Stabilization By FreeFlow Basement Solutions

Bowed Basement or Foundation Walls occur as a result of soil loads pushing against the wall. Compounded with depth and other factors and the lateral forces surpass the foundation's original resistance to these loads. Over time, these factors can produce lateral bending and the foundation or basement wall becomes bowed. This condition also produces significant cracking. If left unattended this condition will worsen with time jeopardizing both the structural integrity and resale value of the property.

Bowed basement or foundation walls can be straightened but require excavation of foundation, lifting the weight of the structure off of the wall and pushing the wall back to as close to plumb as possible. Even after this is accomplished, the wall itself has lost the structural integrity and requires reinforcement. You can also reinforce a bowed concrete foundation or basement wall that is still within tolerance at it's current condition without straightening. Historically, I-beams were used to correct a bowed basement or foundation wall by erecting the beams in a fashion that provides lateral concrete reinforcement. While remaining an effective method, installation can be expensive and the end result are obtrusive beams sticking out from the wall. In addition, the cracks which have undoubtedly occurred as a result of the bowed basement or foundation wall are not addressed.

Bowed basement walls can be resolved using the latest carbon-fiber technology developed by Fortress Stabilization Systems. Using carbon-fiber kevlar sheet straps in combination with specifically designed epoxies, bowed basement walls can now be repaired and arrested with little to no obtrusiveness. The repaired bowed basement wall can then be painted thereby creating an almost invisible repair, thereby increasing the resale value of your home.

Contact us to discuss a solution to your bowed wall problem.