Bowing basement walls is one of the most common issues yet troubling issues that comes along with foundation repair. If you’ve never seen them, bowing walls is the sight of either cinderblock or concrete walls pushing or leaning in the middle of the wall. This can be a serious sight of a compromise in the structural integrity of the foundation. In this case and many other such cases, water is the main culprit of this structural compromise.
When you begin to see cracks or fissures in the middle of your bowing walls, it is time to call a professional. In this article, I will outline 3 likely reasons why you should leave this job to professionals.
- Hydrostatic Pressure
As I alluded to earlier in this article, most foundational problems are caused by water. In the instance of bowing walls, standing water collects behind the foundational walls, either by rainwater or gutters spilling water out in an ill-advised place. This misdirected water flow tends to soak up the clay or soil deposits behind the foundational walls, causing them to swell.
If this is left unattended or unfixed, a combination of bowing walls and water leakage in your basement can cause your home or commercial structure to sink or settle into the soil. This will only cost you more and more of your rainy-day fund as you attempt to repair the situation.
- Professional Repair Techniques
If bowing walls are caught soon enough, technicians will install support beams or attach carbon fiber fixtures to the foundation itself to prevent the walls from bowing any further. There are also pneumatic and hydraulic systems that can be installed to move the affected wall back to its initial state.
If the problem is truly dire and the foundational wall is going to give out, then the swelled soil or clay on the other side of the affected wall will have to be excavated. The downside to this measure is that the soil roughly 20’ away from the home or structure will have to be effective to correct the wall.
- The Dangers of DIY with Bowing Walls
Everyone likes to have an element of DIY in their home. If a problem is fixable, chances are a homeowner would like to fix it themselves rather than spend their hard-earned money. The issue with foundation repairs is they are hard to evaluate to the naked eye. Until you really evaluate the issue, it’s hard to assess the damage that’s already been done.
The Foundation is one of the most important parts of the home and it can be a real money sink if you allow it to be. With creating any plan for the future of a house or commercial structure you own, the foundation should be at the forefront of your mind. This is the weight-bearing, essential part of the structure that keeps it upright, this is not something you want to take a swing on without consulting a professional like this Indiana basement repair service who are amazing. What could cost you a couple of hundred dollars today, could cost you a couple of thousand dollars in a few months if left unattended or made worse by not having a professional on-site.