Ayers Basement Systems Before & After Photos

These Okemos, MI customers were suffering from water leaking in under the stairs of their home. During heavy rainfalls, the water would seep through the crack in the foundation - seen in the before photo - and puddle in the basement. Originally the crew planned on using the FlexiSpan system, but after seeing the size of crack and noting the obstruction that the steps made, they knew an exterior solution would be better. So they went with the Sentry Seal application.

After excavating the soil directly adjacent to the crack, they applied the membrane to the exterior side of the wall. Not only is the waterproof Sentry Seal a permanent solution, it installs relatively quickly compared to most excavation jobs. After applying the membrane, the crew was able to replace the soil and return this home back to normal in just one installation day.

This is a unique before and after, as the before photo was actually taken during the early parts of the installation. The Okemos, MI wall in the photos had been leaking, and the owner had called us looking for a solution.  To solve small cracks like these, we at Ayers use the FlexiSpan System. It’s a flexible, two-layer system that first plugs the leaking areas and then provides a drainage route for any water strong enough to leak through that plug. The bulges on the wall in the before photo show where the first layer of polyurethane clogged up the leaks. After the initial plugging was completed, the crew installed the second drainage layer to the wall. Not pictured in the photos, but installed earlier at the foot of the wall is a drain well. The drainage layer will lead water down to the well below for disposal. As seen in the after photo, once the installation was completed, the wall was both repaired and looking much better. 

The sloping crawl space seen in the before photo was in need of an encapsulation, badly. The owners had already seen mold and standing water present. Lucky for the owners, they had used Ayers for foundation repairs in the past and knew that crawl space encapsulations were just another one of our specialties. The white liner in the after photo is our CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. As you can see, the barrier was used to cover the entire crawl space dirt floor and part way up the walls. For the rest of the walls, the crew used our SilverGlo Wall panels. The silver panels are insulation that reflects heat back to its source. By regulating moisture in the crawl space, this will help rid this home of its past mold problems.

This customer called because he noticed his wall was caving inward and he was afraid it was going to collapse. His home was built with block foundation and was experiencing horizontal cracking, which is a common sign of wall failure in this type of foundation wall. In order to save the wall our crew decided that installing Geo-Lock wall anchors would be the best bet.

The Geo-Lock wall anchor system will stabilize the wall and prevent it from continuing to bow inward. Steel anchors are installed in the soil away from the home and are then connected to steel wall plates located on the foundation wall. These anchors ensure the wall is stabilized, with the capability to tighten the anchors during dry seasons to straighten the wall over time. This customer will no longer have to worry about the possibility of his wall collapsing.  

Just by looking at the basement walls in this before picture, you can see where water has leaked through the cinderblock, leaving traces of efflorescence—the mineral buildup that’s left once water evaporates from a surface. Installing WaterGuard along the bottom of the wall, on top of the footing, we provided a drainage system to collect water from the wall leaks. Finally, BrightWall paneling drastically improves and brightens the space. These panels also stop water vapor and allow for wall leaks to drain behind them. Now this basement not only looks brighter, but is dry, too!