Stages of Wall Failure
If you have a bowing wall, you probably think you have time. After all, it took however many years after your home’s construction for the wall to start to lean, so it’ll take at least that long for the bowing to progress, right? Not really. A bowing wall gets exponentially weaker as time goes on, making it less capable of withstanding pressure. It’s kind of like a runaway car picking up speed as it goes downhill. Let’s look at the stages of a bowing wall.
1 - A crack appears
You may notice a wall crack immediately, if it’s in an area of the basement you pass often (like next to the washing machine). Or you may have a “huh” moment where you wonder how long it’s been there. Regardless, the appearance of a crack is stage one and, ideally, is when you would call us to have it checked out. Even if you don’t, it’s a good idea to mark the ends of the crack to watch for expansion.
2 - The crack expands
Very few cracks will stay at their initial size. This is why we recommend marking the ends in some way, because it can be hard to eyeball anything other than a severe expansion. As pressure from the soil outside continues, the crack will widen. A horizontal crack may get bigger in addition to longer as the concrete crumbles, and stairstep cracks in block walls will expand and even offshoot into additional “steps” going in different directions. This is where you should definitely call us.
3 - The wall bows
If, like many people, a random wall crack just wasn’t high on your priority list, you might make it to stage three, where the wall begins to bow. It’s likely that you’ll notice this early, because even if you don’t address the wall crack when you first notice it, it’ll always be in the back of your mind so you’ll unconsciously keep an eye on it. Depending on where the crack is and how far it’s expanded, the wall may lean in at the top or bulge toward the middle. As the wall bows, it will only bow more and faster because pressure from the soil as well as the weight of the house it’s supporting combine and are too much for it to handle. Any fixtures on the wall (like pipes) will be in danger of breaking at this point. This is basically the last point at which you can call us to save the wall.
4 - The wall collapses
Unfortunately, this is the stage where we hear from some customers. We’ve heard it described as anything from a gunshot to fireworks to a garbage truck to just “a big bang.” It ends in a pile of blocks or concrete in the basement and a new escape route you didn’t plan on. At this point, the only solution is emergency shoring up of the house so it doesn’t also collapse, and rebuilding the wall. This is time consuming and costly, as well as dangerous for your home and family.
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More than once, a customer has called us sometime in early stage three, decided it wasn’t a big deal, and then called after collapse only to be met with an estimate at twice the cost. Bowing walls are the very definition of “problems only get worse” and waiting can be costly and detrimental to your home and peace of mind. No matter what stage you’re in, we can help with a wall stabilization solution that fits your home and your budget, so call today.
