Foundation Repair Photo Album: Cracked Foundation in Indian River, MI

Water in your basement is one thing, but what do you do when the walls are cracking and bowing? You call us. Some major foundation settling had led to a myriad of problems in this Indian River basement. Cracked and bowing walls and even a cracked floor meant that the house was in big trouble. Using a combination of Power Braces and Carbon Armor, we were able to stabilize the walls. We also used PolyLevel to raise the slab and fill in the huge crack that had sprung up, and reinforced the sagging joists with new beams.

Visible Crack in Exterior Foundation Wall

It's not a great sign when you can see a waterlogged crack on the outside of your foundation. The horizontal crack here is one of the points of bowing inside.

Efflorescence on Bowing Wall

Just to the left of the light are visible signs of bowing, which is particularly easy to see in a block wall because of the way the blocks shift. These blocks also show signs of efflorescence, which means water from the soil is traveling through them.

Stairstep Crack on Outside of Foundation

Cracks don't only appear inside when there's a problem. If it's bad enough, you'll also see them on the outside of the foundation. Here we have a stairstep and a vertical crack.

Stairstep Crack in Bowing Wall

This closeup shows how the wall has cracked. A stairstep pattern like this is indicative of a bowing problem.

Cracked Basement Floor Causes Wall Issues

When the slab that makes up the...well, the foundation of your foundation, cracks, it starts a chain reaction of issues with the walls and ceiling, then up into the house.

Gap in Broken and Sinking Slab

A gap like this can allow for future shifting, so it was important that we raise the slab and fill in the gap.

Slab Sinks 5/8 of an Inch

The slab has broken and sunk about 5/8" on one side, which is likely contributing to the bowing walls.

Prepping the Wall for Carbon Armor

We apply a special adhesive before the Carbon Armor, which seals it in place.

Carbon Armor Stabilizes Wall

Carbon Armor, the black straps shown here, is 10x stronger than steel and made specifically for basement walls. After prepping the wall for installation, the straps are laid out and will stabilize a bowing wall and prevent further movement.

PowerBraces Secure Bowing Wall

By installing the PowerBraces on the most severely bowed wall, we can prevent further bowing and, hopefully, straighten the wall over time. At the top, you can see where we've reinforced the joists as well.

Filling Gaps in Broken Concrete

Using Nexus Pro, we can fill in the gap created by the broken slab after raising it with PolyLevel.

Nexus Pro Sealer Fills Void in Concrete

Once the slab was raised with PolyLevel, we filled the gap with Nexus Pro joint sealer to prevent any further shifting.

PowerBraces Reinforce the Entire Wall

As shown here, the PowerBraces go all the way to the ceiling to reinforce the walls.

Joist Reinforcement Secures Home

Whether joists are weakened from prolonged pressure (resulting from bowing walls) or from water damage, they can be dangerous. We installed supports throughout the basement to reinforce the joists and be sure the home was structurally sounds.