Kalkaska, MI Leading Basement Waterproofing & Foundation Repair

Taylor was concerned when her first-level floors began to slop so she contacted Ayers Basement for an inspection. Upon arrival, our foreman Bruce was able to diagnose the issue, telling Janet that her foundation has begun to settle.

Evan prescribed a set of SmartJack piers that would reinforce the Supportworks. The ground surrounding the foundation became unfirm due to the amount of water collecting around the base of the home. To correct this issue Evan installed a TripleSafe sump pump, with three levels of protection against floods, to help control the amount of water around the home. Finally, he fitted the home with an IceGuard modification to ensure the pipes flow regularly, year-round.

Steve and Liz were concerned when they found cracks in their home's foundational walls. Not wanting to take risks concerning their forever home, they contacted Ayers. Our resident foreman Evan was happy to inspect the area and found that the walls of the basement were compromised and drifting.

To correct this, Evan and his team used Geolock Anchors to correct the walls. GeoLock Anchors fix this issue by pulling the wall back into place. GeoLock is installed by excavating the ground around the perimeter of the home. Anchors are placed along the outside of the now exposed basement walls and held in place with steel drives. On the other side of the wall, a large metal plate is aligned with the anchor and bolted together. The bolt is tightened till constant pressure is pulling the wall into place.

Geolock is considered a permeate solution, not only correcting walls but keeping them from sliding back out of place too.

Jennifer V. of Kalkaska, MI called us when she had had enough of her basement. Water had been flooding into her basement, topping off around one inch. This can be detrimental to flooring, walls, and possessions in a basement, so Jennifer wanted a quick long-term fix.

Our solution? The SuperSump premier sump pump system and the WaterGuard French drain system. We began by installing the SuperSump. The SuperSump is a sump pump specifically designed to keep your basement dry for long periods of time. Capable of pumping 2,220 gallons of water per hour, it is suitable for heavy water intrusion.

After that installation, we moved onto the WaterGuard system. WaterGuard rests below the basement floor and above the foundation footing collecting water that seeps into the basement from the walls. Once this water is collected it is directed to the SuperSump to be pumped up and out of the home.

Kenneth B. of Kalkaska, MI was having foundation problems before he reached out to us. His foundation wall was bowing and cracked, causing serious structural issues. 

Our solution? The PowerBrace foundation wall repair system. PowerBrace is built to fully stabilize tilting, buckling, or bowing foundation walls. The system uses steel I-beams that secure to the floor joists above the basement wall, providing maximum support. PowerBrace is also adjustable, making it possible to return the wall to its original position with adjustment over time.

Kenneth B. from Kalkaska, MI was suffering from a cracked, bowing foundation wall. This presents a major issue for a home. If the foundation bowed and/or cracked any more, it could have collapsed. Because of this reason, Kenneth gave us a call.

We installed our patented PowerBrace foundation wall repair system to aide this situation. PowerBrace uses strong steel I-beams that secure to the joists above the foundation wall to offer maximum support for tilting, bowing, or buckling walls. The PowerBrace system is powerful enough that upon adjustment, could even bring the foundation walls back to their original position. 

Brian and Jennifer had just purchased their home last year. They were hoping to use the home as a rental property in the future, but upon looking through the home, they noticed a few problems. Luckily, the previous owners had finished the basement. Sadly, all of that was almost ruined when the basement flooded and an inch of water leaked in. They assumed the cause of the flooding were the vertical cracks running on the inside and outside of the basement. Only making matters worse was the fact that the back wall was bowing inward. Hoping to get the property rental ready as soon as possible, they gave us a call.

The first step for the crew was stabilizing the foundation and stopping the bowing motion. For this, they installed the GeoLock Anchor system. The anchors were placed into the soil outside several feet away from the foundation and connected to the wall using steel tie backs. Thanks to the anchor’s pull on the wall plates, the hydrostatic pressure won’t cause the walls to bend any further. In fact, the anchors can even be tightened to hopefully restore the walls to their original position. This also means that fresh cracks won’t appear on the wall. The solution for the leaking water was the perimeter drainage system. WaterGuard sits at the foot of each wall and collects water as it drips down the wall. Once in the system, that water will be carried to a SuperSump sump pump for disposal. Brian and Jennifer can now begin renting their place with no fear for their occupants.

Scott had only been in his new home for six months when he first noticed the floors were sagging. There were no cracks inside or outside and no leaky water, either. Scott might not have even noticed the tilt, had it not been for the way that his doors would swing open or closed in the direction of the sagging. Letting this problem manifest for longer could have turned into a real disaster, but lucky for Scott he had seen the problem and contacted us immediately. In turn, we were able to give his home straight and stable floors before he hit the 1-year mark. In fact, once the crew went out to Kalkaska, MI, they had the problem solved in just 2 days.

To do so, the crew used 11 different helical piers. Our piering system works by treating the real problem that causes sinking foundations: the soil. When foundation weight become too much to handle, soils will start to give in and cause the floors above to slant. The first step in solving these slanting floors is excavating the soil around Scott’s foundation to grant the crew access to the problem area. Then, the crew was able to force the piers into deeper, more stable, and untouched soil. After the piers were driven deep enough to not move, the crew attached the foundation on top. The idea is that with a stable base that won’t sink under pressure, the foundation will remain leveled and safe.

Thanks to his quick reaction, Scott saved himself from a big project in the future and an even bigger headache. We hope the rest of Scott’s transition into his new home goes as smoothly as the pier installation.