Fowler, MI Friendly Concrete Leveling & Basement Waterproofing Pros

Brandi S. called because two of her basement walls were bowing inward about two to three inches. There were also multiple stair-step cracks found on the walls, which is a sure sign of wall failure.

The PowerBrace system was installed on one wall and the Geo-Lock wall anchor system was installed on the other. The PowerBrace system used specialized steel beams that were installed directly on the basement wall. One end of the brace was placed at the base of the wall and the other end was attached to the joists above the wall with steel brackets. We also made sure to reinforce the joists above to alleviate some of the weight on the wall. The wall anchor installation began with us excavating the soil outside of the failing wall in order to embed steel earth anchors into stable soil. The earth anchors were the connected to the failing wall and attached with steel wall anchors, which were then secured into place with steel rods. Once both systems were tightened into place, the walls were permanently stabilized and would no longer crack or shift.

This older Fowler, MI basement had puddles of water occupying the space due to rainwater seeping into the home through the walls. We installed the WaterGuard perimeter drainage system in the home to remove intruding water.

We removed sections of the flooring around the interior perimeter of the basement to place specialized drainage pipes. Water that was entering through the wall flowed down into the pipes and was then drained into the home’s sump pump to be discarded from the home. When the installation was finished, we restored the flooring with cement fill and made sure to install an inspection port that gives us access to the underground system if ever needed.

Tonya M. contacted us because she was looking for a waterproofing solution that would keep her basement dry. Thankfully, our team of experts knew just what to do.

We installed the WaterGuard perimeter drainage system to collect and discard intruding water. The system was installed underneath the flooring around the interior perimeter of the basement. Water entering the home flows down into the specialized pipes at the base of each wall and is then directed to the home’s sump pump to be pumped outside of the home. Because the system was installed underneath the flooring, we also installed inspection ports that give us access to the drainage pipes if needed.

Joe and Luann B. contacted us because they had a bowed basement wall. Their home was built in 1992 with poured concrete walls and although there were no known water problems, the homeowners did notice moisture issues. 

The Geo-Lock wall anchor system was the best option to save this failing basement wall and to provide security for these homeowners. This system uses specialized anchors to securely stabilize the wall and includes a tightening kit that can be used over time to potentially straighten the wall back to its original position. The installation began with the excavation of soil outside of the home. The soil was removed so that we could place a steel earth anchor deep enough to reach stable soils. Next the earth anchor was connected to the foundation wall and was secured with a steel wall anchor and steel rods on the interior of the home. The system was tightened into place and the wall was completely stable. Hide-A-Way covers were also installed to cover the anchors and give the basement walls a clean look.

This was the second time in the last few years that Brandi’s basement walls had started to bend inward. The first time was three years ago when she had to repair a wall that was caving in a full 3 inches. Once the repair was complete, she thought the problem would stay in the past. Unfortunately, a few months ago she went into her basement only to discover stair step cracks on the walls, a common sign of bowing foundations. Fed up with foundation problems, Brandi gave us a call for a permanent solution.

Our system design specialist arrived in Fowler and found that Brandi’s walls were once again bowing. The bowing wall phenomenon is caused by expanding soil putting extra pressure on the foundation walls. To counteract the pressure of the soil, our crew installed two different wall repair systems. One being our PowerBrace system, the other was Geo-Lock Wall Anchors. PowerBrace beams span the entire height of the wall and are attached to the floor joists in the ceiling and bracketed into the foundation floor. The beams stop the inward movement of walls and can even be tightened to help push them straight again. Geo-Lock Wall Anchors do the opposite; they pull the walls outward against the soil pressure. The anchors of the system are placed into stronger, more dependable soil about 15 feet from the home, and with the help of wall plates on the interior side of the basement and steel rod tiebacks, the system holds the wall in place against soil pressure. Both systems will fight to resist the pressure on Brandi’s walls and in time, hopefully, return them to their original position.