Repairing or replacing foundation walls in basement

8/15/2012 at 11:55:35 AM

It sounds like your foundation walls are pushing in and need to be replaced which is exactly what we do.

On 40 feet of basement walls if it was finished on the inside would be around the 35-40k mark pending access and finished.

8/15/2012 at 1:13:43 PM

Hello Teresa

Just filling the crack won't permanently solve the problem, We would advise you like the contractor to support one side of the house and replace it with a new wall. I would speculate that the reason the wall is bowing inward is probably because of some external pressure from the side of the foundation.

I hope you find the solution this problem and get it fixed.

Thanks

Caesar

8/15/2012 at 2:20:47 PM

Repairing the foundation will cost around $20,000.00. Jacking up the house and replacing the foundation. Will cost you around 70,000.00 to 90,000.00.

If the house is worth keeping, then just repair it. Brace walls with steel bars, dig out around house, replastering foundation, install waterproofing, weeping tile and drain rock I think would be the best way to go.

8/15/2012 at 5:19:43 PM

If you have a concrete block foundation, a common reason for the bowing is if there is a garage or drive way right next to the foundation. Over the years the weight of the car driving by will compact the ground and cause the bowing.

There are a number of ways to repair the foundation and you really should get a few contractors in to take a look. If it's not that bad, one way is to run rebar in the hollow areas of the blocks all the way to the bottom footing and then fill in with a liquid type cement.

Another possibility is to build or pour a new foundation wall and footing inside of the existing wall. You will loose square footage in the basement, but it will be much cheaper than replaceing the entire wall.

Just remember there are a lot of different ways to fix the problem and costs. Do some reasearch so you know you are getting a proper solution.

8/15/2012 at 7:56:45 PM

Hi Teresa!

One method you might consider would be to form and pour a new wall inside your basement. It would need be built on a new footing starting below your basement floor. Then rebar dowels would be drilled into existing wall, and a rebar grid formed. After that it would simply need to be formed and poured, you may not even need to match the same height as existing foundation, sometimes you can leave the new pour down a foot or two depending on your situation.

The drawback would be lost floor space, typically the bottom of the new wall would be around 12" and 8" thick at the top.

If you can afford to give up the space this method of repair would be very effective not to mention extremely cost effective.

Thanks

Mark

8/19/2012 at 10:25:43 AM

I would be worried about what is going on to cause this situation.The important thing is to address the real problem. Could be water pressure from the outside, poor concrete mix, unstable ground under the foundation, improper water protection on the foundation exterior, drainage system.

An exploratory dig down to the footing may reveal a lot of the mystery, just a small area at the worst point of problem. Some of the issues mentioned above would involve the whole foundation and only be apparent now where you have a visible result.

Good luck

Spencer