Bowed Walls in Foundation

[Lynne]

Has anyone ever had this problem. We are told 2 different things.

Foundation needs to be dug up all the way around house, we have vertical and horizontal cracks , parged, wrapped with insulation type stuff to waterproof it, strapped to keep it up and replace weeping tiles with PVC and new clear stone and then backfilled and graded.

2nd scenario only half the house done as described above and the footing anchored, wraped , not strapped, and replace weeping tiles with PVC and new clear stone and then backfilled and graded.

The foundation was built in 1954 cement blocks ( by our Father God bless his soul) and only painted with that tar stuff that was evidently only or not even dampproofing stuff.

Has anyone ever had this done can you offer me any advice, and was it successfull. Both companies guarantee 20 yrs but one company says do 1/2 the house the other say all. The all makes sense to me. But I am worried about the footings.

Help please.

[Klaatu]

Lynne,

Bowing unreinforced CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls are a real problem. If the horizontal cracks you mentioned are located along the centerline of the foundation wall and look something like >------< they are definitely bowing. Left as they are it is likely the walls will continue to bow and may eventually fail.

Where are the vertical cracks located? Somewhere near the mid-point of the wall like this? >---|---<

The main cause of the bowing is likely hydrostatic pressure of water in the soil. That is why the contractors are recommending putting in a new perimeter drain around the footing. That will drain water away instead of letting it accumulate and build up pressure against the foundation walls.

How tall are the foundation walls? Are we talking a basement or a crawlspace?

Have the footings moved? If you have a basement is there a concrete slab? (A concrete slab should prevent the bottom of the foundation walls and the footings from moving inward.)

Regardless of what repairs are made you should do the following to keep water away from the foundation walls:

• Install gutters and downspouts (if the house has none).
• Install downspout extensions or underground piping so roof runoff is discharged well away from the foundations.
• Improve the grading all around the house so water will flow away from the foundation walls. (This includes driveways, sidewalks, patios, porches, etc.) Don't forget the grading under decks. Ideally the soil should drop at least 1" per foot for a minimum of 8' from the foundation wall.
• Don't plant vegetation (grass, flowers, shrubs, trees) that needs a lot of watering close to the foundation walls.

[skeezix]

Basement Systems has an excellent low cost sollution for resolving the hydrostatic pressure issue, if that turns out to be the problem. Instead of digging the outside perimeter of the house, and dealing with driveways, landscaping, decks, etc. they can dig an inside the house perimeter drain that allows the water to flow under the wall, and into the inside drain. They can usually guarantee a dry basement and no hyrdrostatic pressure for $5,000-10,000. Check out www.basementsystems.com

The price I got on an equivelent outside drain was $50,000+. And they would have to rip out a huge section of my driveway and garage floor.