Bowing Basement Walls

If you have a cinder block wall that is bowing, leaning, or cracked, we can offer multiple solutions.

Bowing basement walls are a common problem in residential foundation repair. In many areas, including Atlanta, Athens, and North Georgia, basements were built from hollow 8" or 12" CMU block. While these walls can support the weight of the house sitting on them, they often fail under lateral pressure (forces that push the wall).

In the case of a block wall, the first signs of damage are often a horizontal crack that appears in the top 1/2 to top 1/3 of the wall, which may stair-step near either end of the wall. This horizontal crack is usually due to hydrostatic water pressure building up on the exterior and pushing the wall inward. Block walls are typically the primary candidates to bow and have a horizontal crack like the one seen in the picture at the top of the page.

At Foundation Worx, one of our most frequent repairs is a block wall that is failing due to water issues. Since we solve both foundation issues and waterproofing, we can provide a full solution to save your wall and prevent water from entering or reduce the pressure on the wall. We call this Full-Service Foundation Repair because each house acts as a system, and each approach must consider all factors, not just the water or the foundation crack/failure.

If you think you have a bowing wall problem, leaning wall, or stair-step cracks in your basement wall, call our office at 404.662.2454, and we will come to evaluate your options.

Some common options for basement wall repair include:

• Carbon Fiber Reinforcing Strips
• Helical Tieback Anchors
• Wall Plates
• Soldier Beams (not often used since the introduction of Carbon Fiber)
• Reinforced/Engineered wood-framed wall (not often used).
• Wall Replacement

In any of these cases, supporting the wall is only half the battle. A full repair involves addressing the problem that caused the wall to bow in the first place. This may include grading, drainage, gutter and downspout reconfiguration, and waterproofing systems.