Bowed Basement walls: Straightening & Sealing 

Good luck on your project.

Thank you. This job was tough, however I do prefer to work alone...even on the big projects.

These types of solutions are pretty popular here on the plains. I assume we approve this because otherwise many homes would simply be condemned since the homeowner can't afford replacing the foundation. As for why we have so many foundation issues, my understanding (not an engineer) is that the soil has a lot of clay and we also have a huge temperature difference from summer to winter (100F to -20). So the rapid soil changes put a lot of stress on the foundation before we even consider water. Based on my 1920 home, I assume these solutions can only last so long and go so far. My home had similar mitigation done for its cinder block foundation at some point in its life, but the wall isn't very straight anymore. I'd replace it, but the house doesn't have enough potential to justify such a big expense. Bad floorplan, small lot, and not a good school district. Besides the foundation, to really be improved the house would need the roof brought up a few feet and have an addition. It was slapped together in 1920 and used as a rental for about 20 years, so it suffers from a floorplan that doesn't have many renovation options besides an addition. Neighborhood is great though and I'll feel bad when I finally do move on.

@@WxFly11 I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank you for such a thorough response. When a foundation is at that point here the we rebuild it. There is little option to do anything else in the north east. I know local municipalities are relaxing their guidelines so maybe this is an option here already. Clay is the worst thing to dig but awesome for fill if you are doing a closed loop geothermal system

This is some good conversation. Thanks for adding value. I recently had a cinder block wall quoted to be replaced the total cost was about 11k on a 1000sq ft house. I ended up digging up and adding beams. Pushed back into place for about 3k. I really consider having it replaced but I think all 4 walls really need replaced. Water trees and clay are definitely some big factors for basements. I’ve been getting all water away from houses with underground drainage that goes out to the street. Thanks for watching.

Thanks.

Good tips!! Drilled bottom of blocks and used old clay tiles that go to sump pump. Exterior of wall was dug up and sealed from outside.

Thanks. I’ve used concrete stakes for form building in the past. In the video they are solid 3/4 in steel rod about 3 ft long. If u have a really bad wall the best way is to dig it up on the outside. Then push it back into place. Seal it from the outside. Good luck on your project.

GIOVANNI FILANGERI Yeah I have. I’ve never had any luck with bottle jacks like O’conor uses. That’s why I went with the screw jacks instead. I made a few videos on basements. Planning to make some more in the future. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. Sorry I’m not sure. I’ve never worked on any stone foundations. Wish I could be more help.

PowerBrace the wall inside.....assuming less than 3" of deflection.

I chose not to fill the outside with gravel because I had a ton of dirt I really didn't know what to do with, but filling it with gravel is definitely an option. As far as spacing for the I-beams, I do eye ball it. I like to place the beam at an angle so the top is closer than the bottom because I will be applying pressure to the wall at the bottom moving the wall back into place. With badly bowed walls you may have to readjust the beam and add spacers between the 4x4 and the beam. This is a good question. Thinking I will add a better explanation in future videos. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. The dimple board made me feel better when backfilling that I wasn't going to damage the membrane. It also directs water down to the perimeter drain and creates an air gap between the foundation and the dirt. Probably wasn't needed but after digging that much I thought WHY NOT!

I like rapid set concrete but dries fast really fast. So I use set control. I cut a piece of metal to go between concrete and beam. Never wanted to only rely on concrete only.

No, I only dug up one wall and the pipe/water would have had no where to go. I did add gravel and am planning to replace interior drain that goes to the sump pump. I’ve been busy and haven’t gotten to the interior drain yet. Video to come.

Hi, I purchased my beams from Alro steel. I recommend for your area to type steel in google maps. The 4 inch I beams a year ago ran about $85 to $100 per beam, price depends on how much you order. Thanks for watching

Caesar M 4inch I beams #13. If I remember correctly the #13 mean 13 lbs per square inch.

The 2x8 are about 20 to 24 inches long.

Maybe look for local companies that do basement work. Sorry I'm a bit far from you. Haha

I dug this with a shovel. Wouldn’t recommend it. Spent most of the day digging. It was a lot of work but I was stuck at home due to covid so nothing else better to do then dig up your foundation. Haha

@@handylandlord wow! Definitely hard work

I’ve only ever used 4” I beams. I’d recommend talking to the metal distributor. I use alro steel.

Caesar M I’m not sure. I buy the beams from a place called Alro. I live in Ohio. Maybe search Alro not sure if they have multiple locations.

Caesar M No problem. I will try to help with any questions you have. Good luck on your project.

This is a cinder block wall. I’ve never moved a brick wall.

Yes, the beams are the corrective measures for bowing walls, but like anything proper installation is key as well as keeping water away from the house. A few things to look for: the spacing between the beams and the block wall behind, look at the outside grade to make sure it is going away from the house, inspect the gutters and downspouts, look for large trees near the exterior of the house and note if the basement seems wet. I would also check to see if the basement had a sump pump that is in good working condition.

@@handylandlord a large tree would bring humidity for the basement?

@@caioribeiro8582 if large trees are around the house, they will have an impact on the house foundation. Thanks for watching.

@@handylandlord hey man, how much spacing behind the I Beam? I moved into a house that has I beams all around the foundation of the basement. Im working on grading next month, gutters are good. Getting minimal leaks but I’m sure there’s still a lot of pressure. Looks like the bottom of the I beams are against the wall but the tops have small gaps in them that look like the company who installed them grouted/cemented behind. Thanks

@@ThePikmin18 The spacing will vary behind the beam depending on how they were installed. It also depends on if your wall was bowed or leaning. It’s good that they filled the space between the block and the beam. This helps the beam to have contact with the wall from top to bottom. I would recommend to be sure that the beams are tied in good at the floor joist. Grading is definitely an issue. It’s important to get the water away. Hopefully this helped.

Fingers crossed you get it. The contractors I’ve used in the past have charged $375 per beam. This includes price of the beam and install. Most beams are placed about every 4 to 5 ft. Excavation of the exterior normally runs about $1000 per wall for a 1000 sq ft property. Hope this helps.

@@handylandlord Thank you SO much for replying! Such valuable information and I learned a lot to maybe not be so intimidated about structural issues. Ugh.... Just got word we were bid out;-( This market is on fire!!

Im in the same scenario. Buying a home with a bowing wall . Your video and this reply really helped me Thanks a lot

@@caioribeiro8582 hey man you buy the house with that?

If you have bowing basement walls it's a must have.

Yes, a lot of factors go into if the wall will move back. The outside has to be excavated to try to move the wall back into place. If u just install beams and to not excavate outside this will help support the wall from further movement.

Most people tell me I don’t need a costume to be wolverine for Halloween. Haha

Yeah I did it by myself. I’ve paid to have a few basement walls straightened before and it’s very expensive. Thanks for watching.

Bowing Basement Wall Repair | I beam Install ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5sptzuXWPqs.html Maybe another vid u would like to