Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Concrete Block Basement is Bowing inward
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Concrete Block Basement is Bowing inward
black95gt
03-09-07, 02:32 PM
This has probably been addressed before, but I am looking at a fixer upper house that is aproximatly 1200sf. The basement has about 2inches of water in it ( the gutters are bad and will be replaced). The both Block walls on the longer sides of the house are bowing in and will need to be stablized or straightend out. i know there are several ways to fix this but what some of you here recomend? I am thinking about doing the Thrasher anchoring system. Has anybody done this before? My big issue is the cost using this method. Does anybody have a ballpark figure on this? I would guess about 50LF will need to be secured between the two walls.
Another option my engineer told me was to brace it with a 2x6 wall. Do this by anchoring a sill plate to the concrete and bolt the top plate to the exposed rafters. He said this would stop it from bowing more, but obviously wouldnt fix the problem. Then i could sheetrock over that to cover it up
the next thing would be to waterproof the basement. What would my options here be? Im not planing on finishing the basement, but want to solve the problem as cheap as possible. I have a price in mind for this house, but whatever its going to cost to fix this basement problem is going to have to be deducted from the cost of the house
Another option my engineer told me was to brace it with a 2x6 wall. Do this by anchoring a sill plate to the concrete and bolt the top plate to the exposed rafters. He said this would stop it from bowing more, but obviously wouldnt fix the problem. Then i could sheetrock over that to cover it up
the next thing would be to waterproof the basement. What would my options here be? Im not planing on finishing the basement, but want to solve the problem as cheap as possible. I have a price in mind for this house, but whatever its going to cost to fix this basement problem is going to have to be deducted from the cost of the house
Concretemasonry
03-09-07, 03:19 PM
You are facing a major investment, especially if you are intending to sell it soon. If you are planning to live in it for a while, how far you are willing to go is up to you.
Do not let the selling realtor tell you it will be OK if you push the wall back and fix the gutters - that is a risky expense gamble and story.
Your problem may have been precipitated by the gutter problem, but the real cause is the poor backfill that is exerting high lateral pressures. Do not think the gutter repairs will solve or prevent future problems. Obviously, you will not be able to straighten the wall without removing some soil, no matter what the "anchor" system salesmen say.
The best way to fix everything would be to remove the backfill and wall and rebuild it. Doing this is would be a good time to put in a proper drain tile system along with good backfill.
Doing a temporary brace and covering it up with a stick wall would be discivered by any prudent buyer. In any event, you would be forced to declare it on declaration form when you go to sell. Declaring a problem solved with a properly built new wall may actualy be an asset when you sell.
Any home inspector hired by a potential buyer will easily recognize any problems, changes and attempted methods of repair.
Anchor system "patch jobs" are cheaper and have a very wide range of reliability depending on the contractor and the conditions. Whatever anchor is installed is subject to the quality of the soil around your house. If you close the cheap way, make sure you get a tight guarantee from a reputable contractor that has an established track record.
In any event, hire an independant structural engineer to give you an impatrtial opinion and several options. - Cheap insurance before buying.
Dick
Do not let the selling realtor tell you it will be OK if you push the wall back and fix the gutters - that is a risky expense gamble and story.
Your problem may have been precipitated by the gutter problem, but the real cause is the poor backfill that is exerting high lateral pressures. Do not think the gutter repairs will solve or prevent future problems. Obviously, you will not be able to straighten the wall without removing some soil, no matter what the "anchor" system salesmen say.
The best way to fix everything would be to remove the backfill and wall and rebuild it. Doing this is would be a good time to put in a proper drain tile system along with good backfill.
Doing a temporary brace and covering it up with a stick wall would be discivered by any prudent buyer. In any event, you would be forced to declare it on declaration form when you go to sell. Declaring a problem solved with a properly built new wall may actualy be an asset when you sell.
Any home inspector hired by a potential buyer will easily recognize any problems, changes and attempted methods of repair.
Anchor system "patch jobs" are cheaper and have a very wide range of reliability depending on the contractor and the conditions. Whatever anchor is installed is subject to the quality of the soil around your house. If you close the cheap way, make sure you get a tight guarantee from a reputable contractor that has an established track record.
In any event, hire an independant structural engineer to give you an impatrtial opinion and several options. - Cheap insurance before buying.
Dick