Foundation Repair Case Studies: More Than Just a House
Challenge
Alan is a homeowner in Shawnee, KS. He noticed a large crack in his foundation wall that he grew concerned about. Within the past year, Alan had lost his wife. He and his wife had shared the majority of their marriage in this home, therefore it held many memories that he didn't want to let go of. Alan knew that this would continue to be his long-term home, so it was extremely important to him to keep the home in good shape.
One of our service design specialists, Dominic, came out to Alan's home to take a look at the crack in his foundation wall. Dominic discovered that the crack began at the home's egress window and moved down to his basement floor. And why did this happen? Hydrostatic pressure on the wall for many years had caused it to deflect in addition to the cracking that Alan found.
The wall was in stage 2 of wall failure. In stage 2 of wall failure, stair-step cracking starts to appear near wall concerns. Corners are the most common place for cracking to start, which indicates that a foundation wall is starting to bow inward. This is a clear sign that the problem is only getting worse and that it will need repair. Click here to learn more about the four stages of foundation wall failure.
Solution
Our solution to Alan's problem was GeoLock wall anchors. The GeoLock anchor system permanently stabilizes foundation walls and can potentially straighten them back toward their original position. The way it works is by earth anchors embedded in stable soil away from the foundation wall are connected to steel anchors with long, galvanized rods. The anchors hold the wall securely in its position after it's tightened. The system can also be tightened over dry seasons, meaning you can move the wall back to its original position over time.
We installed four GeoLock wall anchors to Alan's deflecting wall. Our team decided to use GeoLocks for this job because there were too many obstructions in the floor joists above the broken wall. Additionally, there was plenty of space on the exterior of the wall that allowed for a much easier installation of the GeoLocks.
Service Design Specialist, Dominic, said "What makes this project stand out is the emotional connection the customer had to his home because of the memories he shared there with his late wife. I got the sense from him that maintaining the home was in honor of her and was his obligation to make sure he treated the home and his wife well."
Alan's foundation is now stable and he stated that he was "very confident in the solution to his foundation wall problem." If you think your foundation walls need GeoLocks, click here to get a free estimate.
Project Summary
Bowing Walls: GeoLock Wall Anchors
