16 Comments »

1. 

   My basement is wet. The water is coming through my basement walls. Is there a paint that I can put on my walls to stop it? There are also cracks in my wall, but they are not open more than 1/2 inch, should I caulk them to keep the water out? Any recommendations would be appreciated.
   Thanks,
   Simon Sezs

   Comment by Simon — September 22, 2008 @ 8:41 am

2. 

   To answer your first question, there really is no paint that can be applied to interior of your foundation walls to stop leaks. At best it will hide only the appearance of damp spots. If it manages to do this, within a few years the damp block behind the paint will deteriorate and the paint will bubble or flake off. This is why it is not uncommon to find painted basements with 5-10 coats of paint. Once you start painting you have to keep on doing it to make it look nice, and it still won’t stop actual leaks. There are a few types of basement waterproofing that are feasible.
   Any cracks in a foundation wall should be inspected by either an inspector or engineer that is knowledgeable in foundation design and repair. The cracks may be something minor such as shrinkage cracks in poured walls or the cracks could indicate a structural deficiency such as a settling footer or a failed wall that may soon collapse.

   Comment by admin — October 2, 2008 @ 10:26 am

3. 

   I am a very satisfied customer. I had a large crack in my foundation wall. They were able to repair the bowed wall, it now looks like new. They also installed a new sump pump. The employees were very professional and thorough. I would recomend them for any basement waterproofing or structural repair.

   Comment by Marty — November 26, 2008 @ 3:53 pm

4. 

   I have cracks in the corner of my basement wall would carbon fiber straps work well?

   Comment by Bill Myers — November 28, 2008 @ 8:08 am

5. 

   Bill,
   Carbon Fiber Straps are an excellent way to repair basement foundation cracks, however you may need a high quality Pipe Helical to correct the settlement. The wall may have to be reinforced with a Grout Reinforcement. Our experienced estimators will gladly give you a Free Estimate that will address your particular basement foundation problem.

   Comment by admin — December 1, 2008 @ 9:45 am

6. 

   My home is 1/2 on a slab and 1/2 on full foundation
   My slab moved approx 1 1/2 inches causing cracks in the ceiling
   the outside brick did not crack the brick moved along with the footer
   front of pad is approx. 38 ft . How far should piers be placed for a span of 38′

   Comment by Dennis Dzubinski — December 10, 2008 @ 5:51 pm

7. 

   Found this website when looking for information about nail pops.

   My home is about 40 yrs old and I’ve lived in it for 10 yrs. I guess I thought that it had done all the settling that it was going to do. But I’ve seen many nail pops and hearing “popping” sounds throughout the house. And I have hardwood floors, so the floor is a bit squeaky. I thought that it was “typical” sounds until it got a bit frequent. I haven’t heard it much lately, at least not frequent noises. And I haven’t noticed any obvious signs, like buckling walls or anything like that.

   But as I searched for information, now I am thinking that it may be wise to have a professional take a look to see if there are any structural integrity issues. On the parts of the basement walls that are visible (the basement is partially finished), no cracks are present.

   I suppose that this a long winded way of asking if I am overreacting? Are these just typical house sounds that I shouldn’t be so concerned about?

   Thank you and sorry for the long comment.

   Comment by erika — December 11, 2008 @ 12:40 am

8. 

   I am wondering if my foundation is an issue. My basement is partially finished, so I cannot see all the foundation walls. The foundation walls I can see look fine, no cracks or bowing. I also haven’t noticed any extreme things about doors or windows sticking. But my concern came in when I started hearing popping sounds throughout the house, mostly in one area of the house. I also started noticing a lot of nail pops throughout the house. I thought it was regular house noises.

   My question is what other signs should I be looking or listening for that might be a sign of foundation damage?

   Thank you

   Comment by erika — December 11, 2008 @ 2:20 pm

9. 

   Dennis,
   Piers on a typical footer should be approx. 4-6 ft apart. As for the actual slab they should be spaced about every 6-7 ft apart. Slab jacking or pressure grouting should be done in conjunction with the slab piers, this way the void under the slab will be filled

   Comment by admin — December 11, 2008 @ 3:12 pm

10. 

    Erika,
    Sometimes settling of a house can happen even after many years without a problem. This is often due to poor drainage, or a natural change in water flow in the ground. This may be your case. However it could also be a change in the humidity of the house, possibly from the installation of a new HVAC system or dehumidifier.
    Stair step cracks and open mortar joints in the brick or block are the obvious signs of foundation damage. Settlement in the structures corners is another.
    I would recommend getting a professional opinion. Many structural repair companies give free estimates, so it won’t cost anything to have someone take a look. Having a structural engineer to assess the situation may also be a good choice, but may cost a few hundred to a thousand dollars. If you are in our area we can come out and look at your house. We will let you know if they are “typical” sounds or there are foundation problems.

    Comment by admin — December 11, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

11. 

    I live in the middle unit in a townhouse. My townhouse sits about 3 feet above the unit to my right and even with the unit on the left. I bought the unit three years ago and it is 20 years old.

    It is a three story unit and I have all the classic signs of foundation damage in the upper floors. Doors that will not shut properly. Trim that is pulling away from the wall. Uneven floors. Crack in drywall corners and where walls meet ceiling.

    In almost every room on my first floor I have a horizontal line in my drywall. It is a bulge in the drywall.

    Those are the symptoms. I have paid for three structural engineers all of who could not tell me what the problem is. The last one came in August of 2008. They just tell me to wait and see if it gets worse. In my party wall between me and the unit to my right (different grade), a step crack has developed. It is less than a 1/16 of an inch, but it is visible. This is new. It travels about 5 rows of cement block in a step pattern to the middle of the war.

    Is it worth paying for the structural engineer again? I am at wit’s end because I see new interior damage all the time. Any suggestions or advice? I would be most gratefu. I live in western PA, but found your blog when researching my problem. Thank you.

    Comment by James — December 23, 2008 @ 8:55 pm

12. 

    James,
    It is unusual to have three engineers come out and none of them having a clue of what is going on. If the only crack in your foundation is less than one sixteenth of an inch wide; it would be unlikely to be a settlement issue.
    Do you have any posts in your basement that could be sinking? Your in the middle of two other units, they would have to have some of the same problems that you are having. Have you asked them? What do they say? Their basement walls should also be looked at to see if they have any
    serious cracks. It is possible that there is a problem with the framing, are your floors sagging? These could be load bearing walls that do no have sufficient support.
    As far as hiring another engineer, that’s a tough call. If you do have one of them come back or hire another engineer you may want to allow them to do a more invasive investigation by allowing them to cut open areas of your dry wall to inspect your framing. The entire building should be checked with a laser level to see if it is not level. But be careful when interpreting the results from the laser level. Many structures are not built level and a building of your size could have easily been off by an inch or more when it was built. You may want to get some contractors out to see if they can determine the problem. Be careful of disreputable foundation repair companies. Many companies send out “inspectors or technicians” that do not have an extensive background in foundation construction, especially if their company is big into basement waterproofing.
    If a contractor does want to sell you a repair, make sure they provide you with a detailed plan of repair and detailed drawing(s). You should then have an independent licensed engineer not associated with that contractor review the plans and confirm that they have discovered the cause of damage and are proposing the proper repair. Also check out that company with the BBB and avoid giving a down payment until they are starting the job.

    Comment by admin — December 29, 2008 @ 2:34 pm

13. 

    My basement floor is sinking in the middle; it has a crack going down the center. The whole floor is in a V shape. The only level parts of the floor are off of the walls. My basement is about 16ft wide by about 20 to 25ft long.
    Is this something that can be fixing or does it having to be replaced?

    Comment by Bobby — January 20, 2009 @ 11:18 am

14. 

    The best solution for this problem may be slab jacking or helical slab piers. Using these two methods in conjunction is often the best method. Slab jacking is a process where a limestone slurry is pumped underneath your floor with pressure. The basement floor slowly raises to its original level. If the soils are very poor beneath the slab, the helical piles can be driven to a greater depth so that settlement does not reoccur. Just replacing the slab may still result in future settlement. If you live in our service area of PA, MD, or DC call us for a free estimate at
    1-800-822-8880.

    Comment by admin — January 21, 2009 @ 3:33 pm

15. 

    Our home is an end unit in a four unit townhouse. How can you address settling and recurring wall cracks in just our house?

    Comment by Mark — January 30, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

16. 

    Since you are an end unit, and the only unit with reoccuring cracks in your walls, your unit was probably built upon the end of a slope. It is likely that more fill was placed under your unit prior to construction to bring it up to the needed grade. To stop the settlement, either a helical pier or hydraulic pier would be the best solution. They typically drive 14ft to 28ft in our area. It used to be general practice to underpin the foundation with 3ft of additional concrete, however this sometimes does not fix the problem. The fill beneath the townhouse could be 10ft and it would still settle.

    Comment by Admin — February 11, 2009 @ 8:52 am

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