Bowing Walls
Are your foundation walls starting to bow inward or buckle? If so, Regional Foundation & Crawl Space Repair in Raleigh can help.
Bowing foundation walls are caused by hydrostatic pressure and expansive soils. These forces push inward on your foundation walls from the outside. Your foundation walls will do their best to hold the pressure back, but eventually, they will succumb and buckle inward. The telltale signs of extreme horizontal forces include the following:
- Stair-step cracking on foundation walls
- Diagonal cracking found at the corners of poured concrete foundation walls
- Foundation walls bowing inward
- Foundation walls leaning inward at the top
- Expansive soils surrounding the home
If your foundation walls are bowing inward, don’t hesitate to call Regional Foundation & Crawl Space Repair for help. We offer foundation crack repair in Raleigh and install wall anchors on bowing walls.
Causes of Cracked and Bowing Foundation Walls
Your foundation walls can be significantly affected by the type of soil surrounding your home. If that soil is expansive, like clay, moisture can become a dangerous thing. Clay expands dramatically when exposed to water.
When a heavy storm passes through or the area floods, the soil surrounding your home can absorb all of that extra moisture. The high-water content will cause the ground to expand and press inward on your foundation walls.
If the temperature is low and that water freezes, the soil volume will increase and press in on your foundation walls. Over time, these extreme forces will cause your foundation walls to push inward and eventually collapse.
Gutters and downspouts are also significant contributors as they can deposit large volumes of water directly into the soil without proper drainage. Roof runoff that isn’t directed away from your foundation will saturate the earth, causing it to expand and become heavier.
Fixing Your Foundation Walls
With Supportworks Geo-Lock™ Wall Anchors installed on bowing walls in your Raleigh home, the clamping pressure offered by the system will create lasting stability and can restore the walls to their original positions. If space is an issue, we recommend the PowerBrace™ Wall System or CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System to provide lasting support in tight areas.
