bowed basement walls
things you should know
Bowed walls are one of the clearest signs that a basement wall is failing. This defect is typically caused by expansion of the surrounding soil or by water collecting in the ground and pressing against the basement wall. If left unrepaired, bowed basement walls will eventually collapse inward, flooding the basement with wet soil and threatening the entire structure’s stability.
Older homes are at a greater risk for bowed basement walls because of their age and because they were typically built using inferior construction materials. It’s not uncommon to see this type of failure with unreinforced masonry products like brick, hollow block, and mortared rocks, but under certain circumstances even newer homes can develop this problem. Regardless of your home’s age, if a basement wall begins to bow, it should be addressed immediately.
traditional solutions for bowed walls
Repairing a bowed basement wall is major undertaking and homeowners typically have only a few available options. They include:
- Wall Anchors: Contractors can reinforce a bowed basement wall by installing braces which are attached to anchors set in more solid earth away from your home.
- Basement Wall Bracing: In some cases, bowed basement walls can be braced using materials like steel i beams, pressure-treated lumber, or carbon fiber sheeting.
- Complete Foundation Repair: This remedy is the most labor-intensive and involves excavating the soil away from the bowed wall, jacking up the home, demolishing the failing wall, and pouring a brand new concrete wall foundation.
While these methods are all effective for providing support against soil pressure, they’re expensive and time consumer. They also do nothing to protect against vertical pressure, or the pressure from other natural forces like strong winds or earthquakes. Fortunately, there’s now a better solution.
nuwal repairs bowed basement walls
NuWal is a patented engineering system that connects your floor joists to galvanized steel beams encased in concrete footings. Much like traditional repair methods, NuWal provides support from soil pressures. But because NuWal also includes chevron and x-style lateral bracing between vertical beams, the system also supports against vertical pressure and the pressure caused by wind and earthquakes. That’s something other repair methods just can’t do.
NuWal components are made with a proprietary process that forms i beams out of sheet metal. The resulting beams have all the strength of traditional hot rolled steel i beams but weigh half as much. That means your NuWal support system will be incredibly strong. But it will also be much less expensive than more traditional repair systems because it uses less material and can be installed in as little as 2 to 3 days.
The NuWal system is flexible. It works with a wide variety of foundation types including brick, concrete, concrete masonry block, clay masonry block, or stone and can be configured around architectural features like window wells and staircases. Once the NuWal is installed, homeowners can hang sheetrock over the steel beams to create a brand new finished wall.
If you’re interested in learning how the NuWal system can save your bowed basement walls and save you money along the way, contact us today. You can reach NuWal System by phone at (360)-566-7343 or by filling out the form on our contact page.