Expert Basement Repair

              Right now is the best time to consider scheduling foundation and stabilization  repairs... Beginning in late April the weather gives us guys in the trenches somewhat of a break. The ground starts to dry out. Coming and going through your yard doesn't tear up your lawn like it does when everything is wet and saturated. Your wall cracks have started to close up as much as they are ever going to this year because the hydrostatic pressure outside is much less in drier weather. When things start getting wet again the walls are going to start moving inward again...and perhaps become even worse. It's also easier to do this kind of work when you aren't freezing and you can come and go inside without losing all your heat! Adhesives and sealants and waterproofing products perform and install better when warm.

Prices are as low as they are ever going to be! Many vendors are struggling to keep their crews busy...and even to keep their doors open. ( especially the ones with high overhead ) You'll see the best prices that will ever be available...but not for much longer. Have you been putting off your basement repairs? A lot of people have, and I'll tell you why it's not a good idea. Everyone knows the economy is tough right now and we're all wondering what's going to happen. Well the fact is that things are going to be slow for a while. You might as well get used to it. One thing that isn't going to wait for the economy to turn around is your foundation!

Cracked walls and wet walls do not get better with time. The problems are not going to go away. They will continue to get worse and in turn be more costly to repair in the future. Wall cracks will grow wider over time causing more and more damage. Wet walls breed mold, mildew and nasty odors. Concrete block will rot and become brittle when subjected to years of water saturation. Summer is the absolute best time to do this type of repair.

The economy will come back...it always has and always will. When it does prices will go back up quickly, especially if oil prices increase as Fortress epoxy is a byproduct of oil. Prices will also soon be affected by the devestation in Japan as many of the products used in our industry are now shut down or diminished in manufacturing capacity. If you spend money on nothing else invest it in your home. You'll never go wrong making needed repairs that will prevent further damage and problems at the best prices that you'll likely never see again in the future.

This is what I'd do for my home if I needed to.  By the way, I'm closely and personally involved in every job we do.  Best wishes, jim.

This is a picture (click on image to enlarge) of a wall anchor and a Fortress carbon fiber grid strap. The reason both repair products are in this picture is that the wall anchors weren't working very well and wall movement needed to be stopped. With a wet rainy spring last year the wall anchors had slipped inward through the wet clay soil. The wall had continued to bow inward inbetween the monthly required tightening maintainence on the anchor plates. The other problem was that the wall anchors had done nothing to prevent the bottom of the wall from shearing at the second from bottom block and sliding inward on two out of three walls. We removed the anchor plates long enough to install Fortress carbon fiber grids and then reinstalled the plates for a day until the carbon epoxy had fully cured.

The wall anchors are really better suited for installations on solid poured concrete walls. When these anchors are installed on cement block walls you are only addressing wall movement around the immediate area of the wall plate...four or five blocks, not stabilization of the top or bottom of the wall. There should not only be concerns with the wall shearing at the bottom block but concerns with punching shear, where the block actually snaps and breaks around the anchor plate when the anchor doesn't slip. These are all problems related to "point loading", which is anchoring a small amount of surface area on a wall in an attempt to stop the inward movement. When hydrostatic soil pressure is a major factor related to your inward wall movement you really need to give your choice of wall stabilization more consideration.You can even point load your wall when you install large "sheets" of carbon fiber fabric. Unless the fabric installations extend down all the way to the floor you are not addressing the area of the wall which has the highest amount of pressure on it...the very bottom of the wall where the second block up is not locked in by the floor. Because the wall had sheared in several areas we had to compliment the carbon fiber installation with a rod and grout repair at the bottom of the wall in these areas.

We suggest you do your homework before you spend your hard earned money.  Ask tougher questions of the nice folks who come out to see you and see what kind of answers you get. If you know what kind of questions to ask and what to look for it will be much more obvious which contractor you want making your repairs. It will be time and money well spent.

Jim: P.S. here's another great site to learn more:   www.basementquestions.com check them out when you're done with us!

During these days of plummeting home sales and resale value, many homeowners are opting to remodel and stay in their current homes. Here are the national averages for project costs and the return on those investments when the house is sold about a year later.

Does your humidifier run all the time? If so it can indicate potential problems down the road. Generally  a  humidifier which runs often indicates high levels of moisture in the air. This is normally associated with excess moisture coming into the basement through the walls or floor.

Concrete and block walls and concrete floors can and do  wick up moisture. This moisture will work its way into your basement over time. Mold in the corners or along the bottom of the wall may show up.

Quite often clogged, broken, crushed or failing draintile will allow water to build up around the basement causing moisture issues. Given enough time, your walls can be damaged by swelling soil and hydrostatic pressure. Don't ignore a humidifier that runs all the time!