Bowing & Buckling Foundation Walls In Greater Ottawa

Identifying & repairing issues related to foundation wall failure

The problem:

Your foundation walls are bowing, buckling or are showing signs of inward movement.

Telltale signs:

• Horizontal or stair-step cracking along the foundation walls
• Diagonal cracking at corners of poured concrete foundation walls
• Inward bowing or bulging along the walls
• Walls sliding inwards on the bottom
• Walls leaning in at the top
• Wet, clay soils around the home coupled with damaged walls
• Expansive clay soils present around the structure

How we can fix it:

Install Foundation Supportworks' PowerBrace™ Wall System or CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System can reinforce and stabilize the wall.

What causes cracked & bowing foundation walls?

The soils around your home can put enormous pressure on foundation walls. The amount of pressure they exert depends on four factors:

1. The type of soil around the foundation
2. The amount of moisture in the soil
3. How far underground the foundation is
4. The temperature conditions

There's constant pressure on your foundation walls from the outside, but the only thing holding up your foundation wall is the wall itself. Hydrostatic pressure, expansive clay soil, and frost can all exert enough pressure to cause walls to lean or even collapse.

Gutters and downspouts can also contribute significantly to foundation problems by allowing large volumes of water to collect in the soil around your structure.

If roof runoff is not directed away from your foundation, the soil around the foundation will become heavier and more expansive as it's saturated with water.

If you would like a free foundation wall repair quote for your home, call or e-mail us today!

When foundation wall anchors won't work

In some cases, a wall anchor system can't be used to repair a bowing wall because the yard outside the house isn't accessible. When we at The Foundation Guys Inc. encounter this kind of problem, we suggest that you install our PowerBrace™ Foundation Wall System or CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System.

The PowerBrace™ System

The PowerBrace™ is a patented foundation wall repair system designed to stabilize failing basement walls and also allow for potential straightening over time.

This product is a great option when access to the yard outside of the home is not possible and bowing, buckling wall problems need to be solved.

The PowerBrace™ is an I-beam system that has several advantages over traditional "old school" systems.

This includes its rust-resistant zinc coating and a design that makes it possible not only to stabilize bowing walls, but also to straighten these walls over a period of time.

Installation of a PowerBrace™ system can be conducted quickly in your home, with no disruption to your lawn, gardens, foliage, or other landscaping.

Learn more about the PowerBrace™ System.

CarbonArmor® stabilizes cracked & bowing foundation walls with high-tech carbon fiber

When soil pressure causes a foundation wall to bow inward and crack, one solution is to stabilize and strengthen the wall using CarbonArmor® bracing technology.

The CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System relies on the exceptional strength of carbon fiber fabric – 10 times stronger than steel.

Concrete is strong in compression, enabling a foundation wall to withstand extreme downward pressure. But concrete is weak in tension. A foundation wall can’t stretch or bend in response to sideways soil pressure, so cracking and bowing problems sometimes develop.

When installed against a foundation wall with special structural epoxy, CarbonArmor® fabric is exceptionally strong in tension. This reinforcement treatment enables a cracked or bowed foundation to withstand soil pressure without sustaining further damage.

CarbonArmor® repairs can be made quickly and affordably, and this low-profile repair is easily hidden with a coat of paint.

Learn more about the CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System.

What NOT to do

A foundation repair is a big job -- something you definitely only want to do once! When you're repairing your foundation, beware of expensive options that will not actually fix your problem -- and watch out for quick solutions that just don't work.

Total foundation replacement:

To undertake a job like this, you have to excavate the entire perimeter of your foundation -- including gardens, shrubbery, sidewalks, and other landscaping.

Next, the house is jacked up, and the floor slab and foundation walls are removed. Finally, the foundation is rebuilt, the house is repositioned and the soil is replaced.

This solution is extremely disruptive, expensive, and time consuming. What's worse, it's not really addressing the issue that caused the damage in the first place!

Your foundation isn't the problem -- the soil is! When you're done building that brand new foundation, you can count on the soil to press just as hard on the new walls. This will cause them to be damaged -- just like it did to the ones that preceded them.

If you're going to invest money in repairing your foundation, choose the solution that is not disruptive and will be warrantied for 25 years.

Looking for foundation wall repair experts in Ontario?

At The Foundation Guys Inc., we're proud to provide warrantied solutions that will permanently solve issues with bowing, buckling foundation walls.

We provide free, no-obligation foundation wall repair estimates to homeowners throughout our Ontario service area. Each estimate is made in person, on site, and is presented in writing.

Our service area includes Orleans, Nepean, Ottawa, and nearby areas such as Gloucester, Kanata, Smiths Falls, Richmond, Vanier, Renfrew, Carleton Place. Call or e-mail us today!

Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.