Woods Basement Systems, Inc. Case Studies: Leaking & Bowing Basement Walls Repaired in Ballwin, MO

Challenge

This 35 year-old home in Ballwin, Missouri had two bowing walls and several leaking wall cracks that would have made crack injections impossible. Groundwater seepage was also a problem, leaking in at the floor/wall joint.  The homeowner being a retired engineer, he requested three separate inspections by three separate companies and had each company provided him with a quote for repairing the foundation and waterproofing his basement. The homeowner called System Design Specialist Rich Obermeier several times over a three-week period with great questions. After much research, he called Rich and asked Woods Basement Systems to complete the project.

Solution

The goal of the project was to straighten the bowing basement walls, address the leaking wall cracks, and keep the basement dry all the time.  To straighten the walls, Woods Basement Systems installed the Foundation SupportWorks Geo-Lock™ Wall Anchor System.  Each wall anchor consists of a galvanized anchor rod that runs from the basement interior to exterior soil.  On each end of the rod, galvanized steel plates are fastened and tightened.  As the anchor nuts are tightened, the plate on the interior is drawn toward the anchor resting in the exterior virgin soil—straightening the wall.

To address the leaking wall cracks, Woods Basement Systems lined the basement walls with the CleanSpace vapor barrier.  The vapor barrier also acts as a wall drain; so when it's installed in conjunction with the patented WaterGuard drainage system that runs along the perimeter, the vapor barrier drains wall leaks into the WaterGuard and away to the sump pump.  The owner also chose to install a two-pump system designed for double the pumping power during heavy rain, with one of the pumps also serving as a backup in case of primary pump failure.

Rich met with the owner upon completion of the job and was glad to hear how happy the owner was with the project.  The owner was particularly impressed with how neat and clean the installation crew left his property.  He also shared that what really made a difference and was the ultimate reason he chose Woods Basement Systems was Rich's ability to answer his questions with confidence.

Project Summary

System Design Specialist: Rich Obermeier

Project Foreman: Melvin Foster

Technician: Garth Weihl