Interior Step Foundation Wall Bowing in Murphsboro, IL

The step foundation is when a crawl space is dug out to put HVAC and a water heater in the basement area instead of upstairs to gain more space in the living area.  The crack behind the hot water heater worried this Murphysboro, Illinois homeowner because the shorter step wall seemed to be moving inward.  Digging out a crawl space with a step wall is done because digging too close to the original wall footing, which holds the vertical wall in place from settling, would undermine the footing and cause a wall to collapse.  We installed our Foundation Supportworks Geo-Lock™ wall anchors to help straighten the bowing wall.