SwainCo. Foundation Wall Anchors for bowed foundation walls in Indianapolis, Indiana and the surrounding areas.

Why Do I Have A Bowing Foundation Wall?

Bowed foundation walls in Indiana are a very common problem for many Indiana basement homeowners who have a block foundation wall. Block foundation walls will bow due to soil pressure on the exterior of the foundation walls. This is because most, if not all, of the soil surrounding your home block foundation wall, is filled with soil. When your home was built a large hole was dug into the ground. Your home's foundation and your home itself were built in this hole in the ground. Once the home was built and the exterior of the foundation walls were tar sealed and/or waterproofed, builders then backfilled the soil back up against the foundation wall and up to the proper grade of the existing soil. Due to Indiana soil being mostly made up of clay, this soil will expand when it gets wet during heavy rains. This back-filled soil expands and by doing so puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the block foundation wall and the undisturbed soil that sits anywhere from 3’-5’ away from your home's foundation. When the pressure from this soil expansion is strong enough, it will literally push on the block foundation wall causing it to bow. The soil then settles and drops during the dry times and repeats the process again during wet periods. If this is allowed to continue, the pressure from the soil can and will eventually cause the entire block foundation wall to come crashing into your basement.