Repair Your Bowed Walls

If you notice bowing walls in your home, you could have foundation settlement issues. The severity of bowing walls can vary, but even a slightly bowed wall can put a lot of pressure on your home’s structure and compromise its integrity. It’s best to get your walls inspected right away to get them repaired before they become worse.  

Contact our experts at American Foundation & Waterproofing to see why we have become one of the most sought-out companies throughout Tennessee, western North Carolina, and north Georgia. We’ll walk you through the entire process during your free inspection! 

What Is a Bowing Foundation Wall?

While you might think a bowing foundation wall is curving outward, the opposite is true. As you stand in your basement, if you notice the wall is bulging or curving towards you, this is called inward deflection.

You will also see cracks forming in a bowing wall due to the stress this causes to the concrete. The cracks can be horizontal or vertical. In some cases, you might see cracks in multiple directions when the bowing becomes more severe. The cracks usually expand in moist or rainy weather.

What Causes a Foundation Wall to Bow?

There are a few reasons your home’s foundation might start to bow. While our solutions will address this problem regardless of the cause, it may help you understand why bowing occurs. If you recognize any of these issues on your property, ask us to provide preventative measures rather than waiting for your foundation walls to bow.

As the soils in the ground shift from changing weather conditions, they can put an immense amount of pressure on your foundation walls. Soils can expand as they become wet and push against your walls, causing them to bow or buckle. As a result, you may notice your walls start to bow, bulge, or even crack in certain spots. 

Hydrostatic Pressure

As the soil around your home becomes saturated with rainwater, it becomes heavier and denser. This creates excess pressure against the walls of your foundation. Over time, that pressure will force your walls to bend inwards or bow.

Frozen Soil

Even if it doesn’t snow, the temperatures may drop low enough to cause the soil around your home to freeze. The soil will expand and push against your foundation walls when this happens. This is another way external weather conditions can cause the walls to bow.

Extreme Weight

Your home’s driveway should be located several feet away from the foundation. This is because extreme weight placed on the soil close to your home creates unwanted pressure. Over time, heavy machinery or a parked vehicle can add enough weight to compact and shift the soil. As a result, your foundation walls will start to buckle.