Basement repair opinions

[Lusox]

I have some basement issues that I need to address and am posting here because of the wide range of knowledge of the people who frequent this forum.
Short descriprtion of issues:
Block basement from 1968
Slight seepage in a couple of places at the base of 2 of the walls
1 of the walls is pushing in at the top about 1" causing some crack lines in the block wall.
I have two profeesional opinions.
One involves busting out a few blocks and pouring concrete in to essentially make the pushed in wall a solid block. This doesn't straighten the wall but "should" prevent further movement.
The other from "RaiseRite" involves installing external hardware and pulling the walls straight. Any feedback on RaiseRite as a contracter would be appreciated.

The seepage at the bottom is (I think) unrelated and I think that the ground around the areas needs to be removed, the drain tiles inspected and freshened up.
Any knowledge that I can gain here would be great. I'm no part of a mason - can fish though...
Lusox

[Work Release]

Well, last time I gave advise here, I got smackdaddy'd , but what the heck, I'll give you just a bit of feedback on your situation. I'm a firm believer in correcting problems, not covering them up. Your option "A"...I'll be polite here....isn't the best of options. Option "B" is, however there's a few things to consider/look at. How long has the wall been shoved in ? Also, have you put a long level and straight edge from floor up in that area ? I can't vouch for raiserite, but that system has been around a long time and fixed some problems much more serious than yours. It comes with some caveats tho'...will screw up some of your yard, and with most of those type systems they will jack your house slightly, then pull it out (the wall), then drop it back down. On occasion, this leads to some cracking of the interior drywall...generally nothing major at all, just some minor mud work and touch up painting.
As far as your seep problem, I'll leave that one alone.

[went522]

You want to get this fixed asap...Ask "Leechboy" what a little seapage, light bowing of the wall turns in to...I just got done with a basement repair at his place. The leaking, cracked block, bowing wall finally gave...3 yards of saturated clay, broken block in his basement, 20' of wall caved in...Not good!!

The repair consisted of..supporting and lifting that side of the house 1/2", digging up the exterior, removing the caved block, toothing out the remaining block, new block work, rebar, core fill, set the house back down, water proof, new egress, and backfill with pea rock. Interior...drylock, reframe, electrical, insulate, rock and finish. Not a quick job, not cheap. It could have been taken care of years prior for a fraction of the cost..."it's fine" doesn't cut when it comes to foundation, so your getting after it is a good idea!!

Your case sounds very similiar in that the drain tile doesn't sound like it's doing it's job. Probably backfilled with clay or other material that doesn't allow drainage and or proper drainage away from the house. I don't like the first option, "just core fill". The wall is already bowing so there is pressure there, probably saturated soil, that needs to be taken care of with proper fill that allows drainage. The drain tile is probably good, drain water just can't get there.

Raiserite is a better option...dig up the basment, pull the walls straight, tuck all the joints, core fill and set back down. Inspect the drain tile, and back fill with pearock so you have drainage. With this fix you shouldn't have any other issues if done right. You might want to also get a bid from a mason...what will he charge to pull the block, tooth it out, reset and core fill?? He may be cheaper than Raiserite and the block will be properly set rather than "pulled straight" and tucked.

Whatever you decide in the end...make sure you have drainage. This was the root of your problem.

BIRDDOG

[REW]

In addition to what Birddog has mentioned - check out the entire grade of all of your property.

Many folks end up having issues like you have because some part of the home owners property slopes - toward the house and or has a low spot near the house which collects drainage.

In addition to checking the drains, drain field etc. make sure that the overall drainage of your property is correct. i.e. any rain or snow that falls should be routed away from the buildings in such a manner that there are no low spots and that the moisture be drained away quickly.

This in addtion to everything else that Birddog mentioned.

Take care
REW

[Lusox]

I agree that "option A" is just a bandaid. I intend to do whatever is needed to completely fix the problems so that I never have to address them again. Not gonna be cheap, but we've been here 25 years and sooner or later any home will need some cash put in.
As far as grading goes, it's as good as I can make it - great on two sides, OK to the south and compromised to the west so that I have to use an extended downspout. I can't improve it to the west unless I could remove a foot of ground from a neighbors field. The house was simply built too low with an 11 course basement - should have been 12.
The cure to the minor seepage is digging all the way down, making the french drain system good and cleaning up the mess.
All said and done, I'll end up an expert on yet another thing that I don't want to be an expert on.

Thanks for the responses.

Lusox

[mac]

I know how you feel about being an expert on something you didn't want to know about in the first place. My parents house was built on what was a lowland filled in and they had a sump pump that ran for a couple of months after a wet spring but it took care on all the problems in their poured concrete basement.

[Sparkyd]

There is a company here in central Iowa that is into basement wall repair. Their website is
www.anchoredwalls.com I have seen several homes that have utilized their system and all have worked well. I'm not sure they are in your area but you could give them a call and get advice. The web site shows how they go about it... Good luck.. Dave

[2Labs]

Take a look at this thread.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums...asement+repair

[Lusox]

I followed the fresh links since my last post. Many thanks.
I'm getting smarter and it's going to help a lot as I get through this deal.

What you don't have in your head, you better have in your back or your wallet.

Lusox

[KP]

Like REW said, check the slope and pitch all around the house to see if you are drawing water there. Clogged gutters can overflow and cause water to enter the house. Downspouts should have 8 foot extensions to get water away from the house.

For the basement walls, you could consider an FRP solution. A fiberglass or even stronger carbon fiber system can be installed easily on your wall to create external reinforcement and strengthening. It's very common in structural repairs these days.

I used to represent these guys in the industrial market. http://www.strongholdbasements.com/