Before & After Photos

When this customer’s retaining basement wall in Whitehall, MI started bowing, she gave us a call. The long horizontal crack running through the wall is a huge tip that the wall is bowing inward. Originally, she planned to have both the bowing wall and leaking floor taken care of. But after a snafu with the insurance company, she was forced to pick just one of the problems to address.  Our system design specialist warned the owner that if her foundation wasn’t saved, she soon wouldn’t have a leaking basement left to repair.

After realizing the severity of the issue, she agreed to move ahead with the project. The beams in the after photo are a part of our PowerBrace System. Our crew installed 4 different beams that spanned from floor to ceiling, in front of the retaining wall. Once attached to the ceiling with a special bolt bracket, the system is capable of stopping the inward motion of walls and even restoring them back to their original position. Now, the owner can move onto fixing her other basement problems without worrying about her entire basement caving in.

This retaining wall along the side of this deck was starting to sink on one side. This exposed a sizeable crack in the middle of the wall. The stones at the bottom of the sinking portion were pushing on the deck boards as well causing further problems. We were able to excavate on the outside of the wall and we installed four helical piers along the wall. Helical piers are long steel shafts which are driven into the ground until the reach competent soil. A foundation bracket is put on the top of the piers and sits right against the footing of the structure. This permanently and reliably supports the structure. Once the piers were in place, we back filled the soil. The portion of the wall that had previously been sinking had been lifted and the crack had been minimized. We sealed the crack to protect the wall from further damage and the job was done. This wall should now stay permanently in the same position with no worries of settling or sinking.

Lynette needed solutions to tackle the foundation issues she was running into that were causing her block foundation wall to start bowing. She made the call to Ayers for our foundation repair options. Our System Design Specialists determined GeoLock Anchors would work best after conducting a free inspection. GeoLock Anchors have an interior anchor plate that sits on the inside of the foundation wall. Then a steel cable is drilled through the plate, the wall, and the soil to a predetermined distance from the home. Lastly, another plate is anchored to the other end of the cable in stable soil. This system will prevent further bowing caused by soil pressure. Lynette was relieved to have a foundation repair system installed that will keep her home safe!

Properties with separate structures often run into similar issues with their foundations and the fact that they are not meant to be lived in can make it tempting for contractors to cut corners. These shortcuts can lead to expensive renovations if not careful. Ronald sadly had a bowing brick wall on his garage. When our foreman Blade inspected the sight he noticed the support was compromised to the point that the snow was heavy enough to bend the roof. Blade prescribed a series of SmartJacks to line the wall and restabilize the structure.

SmartJack piers are steel beams designed to reintroduce support to a wall. They are placed strategically along the support and anchored into the ground with poured concrete. The tops are fixed with load-bearing joints that are secured to a support beam. Each SmartJack is adjusted to constantly apply pressure to the initial structural support, this proves a permanent source of stabilization.

Jeff was looking to get better support structure posts in his crawl space to help support his home better, so he called up Ayers. After we conducted a free inspection at his home to pinpoint the best solution, it was decided he could use SmartJacks. This is a supplemental support system built for crawl space applications and made of steel columns that will support her failing support structures. This will lift the home back to its original position and ensure the home's weight is supported and stabilized. This also consists of a sturdy base installed in the ground and attached are these strong, steel columns that extend to maximize support. Jeff was glad he got a professional fix that will keep his home and family safe!