Before & After Photos

Loren had a slanted living room floor, so she tried a store-bought floor jack and exhausted her options in the "DIY" department. Her previous attempts to fix the issue didn't work, so she researched her options and called Ayers for help. Our specialists visited her home and recommended installing the SmartJacks supplemental support system. SmartJacks are a collection of floor jacks, zinc plated and hot-dipped in galvanized steel to provide durability. Each base is implanted two feet deep to reduce load-bearing stress and ensure longevity. Loren is happy with her level floor!

Mark M. called because he noticed large cracks forming in his basement walls. It is important to know the warning signs for wall failure depending on the type of wall that is present in your home. As you can see in the before picture, his cinder block walls were showing signs of horizontal and stair-step cracking, which is a common sign for this type of wall. These warning signs show that over time the soil outside of his home was putting continuous pressure on the wall causing it to bow inward.

Our crew of experts decided to install Geo-Lock anchors to save the failing wall. This system consists of galvanized steel anchors that are placed in the soil away from the home and then connected to wall plates with steel rods. The installation of this system ensures your basement walls are stabilized and have the opportunity to straighten over time. An advantage of the Geo-Lock anchors is that you are able to tighten them during dry periods (a time when the soil isn’t putting as much pressure on the wall), which allows you to straighten the wall even further over time.

Mark can now check “failing wall” off of his to do list!

This home had some very severe cracks in the basement and cracking could be seen outside the house as well. We were called for a solution as the house was a rental proprty and they wanted the home to be safe. We installed the PowerBrace Wall Repair System to stabilize the wall. The system consists of steel beams that are secured to the joists above the wall with steel brackets. The PowerBraces allow for tightening to attempt to raise the wall back to its original position. This system doesn't involve any exterior excavation, installs quickly, and has minimal disruption to the basement.

This was a classic foundation problem with a slight twist. One of the basement walls in this Lansing, MI rental homes was crumbling inward. The homeowner had installed a retaining wooden wall a few feet in front of the original to hold back dirt and other debris, but now, that wall was tilting inward as well. After a visit from a house inspector ended with a red tag, the homeowner knew he had to something about the wall.

Our PowerBrace system has been used to fix all types of different retaining walls and bowing foundations, so the crew was confident the system would get the job done here as well. The Powerbrace beams were installed the same way they always are, with the top of the beam being bracketed to the floor joists in the ceiling and the bottom of the beam securely installed into the foundation. The big difference between this and a typical PowerBrace installation was that the beams are usually in contact with the collapsing wall from top to bottom.  Since the wooden wall was only half the height of the basement, that wasn’t a possibility this time around. Like with every other PowerBrace system, these beams’ tightness can be adjusted after installation, so the retaining wall will continue to stand strong even as time passes. While PowerBrace is a permanent solution for this retaining wooden wall, Ayers offers a variety of systems that could have prevented the original stone wall from failing. If you’re at all worried about your own foundation, then be sure to give us a call before it’s too late.

This customer gave us a call after noticing a change in her basement walls. Large horizontal cracks, like the one seen in this before picture, are one of the key signs that a wall is starting to bow inwards due to outside soil pressure. There are several possible approaches for correcting bowing walls. In this particular case, we used our PowerBrace system.

The after photo shows one of the nine different steel beams and brackets used in that system. As you can see, the tops of the beams were attached to the floor joists in the ceiling with a special tightening bracket. The long bolt is what makes adjusting and tightening the system possible.  As the beams were installed, any pressure that was being applied to the foundation walls was shifted over to the PowerBrace system, allowing the wall to straighten back to its original position over time.

Because your basement walls are essential to your homes integrity, we urge you to call us as soon as you notice a buckling, bowing or collapsing wall like this. To find out more about the common signs of a failing foundation wall, click here.