Before & After Photos

This customer gave us a call after noticing long cracks across the walls and ceiling in their sun room. The room was held up by wood pillars installed into the deck area outside. The weight of the room became too much for the pillars to hold and the room began to shift. This was evident to both the homeowner and our crew because of the uneven floor and cracked walls. It was a different problem, but not out of our wheelhouse.

Lifting failing foundations and floor joists is nothing new to us over at Ayers. In fact, it’s pretty common. To treat this problem and ensure that it won’t return, we use SmartJacks. The great benefit of using SmartJacks for this job, instead of the already in place wood pillars, is that they were designed for heavy duty use. The support system is mostly used to repair crawl spaces and raise the above floors back to their original position, so there was no doubt that the SmartJacks could handle the weight. The team used 6 steel SmartJacks and installed them deep into the soil with a concrete fill. This way the homeowner can rest assured that the support system won’t fail, even if the ground does. If you’re looking for an expert solution to your sagging floor and a team that will have fun while installing it, then give us a call and ask if the SmartJack support system could help you. 

This homeowner had cracking on a wall in their basement where it was starting to bow. We installed the PowerBrace Wall Repair System.

The PowerBrace system can stop any further damage and potentially straighten the wall. The system is made up of steel beams that are attached to joists above the wall with steel brackets. It doesn't involve any exterior excavation and installs quickly with minimal disruption to your basement space.

Our nearby friend Larry from Lansing, MI was having issues with the wall in his basement bowing outward. With on-going observation, he could tell the wall was continuing to move. Larry became extremely frightened about the walls future and called us in search of professional help. We came to his home and created a solution consisting of five wall anchors. Wall anchors are perfect for returning a wall back to its original position and reinforcing the entire foundation. We stabilized the home with a steel rod that runs from the wall anchor to an anchor placed in the exterior of the home. Once we placed the plates, we had permanently stabilized his basement. With this solution in place, Larry can remain calm knowing his wall will eventually return to its original position.

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.