Before & After Photos

Before: 1920s Basement with Serious Structural Issues

This home in Two Rivers, WI has some colorful history—it was once a Prohibition-era speakeasy in the 1920s. But behind the charm, the basement was showing serious signs of structural trouble. The block foundation walls were in stage 3 failure, with bowing, stair-step cracking, and visible movement. On top of that, water intrusion was a constant issue, and moisture was affecting the space year-round.

After: Structurally Sound, Dry & Ready for the Next 100 Years

To save the foundation and waterproof the basement for good, the Sure-Dry team installed a comprehensive solution:

• GeoLock® Wall Anchors, CarbonArmor® wall straps, and PowerBraces™ to stabilize different sections of the block wall depending on the severity of movement

• WaterGuard® interior drainage system to capture and redirect incoming water

• A SuperSump® Plus sump pump for reliable water removal

• RimTight® insulation to seal off rim joists and improve energy efficiency

• Our licensed Master Plumber relocated the home’s water heater and pressure tank to allow for system installation and proper layout

Now the basement is dry, secure, and reinforced from every angle—ready to stand strong for another century.

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Before

A homeowner in Two Rivers, WI was preparing to remodel their unfinished basement and wanted to make the space more functional as part of the project. Before finishing the basement, they needed to address an important part of the plan: adding an egress window.

The home had a poured concrete foundation, which meant creating the new window opening required precisely cutting through the existing foundation wall. Installing the egress system before framing, drywall and other finishing work also allowed the project to be completed without having to disturb a newly remodeled basement later.

After

Sure-Dry installed a new egress window system in the poured concrete foundation.

Our crew carefully created the properly sized opening through the foundation wall and installed the window and exterior window well. The larger opening brings considerably more natural light into what had previously been an unfinished basement while providing the emergency escape and rescue opening needed when creating certain types of finished living or sleeping spaces.

Completing this work before the basement remodel also gave the homeowner a better starting point for planning the finished space around the new window rather than trying to retrofit an egress system afterward.

With the new egress window installed, this Two Rivers homeowner can move forward with their basement remodeling plans with a brighter, more usable space and an important safety feature already incorporated into the project.

For more egress window projects in Two Rivers, WI click here.

Before

A homeowner in Two Rivers, WI was dealing with foundation wall movement in their basement. Cracking and inward movement are warning signs that outside soil pressure is becoming greater than the foundation wall can safely resist.

This type of foundation problem can become more noticeable in Wisconsin as soil conditions change throughout the year. Heavy rain and snowmelt can saturate the ground alongside the foundation, increasing pressure against the walls, while repeated freeze-thaw cycles can cause additional soil expansion and movement.

Rather than simply covering the cracks, the homeowner needed a foundation repair system designed to stabilize the affected walls and help prevent additional movement.

After

Sure-Dry stabilized the foundation using a combination of GeoLock® Wall Anchors and CarbonArmor® Wall Reinforcing System.

GeoLock Wall Anchors were installed in areas where the foundation required stabilization against continued inward movement. The system connects the affected foundation wall to stable soil farther away from the home, providing strong lateral support. When conditions allow, GeoLock anchors may also provide an opportunity for the wall to be gradually adjusted toward its original position over time.

CarbonArmor was used in appropriate areas to provide additional wall reinforcement. The system uses strong carbon-fiber straps bonded directly to the foundation wall to help resist further inward movement without requiring bulky structural components.

Using GeoLock and CarbonArmor allowed the repair to be tailored to the conditions found along different portions of the foundation instead of relying on one solution throughout the basement.

With the affected walls stabilized and reinforced, this Two Rivers homeowner now has a foundation repair system designed to address the structural problem itself and provide long-term protection against additional wall movement.

For more foundation repair projects in Two Rivers, WI click here.

Before:
A homeowner in Luxemburg saw stair-step cracks spreading through a block basement wall and a slight inward bow after heavy rains. Seasonal soil pressure was worsening the movement, raising concerns about long-term structural safety and resale value.

After:
We installed the GeoLock® Wall Anchor System, connecting interior steel wall plates to galvanized earth anchors set in stable soil beyond the backfill zone. Each anchor location required only a small exterior excavation, and once tensioned, the system provided immediate lateral support with the ability to be tightened over time to help straighten the wall.

The wall is now stabilized against further inward movement, and the homeowner has confidence in the long-term safety of their foundation.

In Crystal Falls, MI, this homeowner was dealing with sinking floors and weakened floor joists caused by inadequate structural support in the crawl space. As shown in the “before” photo, the lack of proper reinforcement was allowing the floor system above to sag and create noticeable instability.

To correct the issue, our team installed the SmartJack Structural Support System. These heavy-duty, galvanized steel support columns are designed to stabilize and strengthen crawl space beams and floor joists. As you can see in the “after” photo, the SmartJack Structural Support System restored proper support to the structure, helping lift the floors back toward their original position and eliminating the bounce homeowners often feel with failing supports.