Case History #3

Leaning Basement Walls as a Result of Wall Push

This home had had a wall push problem, whereby the basement wall at the front of the house was leaning inward from earth pressure. In this case the previous homeowner had a licensed engineer review the problem and I-beam wall braces, one of which is shown in the photograph, had been installed to the wall. Unfortunately the engineer involved was not sufficiently experienced in the structural aspects of engineering to understand that such I-beam wall braces cannot be installed with vertical rigidity without causing future cracking. Because the I-beam shown was rigidly attached both laterally and vertically, a new crack in the middle of the wall resulted from slight settlement of the foundations of the house while the floor and upper wall were rigidly supported by the new I-beam. I-beam wall braces must-have connections that allow for unimpeded vertical movement.

Even worse in this particular case, the engineer had failed to realize that because this was a walkout basement it is necessary to check for lateral deformity of the main floor when investigating a wall push problem. In this case the I-beam wall brace repair work which was carried out was completely ineffective as the front wall continued to lean inward, pushing the entire floor construction with it, resulting in the basement wall on the walkout side leaning over in unison.

When a wall push problem occurs in a home with a walkout basement it is necessary to see if the wall on the walkout side is leaning in a complimentary manner. If it is, then movement of the front wall must be stopped by utilizing ground anchors or buttress walls. Other procedures for holding a wall push problem are not effective in these instances.