Foundation Wall Problems in Los Angeles and nearby in California

Bowing walls are being pushed inward, usually by expansive soils or hydrostatic pressure. Expansive soils push against the wall due to water or frost effects. Hydrostatic pressure is when underground water applies inward force against your wall. Common symptoms of this problem include horizontal or stair step cracking along the foundation wall, diagonal cracks in the corners, inward bulges, and walls leaning in at the top or bottom. Any of these issues can severely impact the structural integrity of your foundation.

Over time, bowing walls can lead to serious damage to the home and impact property value. We solve bowing walls by using wall repair products such as GeoLock® Wall Anchors, which secure the wall to stable soils further away from the home. With these products, we can prevent further inward movement and potentially return your wall to its original position.

Wall cracks come in a variety of types, including horizontal or vertical cracks running the length of the wall, stair step cracks, and diagonal cracks in corners around doors and windows. Foundation wall cracks are generally caused by the natural shrinkage of concrete as it cures, foundation settlement, and expansive soils. Though a small crack may not be cause for concern, any significant crack could be an indicator of structural problems with your foundation.

We use different solutions to repair different types of wall cracks. Foundation piers are a good solution for settling foundations in weaker soils, as they provide an extra level of support for the home. Cracks in walls on living levels are sometimes caused by sagging crawl spaces, which we fix with our crawl space support jacks. Our experts will identify the cause of your wall cracks and provide you with the right solution.

Retaining walls are designed to resist the lateral pressure of the soil, but they are still susceptible to tilting, cracking, and buckling. The easiest ways to tell if your retaining wall is damaged is to look for tilting at the top of the wall or separation between the retaining wall and the adjacent structure. These issues can be caused by poor construction, poor drainage around the wall, and expanding soils. All of these factors create additional pressure on the wall and cause it to deteriorate. When you see these problems, your retaining wall needs repair or it will eventually fail completely.

We use two different methods to restore failing retaining walls: wall anchors and helical tiebacks. With both methods, support shafts are attached to the wall and installed in competent soils further away from the wall. This process stabilizes the wall to prevent additional movement and can also restore your wall to its original condition. Our experts will help you decide on the right product depending on the location of your wall and the makeup of the soils around it.