The infrastructure of your entire home rests on the stability of your foundation. Your foundation is meant to keep your home standing upright and dry. If it starts to deteriorate in any way, you can be sure that other structural issues around your home will follow.
You might notice your walls starting to tilt or even bow inward like something is about to burst through at any moment. Unfortunately, the average homeowner will not be equipped to repair damage this extensive. Here at Innovative Basement Authority, our sturdy IntelliBrace™ wall repair system can help straighten out your bowed walls in no time! They will also help brace your walls against any outside pressure or force that is causing them to bow inward in the first place.
How Can Innovative Basement Authority Straighten Out Your Walls?
It might seem like there is not much you can do to prevent your basement walls from bowing in. Fortunately, Innovative Basement Authority has just the wall repair solution for your home! Our IntelliBrace™ Wall Repair System will permanently brace them against any further outside damage, and they can help straighten out your tilted or bowed walls over time.
The IntelliBrace™ wall repair system can be an effective way to repair damage and reinforce your foundation walls. That’s because it’s able to stop damage from escalating, correct existing issues, and safeguard your walls in the future.
Benefits of the IntelliBrace™ Wall Repair System
There are several benefits that the IntelliBrace™ wall repair system has to offer.
- Durable. This system is made of galvanized steel beams, designed to last without wear or tear for decades.
- Rust-resistant. All materials are coated with zinc to make them rust-resistant, so your wall repair system can’t fall victim to water or weather damage.
- Minimally Invasive. Since the IntelliBrace™ wall repair system is installed within the basement, there is no disturbance to the landscape surrounding the home.
- Simple Installation. Straightforward and effective, this system requires no heavy machinery, so it won’t be as disruptive to you, your family, or your neighborhood.
- Fixes Old Damage. One of the most unique benefits of this wall repair system is that it can straighten the foundation walls over time.
If the damage is particularly severe, the experts at Innovative Basement Authority may also recommend a wall anchor system. This is especially useful for areas that see heavy storm damage, shifting soils, and invasive tree roots. Not only does it stabilize your walls, but it anchors them deep within the soil, so they can better resist hydrostatic pressure and tree roots.
With that said, wall anchors demand that the landscaping be dug up and the system installed far away from the home’s actual foundation wall and this may not be an option for everyone. An expert will be able to assess your situation and provide a recommendation that fits your exact scenario.
IntelliBrace™ Wall Repair System Installation
So, what does the installation process look like? If you opt for the IntelliBrace™ wall repair system to fix your home’s issue, you can expect a straightforward process. Here are the steps taken by our technicians to complete the install:
- Steel I-beams will be cut to size based on the height of the basement walls. The I-beams and their hardware are covered in a rust-resistant zinc layer, ensuring they look good and do their job for years to come.
- Each individual brace is attached to a floor joist at the top of the walls. Specialty brackets are bolted to the floor joist, which contains a large-diameter bolt. A technician will use this to tighten down and secure the brace.
- Every I-beam will be carefully arranged and placed using a level. This ensures the wall repair system can withstand pressure and weight at the spots your walls need most.
- The beams are then attached to the concrete foundation using a bolt-in-place bracket. The system covers the entire height of the foundation walls to ensure no bowing or buckling occurs.
- Once the installation is complete, the walls can be straightened using the bolts that have been installed. Straightening the walls will repair any issues and can eventually return the wall to its original position.
Will a Wall Repair System Work for Me?
Once installed, the IntelliBrace™ system will ensure the foundation walls are completely stable. Because not only does it reinforce the structure; it strengthens against future issues. It keeps your home safe and secure, and it also safeguards other renovations you may have completed, such as waterproofing, basement finishing, or flooring installation. How does it manage this?
Galvanized Steel and Rust Resistance
The IntelliBrace™ Foundation Wall system utilizes galvanized steel beams to reinforce the foundation walls. These heavy-duty beams eliminate the risk of bowing or tilting and are long-lasting. You don’t have to worry about a new system being required a few years down the road. Likewise, you don’t have to be concerned the next time extreme weather or fallen trees impact your neighborhood. It will weather the hardship—and make sure your walls do too.
Due to its installation process, the IntelliBrace™ doesn’t require any additional fixtures. No timber joints are needed, which are commonplace in other wall repair systems. This makes IntelliBrace™ durable against termites, rats, mold, and wood rot.
Non-Invasive
Since the IntelliBrace™ system requires no soil excavation, there is no risk of the system being affected by the weather. Settlement can cause issues for other systems, requiring professionals to dig deeper and upset more of your landscape. The IntelliBrace™ can be placed directly so it doesn’t fall victim to soil shifting, changes in temperature, or hydrostatic pressure.
As a plus, because the system is non-invasive, you won’t find your yard, basement, or surrounding landscape tarnished in the name of reinforcing your walls. Once the installation is over, you can enjoy the aesthetic of your home without an eyesore mounted to the side of it.
Problem Signs to Watch Out For
Tilting walls can certainly be troubling issues for any homeowner. Unfortunately, most homeowners will not be able to detect this subtle change until the damage becomes substantial. What are some problem signs you can look out for to know if your basement walls or foundation need to be repaired?
- Cracks
Cracks are often a precursor to worse damage to come. It isn’t wise to leave any crack you see in your basement for very long. Cracks will also allow water to flood your basement or crawl space more easily. Call the foundation experts at Innovative Basement Authority as soon as you can to have these cracks quickly repaired.
- Leaks
You might think that leaks are not a significant deal. However, leaks will contribute to flooding in your basement or crawl space. Your foundation is meant to keep your home elevated enough so that water, mud, or other debris doesn’t infiltrate your basement. You will know if your foundation is starting to weaken if this is no longer the case.
- Misaligned Pipes
If your foundation has started to shift, then it is possible that your plumbing or pipes have started to shift along with it. This means you will face more prominent leaks in your basement or crawl space. There is a possibility that you often will find these spaces flooded.
Wall Repair Systems
FAQs
Although the IntelliBrace™ system is easier than many other types to install, a professional will be needed. You cannot accurately assess the damage, assemble the system, install it, or safeguard it on your own. If you do, you may run into issues with:
- Damage to Your Home
Foundations require the utmost care, or else you’ll be dealing with water damage, a lack of structural integrity, and a plethora of cracks in short order. One error during the installation could result in the loss of your home and, even worse, a severe injury to a family member. Likewise, you may end up damaging your waterproofing measures or escalating the cracks already present in your walls. This will allow mold, mildew, and pests to run wild throughout your home, impacting the health of your family members.
In the worst case, if the wall repair system is installed badly, you could even end up doing more damage than you originally had. For example, this may include:
- Drilling into the wrong parts of your wall
- Placing brackets in areas that cannot withstand the extra weight
- Installing the beams in the wrong places, causing the walls to tilt even further because of the strain
This will damage your foundation more than the weather, soil shifting, or outside pressures ever could. Overall, you may end up causing more damage by trying to DIY this process. Then the original problem will still exist, and you’ll be out quite a bit of money.
- Expensive Gear
Aside from the very real damage to yourself and your home, trying to DIY foundation wall repair is very costly. The raw materials and the machinery required to prepare the beams which are required to repair your foundation walls are expensive. Aside from that, if the installation is not performed correctly — you may be paying for a new foundation altogether.
The teams at Innovative Basement Authority provide all the tools, workforce, and raw materials required to complete a repair on your foundation walls. We will also guarantee the work for 25 years. This gives you the security that many are looking for when their home needs serious repairs.
The foundation is the most important structure in your entire home. Without its support, your home will start to show signs of damage as well.
- Uneven Floor
If your foundation has started to settle or shift, it is possible that the rest of your home’s infrastructure will also be negatively affected. You might find that parts of your floor are uneven or dipping in places. This can be disorienting at best and a dangerous tripping hazard at worst. You might also notice cracks along your floor, which can indicate deeper damage that you need to deal with right away.
Cracks that are wider than 3/8 of an inch or cracks that splinter along both your basement walls and floor are especially dangerous signs of foundational damage. Even hairline cracks that are less than 1/8 of an inch will eventually expand out and threaten to ruin the infrastructure of your home. You need to call Innovative Basement Authority to look at your foundation. We will implement the best solution to repair your foundation again and ensure that your floor will remain level and even.
- Stuck Doors and Windows
Most homeowners will attribute any sticking doors or windows as a sign of their home aging. However, it may also be a sign of a shifted foundation as well. Your foundation’s main function is to keep your home level and upright. Without a stable foundation, you might find your walls, doorways, and windowsills starting to tilt or lean.
Your doors and windows themselves will not tilt along with the doorways or windowsills, effectively trapping them and making it more difficult to open them. If you have implemented some nonstick solution to your doors or windows and find them sticking, then it is possible the true problem lies with your foundation.
Problem signs often signify damage that has already been done. The most an average homeowner can do after spotting them is to call foundation experts like Innovative Basement Authority to repair these issues. Identifying what causes your walls to tilt or bow in the first place is key to the prevention of further damage.
- Hydrostatic Pressure
If you live in a humid or wet climate like Minnesota, North Dakota, and eastern Montana, you may find the soil around your home constantly taking on a lot of water. Severe storms, humidity, and melted snow all contribute to this huge influx of moisture both in the air and condensing around your home. The more water your soil attempts to absorb, the heavier it gets. This can put immense pressure against your foundation, which in turn will cause it to shift or even crack. This is known as hydrostatic pressure.
Hydrostatic pressure can also crack your foundation from within as well. Moisture might become trapped within your concrete basement walls or foundation. This moisture will freeze in the winter, causing the ice to expand and thus break your foundation.
- Clay Bowl Effect
The fault may not even lie with poor foundation maintenance, but a defect that comes from how foundations are constructed. Contractors will dig a large hole in the ground where they plan to lay your home’s foundation and basement. Once these pieces are installed, they will then backfill some of the soil around the remaining space left.
Unfortunately, this makes the soil much looser than before. This makes it much easier for a heavy storm to wash that soil away. Your foundation will either shift from its original position or settle and crack altogether.
Innovative Basement Authority’s IntelliBrace™ System Can Brace Your Basement Walls Against Anything
If your walls are tilting or bowing due to outside pressure, then you need a sound wall repair solution that can endure anything. This is why the IntelliBrace™ system is the perfect solution for your home.
Contact us to schedule a free foundation inspection and repair quote today! Our expert team will evaluate your home and its repair needs to see if the IntelliBrace™ system may be a viable solution. We service many cities within Minnesota, North Dakota, and eastern Montana, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Fargo, Bismarck, Saint Cloud, Eden Prairie, Grand Forks, Minot, Anoka, Andover, Hamel, Excelsior, and outlying areas.
