Cracked Foundation Wall

Cracked Foundation Wall

From: Rickey S.

"Carl, my house is about 70 years old. Its off-grade with 8 inch conc. block foundation. At Back corner of house with block about 4 feet high at this point the corner of block foundation is sinking.

The diagonal crack is getting wider. I thought I would try this: build a block wall to height of existing block foundation right up against the existing corner block foundation and about 5 feet long with much reinforcing (kind of like a retaining wall)- to shore up and hopefully keep the wall from continuing to move. As the existing foundation starts to move it will hopefully not go any further as it will be held back by the new reinforced block wall.

I thought I would make the new short retaining wall about 5 feet long and the same height as the existing, and of course pour a deep and wide footing for the new wall. Do I need to install a couple of dowels into the existing footing as I pour the new footing?

Does this sound like it will work, at least for another 20 years. I do not have the finances to hire a professional! I hope I have described this well enough for you to picture it.
Thanks"

Hi Ricky,

If it makes you feel better, over 250,000 people suffer from foundation failure problems EACH YEAR!

Saber Concrete & Foundation Leveling Solutions is an excellent web site to find out more on foundation failure.

From what you described I cannot tell if the foundation is just sinking or sinking and moving outward (away from the house), or both.

There are several ways a foundation can “fail” and I can’t tell from your info what exactly is happening to yours.

Keep in mind that the purpose of the foundation is to support the weight of the house…in as perfectly a vertical, parallel force, to the force of gravity as possible.

If I were you, I would have a foundation repair specialist or a structural engineer look at your problem, listen to your plan, and tell you what they would do and if your method would work, and if not, why it wouldn’t.

You may be able to do the work yourself, but you should get this professional advice as to “what to do” before you end up wasting a lot of your time and materials.

You probably could probably even use one of their methods and do the work yourself. It’s mostly labor. Any equipment needed like railroad jacks (to lift the house) can usually be rented and any special products like helical piers can be purchased.

You also need to find out what caused, or is causing the problem. Again, professionals should be able to pinpoint the problem.

Your home is a great investment. Another 70 years of service is what I would shoot for, not 20.

Good Luck,
Carl