Before & After Photos

Dave watched the cracks in his basement walls grow and deepen over the years and had reached his breaking point. He researched his foundation wall repair options and called Ayers to learn more. We sent our specialists to his home to evaluate and recommend a solution. They suggested GeoLock wall anchors designed to stabilize cracking walls. A ground anchor is placed away from the home in solid, undisturbed soil, and the two anchors are connected by a steel rod to secure the wall in place. Dave is glad he called Ayers to get the job done!

These Tustin, MI customers noticed several different cracks running along on their basement walls, like the large horizontal one in the before picture. After examining it closer, they came to the conclusion that the wall was actually caving in. Our system design specialist went out for a visit and came to the same conclusion. The inward movement of walls like this is called bowing. It’s caused by expanding soil putting added pressure on the foundation and can mean disaster for the structure of homes.

The after photo shows our solution to the problem, the PowerBrace System. PowerBrace beams halt the inward motion by transferring the support of the above floor joists above from the foundation walls to the beams. The beams span the height of the wall, so the wall can no longer bend inwards. As you can see, the beams are placed into portions of excavated foundation floor and attached to the floor joists above with a special tightening bolt for stabilization (Note: before the job was completed, concrete was poured back into the excavated parts of the floor). Not only will this wall stop bowing inwards, given enough time, it may even return to its original position. 

This home in McBain, MI was well over 100 years old, and the Michigan basement was in desperate need of some help. Every time it would rain, dirt would wash into the home, and the foundation seemed to be unstable because of this.

We first added SmartJacks in the space to support and stabilize the floor joists. These steel support beams work well in problem soils to keep the floors above stable. Shotcrete was also applied in the basement to repair and reinforce the walls. This concrete is sprayed into the desired spot with a high pressure hose, and provides a durable solution to these suffering basement walls .

This Branch Township, MI cabin had taken a beating from the outside soil. Horizontal cracks were running the length of the basement walls, a common sign of bowing. The owners had contacted several different companies looking for a solution. After being told that the foundation was collapsing and the only solution would be to tear it down and rebuild, they began to lose hope. But that was before they talked to us.

Bowing Walls can mean the end of your home’s structural integrity. Whoever told the owners that the foundation was collapsing was correct, the walls wouldn’t be able to stand the pressure much longer. What that contractor didn’t know is that the Ayers crew could fix the cabin’s bowing walls without removing a single log. The secret is our Geo-Lock Wall Anchor System. The crew excavated the soil next to the home and inserted anchors into hard-packed soil further away from the foundation. Once the anchors were in place, the crew connected steel rods between the anchor and interior wall plates (seen in the after photo) in the basement. After the installation was complete, any inward bowing of the walls was permanently stopped. The system can even be tightened to bring these walls back to their original position. The installation may have taken a few days, but we’re sure that time felt like nothing compared to rebuilding the cabin.

This summer cottage was dealing with a serious sinking problem. Not long ago, the floor had begun settling. When this happened, the owners called a contractor and had the floor jacked up and leveled out. But after noticing a few strange occurrences – doors sticking closed, a slight slope to the kitchen floor – the owners became convinced that the problem had returned and was worse than ever. When the system design specialist arrived, he confirmed their suspicions and also noted that the structural joists were decaying.

To repair the floor and keep it leveled for good, the crew decided to replace the jacks and reinforce the joists. Instead of the wood beams, the crew installed galvanized steel beams and attached them to the failing joists. The steel will provide extra support for the floor and won’t erode from the moisture so often found in crawl spaces. Next, they replaced the old jacks with our SmartJack system and boosted up the new steel support beams and the floor along with them. SmartJack’s ability to hold over 60,000 pounds make us confident that this will be a permanent solution for this cottage.