Before & After Photos

The owners of this Traverse City, MI building first became aware of their foundation problem when they noticed one of the most common signs of a bowing wall: the large stair step cracks in the before picture. When expanding soils push on walls, the pressure can become too much for a foundation to handle and will force the walls to bend inward. Bowing walls can cause numerous problems for your foundation and in some cases, mean the end of the structural integrity altogether. The solution in the after photo is our Geo-Lock Wall Anchor System. By attaching the wall plates in the picture to Geo Anchors outside, the wall can no longer bend inward. Not only will the system of steel rods, wall plates, and anchors stop the bowing motion - given enough time, the walls may even return to their upright position.

This home in Traverse city was built into the side of a hill. Over time, soil has pushed the wall built into the hill, forcing it to tilt and crack. This is a big problem because the wall could collapse at any time. Our solution? The GeoLock Channel Anchor System. GeoLock Channel Anchors are perfect for stabilizing walls that are pushing in at the top or bottom, tipping, or bowing. They are also very durable, being made out of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel. This is a permanent stabilization solution and could even return your wall to its original condition. No more worrying about a wall collapsing with the GeoLock Channel Anchors.

Courtney called Ayers for help with her bowing wall in the basement. After our crew took a look at this issue it was decided she needed CarbonArmor. With this solution she will no longer have to worry about her important foundation walls since the carbon fiber straps we attach will hold the center of the wall in place so they don't bow. This carbon fiber material used is perfect because it is impossible to stretch with its high tensile. It will reduce any cracking in her wall and prevent inward movement. Courtney was very happy with these results.

We received a call about this Traverse City home from one of the owners. The house is in a trust, but as the decision maker, he had been thinking about putting it up for sale. Before he could do that, he wanted to address some concerns about the basement.

The owner noticed that there were several horizontal cracks running along the walls. The Ayers team saw the same thing and noted that the foundation outside was also cracked and leaning slightly. They came to the conclusion that the basement walls were bowing inward. To fix this problem, the team used our PowerBrace system. The PowerBrace system features steel beams that reach from the ceiling, where they attached to the floor joists, all the way to the ground - where they are installed into the foundation. For this home, the team installed 14 different beams against the bowing walls. The system will relieve the wall of added pressure without hurting the foundation.  PowerBrace has the unique ability to be tightened, so the walls will continue to improve over time until they return to their original position. Whenever this homeowner decides he’s ready to sell, the basement walls will already be on their way to straight and upright.

The corner of this Traverse City, MI home was sinking. There were cracks in the slab foundation in the basement and the foundation walls had stairstep cracks making the problem quite clear. To lift and permanently support the failing foundation, we installed a series of helical piers along the affected walls. Helical piers are drilled down deep into the ground to competent. The heavy-duty foundation bracket is then put on top of the piers to prevent further settling of the foundation. Because the bottom of the foundation was only a short depth, the excavation required for this job was only about 2 square feet causing minimal disruption to the yard. Once the brackets were in place, the dirt can be filled back in so that the piers are not seen or even noticed.