I have a 1950s house that has a bowed wall on the driveway side. I'm sure it's from hydrostatic pressure as the basement has a baseboard water system installed in it. The block wall extends upward approximately three blocks high from the ground level. I have noticed one crack on an inside wall in the front corner of the house running from the baseboard up the wall about 3 feet. I am thinking about having the wall replaced by removing the concrete driveway(which sets next to the house), having the wall re-blocked and replacing the driveway - leaving a space of about three feet between the new wall and the driveway. Does leaving the space between the new wall and the drive seem reasonable? Also - does anyone know if insurance companies help with the cost of replacing the block wall? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Are you sure the bowing was caused by hydrostatic pressure? Is water coming in through that area? It is very possible that the bowing was caused by the presence of the driveway directly adjacent to the wall.

If the wall extends three blocks (2 feet) above the ground, then it probably extends down 6 feet from the ground to the basement floor. Now there are a few questions:
1. How thick is the block wall?
2. Where on the height of the wall does the bowing take place?
3. Is the bowing stable, or is it progressing? (To determine this, you will need to take periodic measurements and keep accurate records)
4. What is the direction of the floor joists relative to the bowed wall?
5. Is there any bowing on any other wall except for the driveway wall?

Answer those, and perhaps we can narrow down the causes. The cures could range from doing nothing to excavating outside the wall, rebuilding the bowed area, and moving the driveway as you suggested.

Kay, my 2 cents.....

if an inside baseboard system was done you most likely won`t see water on most-all of floor, thats what inside systems do. They divert water that is still entering around the perimeter usually to a sump or floor drain.Just so others know....

we`ve waterproofed MANY walls that were-ARE still bowed. To replace/re-block part/all of a wall imo, depends on how much the wall is bowed. Quite a few walls are salvagable, yup. NOT all, but quite a few. One can lessen/releive most-alot of lateral-hydrostatic SOIL pressure and any roots which most often IS the reason walls bow,crack etc to begin with by, having the wall hand-dug,waterproofed and backfilled with gravel/p stone.

Now this won`t bring back the wall--straighten it. Once a wall loses some lateral-resistance you won`t get it back you may understand this but some others don`t. Of course you can TRY to straighten it-jack up house etc OR can have wall replaced like ya say

I`m not a fan of filling hollow block walls with cement, seen quite a few HO`s talked into this and in a lil time, having the wall move inward again, yup.

Same goes for for re-blocking/replacing a wall, it CAN bow in again even if its layed correctly `n backedfilled w/gravel. Have a buddy whose a mason, a good one, not too long ago bought house which had 1 1/2 walls bowing in. Jacked up house, re-blocked,waterproofed and backilled w/all gravel.....1 wall bowed in within 6 months....He`s not the only one. Yes, he used heavy equipment near wall.

Have seen a HO with a slightly bowed wall have a structural enginneer tell them they they need entire wall replaced, i explained to them they didnt. They went with SE opinion, hired contractor who layed an un-even block wall, didn`t waterproof it correctly, so now they have an uneven wall that still leaks. Sure, thats NOT the SE`s fault way it was rebuilt/waterprf`d but things are dependent upon who people hire, how much experience do they REALLY have, do they really give a crap about doing a first class job etc.

Say again, this HO did NOT need a new wall. In the end, she called us back to re-waterproof the wall which is all she needed to begin with.She endured lots of headaches for awhile going through buncha crap and did sue the contractor.

And tree roots can mess up walls, new or old. Not just a tree on your property but possibly a neighbors tree. Down along/against/and even under the footings for walls roots can indeed grow and cause havoc.

Many residential walls are built with no reinforcing rod/bar, whatever ya wanna call it.

Like Richard says, 'some' walls can bow in/get push in near top of wall from concrete up against `em. Too many possibilities to list.

And yes, i would leave 2-3' or whatever space..open, no concrete, that would be best.

Never seen one insurance co. help w/cost on these situations, not us.I`d call them anyways and TRY, maybe have some cocktails ready for them when they get there, couldn`t hurt

One more time.... just because you may get 1,2 4 companies over and they tell ya you need to replace wall, imo, doesn`t mean you really do. Have seen this crap for decades... of course many/NOT all will tell people this, its....MORE money to be made, sure! But does everyone with a slight bow, or say... 1-2" bow need a new wall? NOPE! I`m not trying to tell ya what you need or don`t need, would have to SEE the wall, of course

Kay, i`m assuming this baseboard system was put in before you bought the house....?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LicensedWaterproofer,

The water system was put in by me after purchasing the house. The wall does extend 6' down to the basement wall - there is no water on the floor due to the system. The blocks appear to be 8" blocks but I can't tell if they had been filled with concrete. The cracks in the bowed area, which starts four feet below ground level, are about 1/2" wide - stairstepped. There are two steel supports along the main area of the bow about 8' apart- and they have not moved in the last 19 years. (I marked them on the joist above to watch them). The floor joists are perpendicular to the wall. There is a false wall built on the inside of the basement wall and covered with paneling. I may be worrying for nothing. Any thoughts on the crack running up the corner of the living room wall? It's not deep but I noticed it. Not sure how long it has been there - since I last painted - about three years ago. Would I be just as well off in installing a steel support in this area - since it is approximately 8' from the other one? Thanks for your help.

One more thing - the drive way has been in this position for approximately 15 years.

Well, the plot thickens, to the point where I think it would be best to have someone knowledgeable, such as an architect who knows what he or she is doing, or a structural engineer, look at the entire picture and make recommendations.

It sounds to me as though owners have made a series of band-aid "fixes" without ever determining the cause of the problem. Steel supports and inside drainage systems are band-aid "fixes", which means they have "fixed" nothing. The problem is outside and therefore can only be properly repaired outside.

One possible cause of the bowing is that the eight-inch blocks, if indeed that's what they are, might have been marginally acceptable for a foundation such as you describe, but not for a foundation with a driveway right next to it.

The presence of existing steel supports says that the problem isn't new, and also says that the cause of the problem was never discovered.

The location of the cracks seems to indicate that the foundation wall was not either the required thickness or was not properly reinforced, because it seems like it's cracking right in the middle, which would be logical since the floor joists support the top of the wall, and the basement floor slab supports the bottom. If the cause were hydrostatic pressure, I would expect water to be freely flowing in through the cracks. Therefore, I suspect earth pressure and the load from vehicles in the driveway, along with possible deficiencies in the wall construction.

There are a few possibilities here, and it's not possible to comment further without having seen the site and having examined the whole picture. My suspicions really are only slightly educated guesses. Have someone look at it and guide you, before another "fix" is made without determining the cause.

Kay,

IF you have an SE, waterpf`g contractor etc come over and tell you the step crack in basement wall is due to cracked footing or settlement under footing, so ya know, this is NOT always true...nope. They may tell you to underpin footing,other stuff. Many, NOT all, come to this conclusion-remedy.

i`m NOT saying you DON`T have a cracked footing etc etc, i`m ONLY referring to what we have seen and repaired over the years, and thats many years of VIEWING the inside and outside of bsmt walls,the footings, settlement etc.

when i think back on these jobs,walls that had step cracks,vertical etc.. my guess/memory is that about 1 out of 15 or so had cracked footings, so ya know. May be more like 1 outta 20-25 ....i`m getting old The WIDER the step-vertical crack the more likely there IS a cracked footing,footing dropped etc

thing is, not as many as 'some' think! so when i hear that "there is-must be a cracked footing" its more often than not the case but, like Richard and i say, its BEST to view each HO`s problem on site! But even then one can`t say with certainty there is or isn`t a cracked footing--underpinning etc needed. No one has Superman VISION to see through 6-10'++ of soil, have to rely of what we`ve all seen over the years. Some will tell people this cos, its more moneny for em.

More often than not, cracks/bowing due to... how wall was built, how it was backfilled and with how much care, type of soil that is against the basement wall can expand & contract throughout the years, roots around house/against bsmt walls and weather conditions throughout the years, lack of rain--too much of it etc etc.