A structural home inspection can determine basement foundation wall failure. Penn Valley Engineering performs many structural inspections in the Philadelphia and New Jersey service areas.
We performed a structural engineering site visit of a current owner’s home to structurally inspect their unfinished full basement foundation wall for structural distress. The main perimeter foundation walls of the basement section were originally constructed with hollow/unreinforced masonry block. They were viewable from the basement level. The front, rear, and right side foundation walls exhibited horizontal cracking. This occurred about mid-height along the mortar joint and was accompanied by inward buckling.
Basement Foundation Wall Failure from Over-stressing
The type of cracking and movement discovered during this structural home inspection are indicative of a basement foundation wall that is over-stressed and failing. This is a common structural defect that warrants repair as soon as possible. Safety for the homeowner and structure can be of great concern.
Repairing Defective Foundation Walls
Therefore, we recommended repairing and strengthening these defective foundation wall segments to resist the actual loading conditions. This will prevent further cracking and movement. Our licensed structural engineers can determine calculations based on your home’s structure.
In this case, recommended repair options were to install steel reinforcement bars (rebar) every 24” vertically within the cavity of the entire length of block wall segments. These locations should be filled solid with cement grout. Additionally, the sill plate anchor bolts will need to be reinstalled along these unfinished full basement wall segments. Solid blocking and bracing are required at the floor framing along the right side wall in order for a complete repair. Bracing the top of the walls adequately is also required.
Should your basement foundation wall show signs of possible failure, call PVE. Our engineers perform many structural inspections and will be able to inspect your home and discover any structural issues. We also service commercial properties as well. Call 856-829-8636 in the south Jersey, southeast Pennsylvania area, or 321-394-8026 in Central Florida.
“Nothing but great experiences. Brad was excellent over the phone. Very thorough and explained everything to us. Greg during his inspection invited us to look at things he saw and explained every detail. Definitely couldn’t recommend more, especially to first time home buyers!”
– Ryan, reviewing structural engineering in Cherry Hill, NJ