Cracking Basement Walls

Last week, HZG went to a client's home where we rebuilt 2 basement walls (removed the old, built new). The client complained about cracking in the walls - "extreme cracking" as he put it. Upon arrival, he was right.

First, basement walls are not warrantable during retro-fits. We use city inspectors to make sure we are installing to code. However, things can go wrong that have nothing to do with the wall installation. Because we believe in good client relations, we honor all requests to come out and observe - even if we are not at fault.

There were 2 vertical cracks that sheared the block from first course to bottom course, and a horizontal crack the length of one wall at the bottom of the 3rd course. The client had another waterproofing company install a system prior to our arrival. This system was done on the interior perimeter.

This was a prime case of a perimeter system not doing the job in full. Yes, it was keeping water out of the basement; however there was severe hydrostatic pressure in the interior. So much so that there was a crack running along the floor - coincidentally from vertical crack to vertical crack. This pressure put undue pressure on the walls and created a shifting.

How to fix? You cannot repair cracks without replacing the block. However, you can alleviate the issue that causes the cracks. We recommended installing a 20' lateral line. A lateral line is the same as a perimeter system, but it runs out from the perimeter into the middle of the floor. This line would allow the water pressure to be relieved and flow to the perimeter system and out of the basement. HZG, in a sign of good faith, installed this line at our own cost due to the client spending so much money originally to rebuild the wall.