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Basement or retaining wall bowing or leaning.

A structural engineer should design any stabilization, with specialist contractors doing excavation and anchors.

Customers put it like this

  • basement wall is bowing in
  • retaining wall is leaning
  • block wall has a bulge
  • the bank behind the house slumped
Prepare this job in ForeBotFind another guide

Stop first if

  • A wall or slope near the house is visibly moving.Leave the area and stay clear of the collapse zone. Call emergency services and a structural engineer.
  • Digging is planned beside the wall.Hold off. An engineer must direct it, with the excavation shored and drained.
01

Ask on the call

5

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Which wall is it, and where is the bow worst?
  2. Has it changed since you first saw it?
  3. Does it get wet after rain, and are there weep holes?
  4. Is there a coating on the inside face?
  5. Has anyone tried to repair it before?
02

Bring

5
  • String line or plumb bob
  • Tape measure
  • Level
  • Flashlight
  • Phone for photos
03

Check on site

5
  1. Stay outside the collapse zone of a leaning wall.
  2. Measure bow at several heights, and record date and season.
  3. Repeat the readings in like seasons.
  4. Note whether water shows after rain or as steady dampness.
  5. After rain, look for flow or silt at weeps and outlets.
04

Keep on the record

4
  • Dated bow readings at each height
  • Photos of the wall face
  • Water and weep notes
  • Past repair history

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.