Foundation Repair Case Studies: PowerBrace System and WaterGuard Drain Installed in Hendersonville, NC Basement to Protect from Water Intrusion and Bowing Walls

Challenge

Combination projects are always a little more interesting than others because we have to make sure that both problems are solved and the solutions work together seamlessly. This homeowner originally called to have us take a look at the water intrusion in the basement, but our Systems Design Specialist, Mike Lee noticed that the outside wall was bowing as well. This was certainly a concern to both Mike and the homeowner. Mike took a few minutes to figure out and draw up a quote for the homeowner.

Again, the biggest issue in combination projects is making sure that the products installed are able to work around each other, or (more preferably) with each other. This took a little ingenuity to accomplish, but because our Specialists are extremely well-trained and well-versed in our products, Mike was able to come up with the perfect solution. This helps to make sure that there are no issues once the system is actually in place.

This homeowner was extremely concerned with these issues for two main reasons; his basement was a somewhat finished basement, and he used this area as a workshop. He was worried that the increased moisture levels would have an effect on the tools in his workshop, as well as the walls in the basement. Unfortunately he was correct, but this would only be the case if he didn't get the problem taken care of, which you'll find out how he did in the next section!

Solution

Now it is time for the exciting part of this story: how all of the homeowner's problems were fixed! One of the biggest benefits to our products are that because most of them are manufactured by the same company or in collaboration with each other, so almost all of our products are able to tie into each other one way or another! This of course helps out a lot when trying to design a system, because you can almost "mix and match" products to fit a specific need. 

As mentioned before, this was both a foundation and basement waterproofing project, and we came up with a slightly different than normal solution to address both of these issues. In order to correct the water intrusion, Mike Lee suggested the homeowner go with WaterGuard drain, CleanSpace wall, and a SuperSump pump system. As far as the bowing walls were concerned, Mike suggested to use PowerBraces, which are pretty simple and effective to use. 

Next came time for the crew to head out to the home and actually install the entire system. This is where the crew had to be careful in the order that they installed the products, because it wasn't a completely linear process. The crew started out by removing a few inches of concrete along the back wall, this was for both the WaterGuard to be installed, as well as the anchor points for the PowerBraces. Once this was done, they installed the CleanSpace on the wall to help with water drainage. The crew then switched back to the PowerBraces to install both the top anchor point, as well as the actual beam. After the beam was attached and tightened, the foundation part of the job was completed.

All that was left for the crew to take care of was the waterproofing part of project now. Since the trench for the WaterGuard and the hole for the SuperSump had already been dug out, it was just a matter of installing and connecting everything together! The SuperSump pump system was installed first, then the WaterGuard was laid out and connected. Once everything is installed, the crew mixed some concrete and covered everything up! This homeowner does not have to worry about the health of his basement any longer!

Project Summary

Installing Contractor: All-Dry of the Carolinas

Systems Design Specialist: Mike Lee

Project Foreman: Jose Najera

Products Installed: CleanSpace Wall, PowerBrace (8), SuperSump System, and WaterGuard