Solving Foundation Failure & Drainage Issues in Finneytown

If your yard slopes toward your house, it directs water and soil straight at your foundation.

That is exactly what a homeowner in Finneytown was facing with their 65-year-old home. The rear yard sloped directly into the back of the house, leaving a soggy muddy mess after every rain.

Over the decades, heavy runoff and shifting soil pushed relentlessly against the foundation. This created immense, unbalanced water pressure in the soil.

Eventually, this pressure forced the rear wall of the basement and the attached garage to move:

  • Cracking: Horizontal and diagonal cracks crossed the entire span.

  • Bowing: The wall bulged inward by up to 3/4″. This was a clear warning sign of structural danger.

The Smart First Step: Engineering First

Rather than jumping straight to a quick-fix patch, this homeowner made a smart move. They consulted a licensed structural engineer first.

The engineer drew up an unbiased, formal repair plan. This plan ensured the structural repairs would permanently stabilize the home. With those plans ready, the homeowner hired us to execute the repairs and design a long-term drainage solution.

Part 1: Stabilizing the Walls

Our team followed the engineer’s exact structural specifications to secure the basement and garage:

  • Steel Pilasters: We installed 8 heavy-duty steel pilasters vertically against the interior masonry walls. We anchored these beams securely at the top and bottom. This steel framework now prevents any future inward wall movement.

  • Crack Injection: To restore the walls and block out moisture, we injected 92 lineal feet of foundation cracks with high-strength professional epoxy. This sealed the entire rear wall.

Part 2: Stopping the Water at the Source

Stabilizing the wall solved the immediate structural threat. However, we also had to relieve the soil pressure behind it.

Roof runoff was pooling near the foundation due to the yard’s slope. To fix this, we redesigned the drainage:

  1. Excavation: We dug dedicated trenches on both the left and right sides of the home.

  2. Schedule 40 Downspouts: We installed rigid Schedule 40 PVC downspout lines. Unlike cheap, corrugated black pipe, Schedule 40 will not crush, clog, or tear.

  3. Discharge to the Curb: We ran these new lines all the way to the street curb. Now, heavy rain discharges safely into the municipal storm system, far away from the foundation.

By combining strong structural steel with heavy-duty drainage, we fully stabilized this home for decades to come.

Worried About Foundation Cracks or Poor Drainage?

If you notice bowing walls, basement cracks, or water pooling around your home, do not wait for the problem to worsen. Contact the team at Hughes Construction today to discuss your foundation repair or custom drainage solution.