Bowing Basement Wall (DIY) $300.00
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- This video shows what I did 20 years ago to push back a 20 FT. bowed wall at income property I owned. I really found out about it when a gas leak was found outside the wall (meter attached). I sold the property 10 years ago but checked a few years ago and found the wall was still straight. I am trying to show some of the projects I did over the last 30 years. If you are handy give it a try what do you have to loose ($200.00). This will only work on a block wall.
I did this 2 and a half years ago , moved the wall back and over time , removed half the 2x4s to use on other projects, wall is still fine , and all I have invested is 3 8 foot 2x4s bolted to the cement floor, about 12 anchors, and about 8 2x4s I had to cut to cut in half as braces because my joists went the opposite direction of his and some wedges I cut from 2x 4 scraps. My estimates were 10 grand up to 20. I salvaged half the original materials and reused, so my cost was about 50 dollars or less., worked like a charm
I feel like this would bow the wood before it pushed the wall back
I had the same feeling. But I also had a quote for 10 grand to do this to my stone wall. And the guy told me that they had to apply only about a hundred pounds of force to the wall to keep it from ever moving again. So maybe the 2x4 will work?
Mr Muniak your intuition is part of a lost generation mechanical aptitude and common sense is now a rarity I commend you for partaking with this social platform which we call TH-cam your video will save young families some money 💰
Reminds me of braces on teeth. It takes constant realignment to get them straight.
Edit: this guy is pure genius, he raised his house and now he fixes a bowing wall as a diy project.
Thank you so much for making this video. You saved me thousands and I saved my wall! It took over a year but we were patient and got great results. Thank you!
I feel like this would bow the wood before it pushed the wall back
Thank you Leonard, Even if it won't work for every application this allows for a host of ideas that may allow homeowners to solve their own foundation problems . Food for thought !
I did this a year and a half ago , took 6 months or so of every few days banging the wedges. I would know it moved because they would start falling out! lol I moved 30 foot of wall about 3 inches back into place doing this. I left about 1/4 of them in place for the future and reused the rest for other projects , thanks so much , the cheapest estimate I got was 10 thousand .
Thieves. Thank you very much sir!
Please private message me ,I want to send you a thank you gift.
I was told $36,000.
That’s awesome! I’m buying house that needs to be moved about 3” too. To get yours to move, did you excavate any soil from outside of wall? Please, any tips would be so much appreciated.
@@golfr6178 I did not remove any dirt, if your wall is bowing in at the top , the soil is not really compacted, if it is down deep , you may want to dig a narrow trench along the length of the wall where the crack is.
Is thre wall against an outside slope , or is there a concrete pad or garage next to the wall?
William Burdon it is outside slope. The hill comes down and meets wall. No concrete or anything. The bow is 3 ft down wall below grade. Hope this works!
@@golfr6178 It's always worth a try , in your case I think I would dig a trench the length of the bow plus a few feet on each end and relieve the pressure , if it is a pretty steep slope I don't think this is going to be a permanent solution , I am not an engineer so keep that in mind , I can only tell you that mine had no slope to it so it moved back and stayed that way.
Awesome solution. Old dogs know all the tricks.
I've got between 1/4" and 5/8" of bowing along my west and northern basement walls, total distance is about 55 feet. The basement is 60 years old, and wasn't built with drain tiles or sump pump. When I bought the house in November it had standing puddles of water in the basement, and lots of mold. Last month I trenched out the entire basement perimeter and installed about 110 feet of drain tile. went about 1 feet deep and 1 foot wide, and installed a sump pit and pump. When it rains that sump pumps works wonderfully. The basement is now dry, and so next step is to fix the bowing and reinforce the wall. I'm going to use a slight different way to reinforce the wall, that will improve the appearance. I'll add comments later showing how it works, and perhaps even get some of my own videos up. Thanks Leonard, its worth a shot!
I hope you do post some videos.
Any update?
Awesome! I'd love to see or hear about what you've done!
It sounds great I'd love to see some videos too. I'm going to be doing this in the next month or so. Got to get moved in the house can afford 2 houses 😆 🤣
It's absolutely ridiculous how many people I have met in the last year or so when I first saw this and started fixing my wall. They all paid small fortunes to get the repair done,
No, it won't work in situations where you have a sloped hill coming into the wall and no drainage but barring some construction fault , this will work in a lot of cases, thanks again Leonard.
I feel like this would bow the wood before it pushed the wall back
@@adamsaquatics3332 its every 12- 14 inches. I think it would work well in most situations. I am pretty sure I am going to try the $500 fix before the $12,000 fix.
Thank you sir. I respect your wisdom and knowledge and your teachings are impeccable. Makes me feel like I'm learning from my Uncles.
You could also use 2x8 or 2x12 studs to prevent bowing of the studs if it takes more pressure to correct the wall.
Yes. And a flat board against the wall so all the pressure is distributed evenly instead of just on the wedge.
How about 2 2x6s sistered every couple of feet
Thank you! I was thinking the same thing and wondering if that could work.
Your one tough awesome fella. Thanks for the awesome video crafstman!!
all the thumbs down are from contractors because this video is losing them money!
Gotta admit I was skeptical when I saw the video. Your explanation in the first few minutes made a believer out of me
I only have a 4' section bowing, all above the frost line. I am going to do this after I dig out the dirt that pushed the wall in. I'm certainly going to try it before I spend 3-4k having it done. Thanx for the help Leonard.
I see comments about how there is so much pressure from the outside and 2x4's will bow. Perhaps they will. I think the main consideration doing this instead of the brute force method would be time. Leonard, you explained that quite well. It will take time. Just like it took time to happen. I'm gonna redo my grade (initial problem) and try this method with my own twist. Thank you Leonard. , and I'll repost with results in about a year.
Any Update?
Did it work?
Always a lot of ways to do it, but you did it, and it worked. It is hard to imagine anyone not filling a block basement wall with concrete and steel, but I see that some do. A good thing to check if you ever buy a block brick basement.
I did it as you show on this video. It was really worked. I think this is the best solution. Thank you so much.
doosun yang you seriously recommend this? I don’t have a lot of money to work with.
Did this really work for you?
This guy is great!! Super helpful info and way more economical than most other solutions!
Leonard, great idea it's a great idea for a wall that's just starting to bow very clever. We should also address whatever issues are going on on the outside of the house.. I just bought a house with a concrete block foundation that needs a little more extensive work,. They have about a 2 to 2 and a 1/2 inch bow was planning on using the Gorilla system . This system uses users H channel steel beams beams and special brackets attached to the floor Joyce and floor that yesterday it used 3 floor Joyce at a time for stabilization .. Should be interesting I've had estimates of up to $35000 from contractors and I know I can get the job done me in a couple friends and a few laborers For about 5000
I need more info on this. My front and rear block walls are severely bowed and need help
I have a vertical crack, this would not work for me; but one thing that would help me is that breaking a piece of concrete block and later replacing with a complete face piece would be a neat idea. I guess with age comes wisdom. Contractors don't have months to do something like this, that is why their suggestions will put more money in their pocket but done in few days.
This is both common sense and genius! I wonder if the wall would "snap back in place" if you first dug out all the dirt sitting and pressing on the outside of the wall. Of course digging the outside is easier if there is no concrete patio or driveway in the way.
Yes it absolutely can. That is the proper method to fixing the situation along with installing a proper exterior French drain to prevent the hydraulic pressure that is causing the damage in the first place.
I just set up this system along a long wall in my basement with about a 1-1/2" bow, and largest mortar crack is about 1/4". Just finished installing the wedges this afternoon. The only differences, I used 2x6's instead of 2x4's for the studs, used 3/8" wedge anchors instead of 1/2", and made shims using a simple jig I found on youtube. I'll post updates as necessary.
Here is my first update, 2 months after installing the wedges. So far there has been no perceptible movement of the wall. I measured and marked the cracks (with feeler gages and calipers) in many areas to keep track of this and am pretty confident in my assessment. I hammer the wedges every 5-7 days. It's hard to know exactly how much pressure the wedges are exerting, as wedges loosen easily as you hammer in other ones along the stud. It's very hard to get even pressure on all the wedges at the same time. I believe the probability and/or speed of success of this method is very site specific. In my situation I believe most the the cracks and bowing were caused by backfilling too soon after building the wall, as many of the cracks are "wavy", which I have since learned is a sign that the wall moved before the mortar set fully. I plan on replacing a lot of this mortar after I remove the studs. I am going to keep the wedges installed until next May. In the meantime I'm going to reinforce the opposite wall, which has cracking but not nearly as bad.
Final update: I gave up on trying to move the wall near the end of July. It was going nowhere. Instead, I reinforced the wall (plus 3 other walls) by filling every third core from floor to ceiling with rebar and a 3:2:1 concrete mix of pea gravel/sand/cement. I have two more pours left (4 cores at a time - a 5 hour job each time). It was a lot of work but worth it I think. I used this video as inspiration: th-cam.com/video/1uc-HVer-PM/w-d-xo.html Using this funnel made the job possible: th-cam.com/video/4GTpY0ls1HQ/w-d-xo.html
@@wysiwyg654 Thanks for that info and your other updates. Very much appreciated! Nice job.
@@wysiwyg654 Was it easy to cut the block? That's the part which sounds that hardest.
@@SheenaRea I used a bosch rotary hammer with a 1/2" drill bit. If you don't know what kind of block was used in your basement (there are many varieties of CMU's), you have to do some "exploring". Once you know the size and location of the cores, make a rectangular template and trace out the area you want to remove (large enough to fit the funnel). Drill holes at each corner of the outline and in the middle of each of the four sides, then bash it in with a hammer. I used a cold chisel to clean up any jagged edges until the funnel fit. Once you get the hang of it, it goes faster. I made two holes for each core. One about chest height and another near the top (but low enough so you can still pour into the funnel). Rebar is forced in/upward (pound with a hammer) through the lower hole (3 ft was the longest I could get in), then zip tied together with a foot of overlap. (this isn't easy to do in such a small area but eventually you get the hang of it.) Concrete is then poured into the lower hole until it fills up. Then jiggle the rebar around to help consolidate the concrete. Make sure the rebar is centered. Then cover the hole with a piece of plywood and masonry screws, and fill the rest of the way to the top. I filled the top hole with stiff concrete. Once it sets up for about 90 minutes, remove the cover and make it look presentable with a wet mix of cement and sand. This is a very physical endeavor - I ended up lugging over 13 thousand pounds of wet concrete into the basement to fill 48 cores.
Thank you . It was interesting how you straightening up the wall and stabilize it.
Awesome video, Leonard! I was going to do the steel reinforced concrete to stabilize a wall, but could not figure out hoe to cover the hole. I never thought about the facing brick. Thanks again.
Great Video...."Time Flies When Your Having Fun" good line...!
Wow thank You Leonard for this, love ya!
Good video, before I spent tens of thousands of dollars I would try this, heck I would even frame a 2x8 new wall in front of the blocks to take some of the load!
How about sistering a couple 2x6s every couple feet along the wall in the same way that this guy did?
Did it work?
@@mrbojangles9841 worked like a charm, built flower beds near my foundation, changed the water flow pattern around the house. Sold the house
"it's been 10-15 years, I don't know.. time flies when you are having fun" lol
Thanks for showing. Glad this worked for you. Somebody tried to support our basement cinder-block walls with 4x6 lumber in a similar fashion. Now we've got collapsing walls and a whole lot of snapped 4x6 boards. :) Seen similar done with steel i-beams -- might be better in many circumstances, despite the cost.
You have to fix the cause first not the problem no way are you going to move tons of dirt you might compress it a very tiny bit but never ever move it as the cause is still there
@@scor440 Yeah, it's a backfilled 80-year-old hollow cinder block basement wall on a mountainside in an area with 100 freeze-thaw cycles per year. Cause of the problem is easy to identify. Not so easy (or cheap) to fix.
@@Thoracius hand digging is free. Just labor intensive
I'm sorry yours did not work, this is not a cure all fix, some walls just have too much pressure behind them , anyone with any mechanical sense at all ,should know pretty quick if it will work in their instance or not. I guess whoever did that did not ever look back.
Im using 4x4 posts behind angle iron bolted to the floor and to the joists above. The 4x4s immediately bowed so I don't know how your 2x4s could possibly do the job. Also I'm pretty certain I will have to take the weight off the wall with house jacks in order to straighten the wall because the top of the wall will need to rise as the wall is straightened.
deiselgas you’re probably trying to do it too fast. 6 months is the timeframe for this method.
@@Jerram89 I placed a 4x4 at every joist and we'll see. I thought about using a bolt or threaded rod at the top of each post to screw in a little each week but I just pried the post toward the wall and put blocks of wood between the post and the angle iron attached to the joists to act as shims. I'll put larger blocks in as the wall moves and if the posts deform I can just flip them around and bend them the other way.
@@deiselgas hey man updates of your progress I'm thinking of trying this but if it doesnt work I'd rather not waste the time and money
@@gsxrstyle sorry for the year delay...I dont get notifications I guess. It's been a year and a half since I put 4x4 posts up and wedged them against the wall. Most of the improvement happened in the first 6 months. The wall is back where it was 20 years ago. Very happy with the results.
@@deiselgas thank you for the reply this is truly a great idea and will try it on one of my smaller runs of wall to test it out .unfortunately my ceiling is 9 or so feet so that's going to be a factor with the wood bowing but will give it a go. Again great video
If your house has a hillside pressing against it , this isn't going to be effective, better than nothing ,but not great, but if the ground is not pressing tons of pressure on it , yes, the 2x4s will bow , but if you put them close to each other and use enough shims , you will be amazed , the base and top must be solid! My floor joists were going the wrong way , so I screwed 2x4s across three joists to butt the one against the wall against
This is awesome!!!!! I already got a framed wall in place I can use. I only need to move back about an inch. Thanks you so much for sharing.
Did it work?
Currently doing this project, have the framing all up. Only issue I’m having is the wedges are breaking when I hammer them in. I think I’ve got to get a higher quality hardwood or change my cuts
You sir are a stud.
You sir, are a Godsend! I had a professional quote me $6k for this repair and have been racking my mind for alternative solutions that will last.
Thank you for sharing this!
I am so grateful for this. Thank you
Never seen that before. Thank you for sharing.
Excellent solution! Thank you.
Thanks again Leonard , you rock
It worked for me.
excellent job sir!!! thank you
Seems like the 2x4 would bow before the wall moved the dirt back.
Do you seriously recommend this? I don’t have a lot of money but like this idea!
Any suggestion on a wall that's bowing outward? There's nothing on the other side of the wall other than air. Wouldn't have a concrete floor to anchor to.
Great idea...wonderful that it worked out. Thanks for sharing.
Off the subject... I can't help remembering "Archie Bunker" watching you.😄Do I detect East Coast?
Anyways... Thanx!
Leave the studs in there! Use treated 2x4s, insulate the wall and throw up drywall on the studs! But I would bolt a bracket to the bottom of each stud so you don't have a 2x4 laying on the slab.
Love this. Thank you sir.
Wow I wasn't expecting to see a comment from you right after you show me a house with a bad foundation.
Clever as all..great video.
I cant see a 2x4 holding any lateral pressure but if it worked for you great. A 6x6 would be the minimum I'd use as any alternative to a steel I Beam.
Thank you for this video! We are starting today! Bless you!
Pikachu Lover how is your progress?
Any updates?
That's a good idea Boss
Trying to find a solution for a wall bowing out, not in and all I find are walls that bow in. From 2017 no less. Am I the only one with a basement wall that bows out on the planet? So far, yes I am. 04212020
Are you still available to maybe answer this question? What if the wall bowing and cracking has no joists the joists are on the other walls can your project still be done on a wall with the joists on other walls?
Did this actually work ??? I feel like the studs would be to weak and bow with the wall it’s self ... if it was steal beams I would believe it...
So he moved couple hundred yds of earth 🤔
No the earth just sagged , probably from water , so all you are doing is compacting it back in the void, but it is a lot of weight and it takes some time unless you use heavy equipment{which costs a fortune} This works unless you have a hillside pushing against the wall , then ,I don't know.
Going to do this then when done use carbon fiber straps
Thank you it was interesting. How are you straighten up the wall and stabilize it.
I'm interested in attempting this but have electrical panels that obstruct 3 consecutive joists right where the bowing is the worst. Is it possible to frame around these or won't there be enough pressure?
I like this guy. Nice video!! I plan on doing this myself
If it works, it works.
Thank you sr. For your smart system and insight shared im sure ill fair now
Cool video, thank you. Can you explain how to connect 2x4s to joists that run parallel to bowing walls?
i have the same situation, my floor joists run parallel to the bowing wall, did you end up doing this? I was thinking maybe I could run 2x4 s across the floor joists horizontally and then attach a vertical 2x6 to the horizontal 2x4's, spreading the pressure across the whole floor above. Im sure you cant just attach to the first floor joist, it would just bend and break
@@brittanybrazill3900 you have to be careful not to collapse your joists. Definitely brace them first.
I'm following. I have the same situation. Part of bracking will include spacers cut to size between floor joists.
Great job. Thanks for the info.!
Feel like this has the potential to shift the house or at least the floor where the top of the 2x4s are attached rather than the foundation. Am I wrong?
So if you do this, but not remedy it, how long does it for the wall to be back in the same original situation?
hopefully the outside is waterproofed ..some drainage installed.. rain gutters..then do this..
Leo, God bless you!
We purchase a house from 1923 with a basement. I don't know how I or the inspector missed a basement wall is almost falling over. :/. The least expensive quote is a friend for 6k.
Can you direct message me? My wife and I would like to send you something to say thank you. BTW, there is an 8ft long side of the basement without foundation that I need correct. Would I just build a block wall/put in rebar and trench 20 inches? Please advise
Thank you!
Could this possibly be done with a leaning wall also? The lean is about 1" to 1 1/2"
I feel like this would bow the wood before it pushed the wall back
nice work great DiY thumbs up
Gonna try this on my garage wall. Hope it works out
did it work?
@Huntatroll Did you use this system? How is your wall doing today?
I think the cost is off. It will take a lot of concrete to fill the cells/voids in the blocks.
and the rebar - but still much less than paying someone else if you have the patience.
Douglas for 2x4 's would also add more strength
thank you sir. respect
Great video! Would this work for concrete walls as well?
comptely new guy hrere , does this work with concrete foundations? my basement is not blocks but it has the same problem
I doubt it - as the real solution is that he explains that he adds concrete and steel reinforcement inside the block every few feet. If you have poured concrete then that is likely a bigger problem and would need something else.
Or buy poured concrete foundation and avoid blocks altogether🤌🤌
Very smart, but why ever take the 2x4s and wedges out?
because that won't pass an inspection and if a potential buyer sees that they will instantly know the true intregity of the wall has already been compromised since its been bowed before. so you take it out before an inspection/sale
@@onebadg8 Or because the real solution is the steel and concrete pillars created inside the wall every few feet! The 2x4's are just the means to get it straightened, but not nearly as strong as concrete with rebar reinforcement.
great idea. 2x6 its not better than 2x4 ?
A lot of these problems are architectural mistakes. I have lived in this area for 70 years and watched them every 20 years or so , build a developement of houses in a flood plane , only to have it all wash away within 5 years . I can't believe the county is not responsible for this by allowing permits , but money is the root of all evil. So there you go.
Wood 2 x 4 will not work even if you did solid side by side.
Larry Schwartz he needs to consult professional.... and with a financial advisor
I would think a steel I beam would be a better solution.
I have some pretty screwed up foundation walls in crawlspace of properties I own. I dug out to the bottom of the footing inside the crawlspace, extended the footing by 16 inches and then formed an 8 inch wall with rebar into the existing block and poured concrete against the existing wall. Maybe overkill but it's not going anywhere
@@josephruoccojr.912 I have seen steel beams used, NOT wooden 2X4s. Unless you do the calculations (and know the forces that exist against a subterranean wall, I don't think it would be efficacious to do something like this. Single point pressure against random points on a cinder block does not necessarily yield a good uniform pressure against the wall and you may have individual blocks blowing out. I've seen that. What are you going to do if you have water build up behind the wall. OUCH!!! That water exerts a lot of pressure.
@@jonathanbaxter5821 But multiplied by 15 across the wall should keep it from bowing in anymore. I'm using 4x4 posts next to each joist.
Will this work for everyone .....NO!
If your wall is bowed in a foot and has been failing for 20 years , you waited too long, it needs dug out and repaired safely. If your wall has a 1/2 inch crack and a slight bow it has a good chance , unless it is a new problem , like a bunch of weight or something going on the other side of the wall , that wasn't there before.
got around a half in block pushing in only about a foot below ground, what do you suggest. its caused by water, that area had water pooling, that has been fixed. Dig a foot deep and try this? I was thinking about having a mason just hit the block out and put a new back in if possible while jacking it up temporarily. Not sure how tight the block would fit though. Maybe this approach could move it back a half inch though?
Seems to me, the 2x4s aren't strong enough and they will just push back instead of the concrete wall.
I'm using 4x4 posts and they immediately bend, but that helps it conform to the wall which distributes the pressure nice and evenly. Hope the wall starts moving.
@@deiselgas has the wall moved back any yet?
@@deiselgas outcome of this?
@@Sam4JB I did my repair in Feb 2020. By August the wall was back where it looked 20 years ago. I used 4x4s at every joist. I used steel bed frame in front of the posts along the wall at the top, and at the bottom anchored into the concrete. I pried the posts toward the wall with hammer, between the bed frame and post then pushed a wedge between them, forcing the post to push against the wall. The posts were shimmed right up against the bottom of the wall with the wedges used at the top where the posts were several inches away.
@@deiselgas wow awesome thank you
Is this a joke? 🤣 dig/excavate a relief on the outside. Weight of house will then usually help correct wall. Grout and reinforce with #5 rebar minimum. Backfill basement wall / tamp.
I have a single block pushing in about half inch or so, maybe one other next to it a bit less, only a foot underground , what do you think? dig it out a foot and try something like this?
Frost caused this over time if they only backfilled foundation with gravel when house built for drainage this wouldn't happen
Gravel just drains water to the bottom of the foundation which would make the problem worse.
There is NO way 2x4 (wood) is going a stop a concrete wall from bowing - you need steel beams!
Looks like it worked for this guy and many others in the comments.
it is just the means to get it straightened, then you add rebar or steel with concrete within the wall to create reinforced pillars every few feet. He just didn't show that - only explained it. But that is the real solution, you just need need time and a means to straighten the wall first.
That’s some funny shit that 2x4 especially white pine will bow where you put the wedges steel or carbon fiber is needed for this you are talking tons of earth here
you would be wrong if you said this won't work , I moved back about 30 feet of wall that was collapsing using this method, cost me about 130 dollars for materials I reused all the 2 x 4s for another project. So all I was out was some concrete lag bolts , I made my wedges from 2 x 4s also
Carbon strips are garbage just a bandaid in no way will they ever push the wall back
@@williamburdon6993 what about the concrete to fill the voids every few feet with rebar? I expect that had a notable cost to it, right?
@@laurafreylaw9412 I would recommend the rebar and concrete in most cases, but in mine I did not think it was necessary. So far I was correct. If the wall ever moves again I will use that method .
Rebar is only about 5 .00 for a 12 foot stick you can get 2 pieces out of 1 concrete is cheap if you mix it yourself I would say under 500 for me to have done mine completely and 200 of it I got back when I reused the 2x4s
I’d just leave the 2x4s
As an inspector I’d rate that poor.
This is an interesting video and certainly this gentleman deserves accolades for his ingenuity. However, this application should not be considered a permanent repair for a bowing basement wall. More of a temporary shoring of the wall. If he were to sell the home a more permanent solution using solid engineering principals would need to be applied. This ranges from installing Carbon Fiber Strips, Steel I-Beams, Helical Tie Backs, Soil Nail Retention Systems, bearing plates and custom whalers may need to be applied in order to sell the home. Depending on the state in which your reside, a licensed engineer may be required to sign off on the repair. It is also to your advantage to hire a licensed engineer specializing in residential inspections in your area to design the repair, and recommend the applications and means that should be used to stabilize the wall. This should be done first before getting bids from foundation repair contractors. It is important to not get overcharged on a project, however, it is also just as important to install a program that will work long term and not cause you a headache at resale.
Works like teeth braces.
If you want to give your house to your children or resell it, just hire a pro that offers at least a 25 year warranty that transfers to homeowner. No one is going to but your 2x4 diy Foundation Repair. Get real
I sold the house 20 years ago. It is down the street from me and I have never gotten any complaints about it.
This will not work. First of all you need to fix what is causing the pressure on the wall then push the wall back when the outside is excavated. 2x4s will not come close to what you need there.
Then how does the plate system work that so many contractors use? Same premise used here. The only excavating they do is digging a hole down far enough for the rod to come through and meet the outside plate. This is just done over a longer period of time. And obviously it does work because he used this method before.
@@tomstout2952 Why does everyone say it worked? YES. It worked for him because he may have had a small problem. But what will you do if you have a HUGE water buildup behind that wall and the water is puddling our there and you have a huge hydrostatic pressure buildup because of sudden rain and a drainage problem? Yesm his system may work in small bowing cases but not if you have a large buildup of pressure pushing in. 2X4s are not rigid or strong enough.
@@oakland10e3 you think 4x4 would be better? and or course the water problem has to be dealt with before anything is done.
Don't believe it..... Need to solve problem on outside. People should not play with engineering.
how on the outside? Professionally they just hold the house up and knock the old block out right? The professionals that use i-beams still do it from the inside
This won't work, you'll bow the 2x4 before you start bowing your foundation wall. Does it make sense that you'd be able to move something back to straight that has thousands of pounds of pressure on it with wood?!? You're only bowing your 2x4s. Consult a professional and do it right, like using the plates/threaded rod method he first mentioned.
Steve Bentley why would he go to all the trouble of making this video if it didn’t work for him? Plus there’s quite a few commenters saying this method worked for them.
So either there’s an organised conspiracy, or this method will work in some circumstances.
NB I’m yet to see a comment from someone who tried this and said it didn’t work...
@@Jerram89, if you think a little piece of wood is going to move thousands of pounds of pressure from dirt that's caving your walls in, you're dead wrong. The only way to relieve the pressure is to dig the dirt out and move the wall back into position or pull the wall back from the outside of the house. Doing anything from the inside with some little 2x4s simply won't do it.
@@undonesofficial he did it tho so you are still wrong
@@undonesofficial but a lot of little pieces of wood might... he said he did it EVERY joist, so every 16". A distributed pressure, even from wood with increasing and steady force should work when there was no additional force to begin with. This counter point force at the point of maximum bending has mechanical advantage to help resist the external forces from the soil. While it seems crazy, I think it has engineering principles potentially supporting it. Just like braces for teeth! those little wires that couldn't possibly move a whole tooth, when applied with a little extra force steadily over time do amazing things!
@@laurafreylaw9412 teeth and basement walls are two completely different scenarios. You can't stop the problem if you're not addressing the issue. The only way to stop the movement of the wall is to either put several steel posts in front of the wall secured into the concrete and floor joists, which is still risky, or have a steel plate/rod mounted into the wall and pulled back over time by anchoring into the ground. You can't post a diy video if you don't understand building engineering and science.