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Lincoln Foundation Repair

Serving Lincoln and nearby areas

Bowing Basement Walls in Lincoln, NE

A basement wall that bows in means the soil outside is pushing harder than the wall can hold, so get a free inspection and a written price before it moves further.

Call now: (402) 923-8559 or book your free inspection online

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Tell us what you are seeing. A local specialist calls you back the same business day.

Local to Lincoln

We connect property owners in Lincoln and nearby areas, including Near South, Woods Park, Country Club, North Bottoms, Havelock and University Place, with one independent local foundation repair specialist.

What it costs

Typical published ranges for Lincoln. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.

WorkTypical range
Inspection and written estimate Free
Wall anchor, installed $400 to $700per anchor
Carbon fiber or steel straps, typical job $4,000 to $12,000
Bowing wall repair, typical range $4,000 to $15,000
Helical tieback $1,500 to $2,000each

See typical foundation repair prices in Lincoln

What a bowing wall looks like

A bowing wall does not always look bowed at first. The early signs are small, and they are easy to miss behind boxes, shelves or a finished wall.

A long sideways crack

Across a block wall, often three or four rows down from the top.

Stair-step cracks

That run from that sideways crack down toward the corners.

A belly in the wall

Hold a long level or a tight string from top to bottom. If the middle is closer to you, the wall is moving in.

The top row of blocks sliding in

Past the rows below it.

Gaps at the top of the wall

Where the wood sill plate meets the block.

Damp spots or white crust

Along the crack line.

Paneling or drywall that bulges

Or pulls off its screws on a finished wall.

A poured concrete wall bows too, but it often shows as a sideways crack with one side pushed in, or a crack that runs at an angle from a window corner.

Why basement walls bow in Lincoln

Heavy clay that swells. Most Lincoln homes sit on fine, wind-blown loess with clay below. USDA rates the clay subsoil of Wymore, the most common soil in Lancaster County, in the highest shrink-swell class. When that clay soaks up water, it grows and presses on the wall. When it dries, it shrinks and leaves a gap. Loose soil and water fall into the gap, and the next wet season pushes even harder.

Soaked soil in spring. USDA data shows the main clay soils here are often saturated within one to three feet of the surface in March and April. Wet soil weighs more than dry soil. That extra weight sits right against the wall.

Frost. The City of Lincoln asks for frost-free deck footings at least 36 inches deep. The top few feet of soil against your wall freeze and thaw each winter. Wet soil that freezes grows, and it pushes on the upper part of the wall. That is why the crack is so often a few blocks down from the top.

Older block walls. About 1 in 8 Lincoln homes was built in 1939 or earlier, and many from the 1950s and 1960s have hollow concrete block basements. Block walls are strong when pressed from above but weak when pushed from the side. Decades of push from wet, frozen clay add up.

Water that has nowhere to go. A downspout that dumps next to the wall, a yard that slopes toward the house, or a window well that fills with water all soak the soil in one spot. That spot is often where the wall bows most.

Cosmetic or urgent?

A thin crack that stays dry and the same width can be watched for a season. A bowing wall is different. Once a wall has started to move in, it rarely moves back on its own.

Call soon if:

  • the wall is out more than about half an inch from straight,
  • the crack is wider than a quarter inch or wider at one end,
  • one side of the crack sticks out past the other,
  • the top blocks have slid in,
  • the crack grows from one month to the next, or
  • water comes through the crack every hard rain.

Call the same day if the wall moved in a few weeks, or if blocks are loose or falling. Keep people and pets away from that wall until it is checked.

How bowing walls are usually fixed

The fix depends on how far the wall has moved, what is outside it, and whether the basement is finished.

Carbon fiber or steel straps

Strips glued or bolted to the inside of the wall. They hold the wall where it is. They suit walls that have not moved far and yards with no room to dig.

Wall anchors

A rod runs from a plate on the wall out to a plate buried in the yard. The anchor can be tightened over time to pull the wall back a little at a time.

Steel I-beams

Beams bolted to the floor and the floor joists hold the wall from inside. They are used when anchors cannot go in the yard.

Helical tiebacks

Screw-in anchors that reach into firmer soil. They work where the yard is tight.

Rebuild

When a wall has moved too far, the crew digs it out and rebuilds it. This costs the most and takes the longest.

Almost every fix also deals with water. Downspout extensions, better grading, a drain and a sump pump take weight off the wall so the bracing does less work.

What it usually costs

The table on this page shows typical ranges from national cost guides. Your price depends on the length of the wall, how far it has moved, and how many anchors or straps it needs. Anchors are often spaced about every five feet, so a 30-foot wall may take five or six. The inspection and written estimate are free.

What to do before the inspection

  1. Measure it. Run a string or level from top to bottom and write down how far the middle sits out. Do it again in a month.
  2. Mark the crack. Use a pencil to mark each end with the date. Take a photo with a coin or ruler for scale.
  3. Move things back. Clear about three feet in front of the wall so the inspector can see it.
  4. Fix the easy water. Point downspouts at least a few feet away from that side of the house. Clean out window wells.
  5. Note the timing. Write down when you first saw the crack, and whether it changed after a wet spring or a hard winter.

That record helps the inspector tell whether the wall is still moving, and that changes which fix makes sense.

Frequently asked questions

Is a bowing basement wall an emergency?

Usually not that day, but it should not wait for years. Most walls move slowly. Call right away if the wall moved in a few weeks, if the top row of blocks slid in, or if water is pouring through the crack.

How much bowing is too much?

Many contractors start to worry when a wall is out about an inch or more, or when the crack is wide and one side sticks out. Past a certain point, bracing will not hold and the wall has to be rebuilt. The inspector measures it for you.

Can I just fill the crack in my bowed wall?

Filling the crack can slow a leak, but it does not stop the push from outside. The wall keeps moving and the patch cracks again. The wall needs bracing, and the water outside needs a place to go.

Does a bowing wall hurt resale in Lincoln?

A buyer's inspector will spot it, and many lenders want it fixed or priced in. A wall that has been braced, with a written warranty and paperwork, is much easier to sell than a wall nobody touched.

Why does my wall bow at the top and not the bottom?

The floor slab holds the bottom of the wall in place, and the house holds the top. The middle has the least support, so it bends first. A crack a few blocks down from the top is often where frost pushes hardest.

Other services

Common foundation repair problems in Lincoln

Areas we serve around Lincoln

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