✓ Search for seepage after a heavy rainfall. Seepage at the cove (where the floor meets the wall) is the most common. Water seepage can also come through cracks on the walls or up through cracks on the floor.

✓ Look for wall discoloration or peeling paint. Dark discolorations or peeling paint may indicate that water has seeped into your walls.

✓ Look for mold or mildew. Both are signs of high moisture levels that need correcting. Mold or mildew might be found on walls, floors or on stored items. You might also smell a musty odor.

✓ Check for water marks or damp spots on the floor or walls.

✓ Look for efflorescence, a chalky white substance that can appear on basement walls. Efflorescence results when water seeps through concrete walls and then evaporates.

✓ Grading of the landscape
✓ Rebuilding of the walls
✓ Exterior waterproofing
✓ Interior and exterior drain tile
✓ Steel brace wall reinforcements (We do not recommend this solution)

In regards to buckling and bowing foundations, hydrostatic force is usually the culprit. As temperatures change, water in the soil contracts and expands, creating uneven pressure against the walls of the foundation. As a result, excess weight builds up, forcing the wall inward and damaging the foundation.