Cold weather has arrived in Central Maryland. The Farmer’s Almanac, a trusted weather resource for many years, is predicting a very wet and frosty winter for us.  

So, while the snow or ice are falling on our area, some homeowners are going to walk downstairs to their basement to get the snow shovel and sand, they may see something that they have not have noticed before: their basement walls have bowed by as much as two inches!  

When you see your basement walls bowing, you have serious home foundation issues that need to be remedied-fast! There are many reasons for these things to happen:  

1. Tree roots growing close to your home that press against your walls.
2. Heavy rains may be saturating the soil around your home thus becoming heavier and stressing your basement walls.
3. Pipes that are leaking can saturate the soil also causing walls to bow.
4. Lawns that slope can channel heavy soil onto your foundation.  
5. Heavy construction on your foundation such as patios, pools, and driveways can add pressure to the foundation. 

A home foundation repair contractor can repair this type of damage by using a carbon fiber strip. This strip is easy to install and will not disrupt the landscaping. 

A carbon fiber strip accomplishes several things when repairing the basement walls: 

1. It’s lightweight.
2. It isolates movement in the basement walls.
3. It repairs the cracks and bowing in the walls.
4. It is more affordable than other repairs such as braces or anchors, as it is less labor-intensive. Strip installation takes less time and is more efficient.
5. It does not require any excavation of the home foundation.
6. They can also be painted to resemble the wall color, so they fit in well with the original appearance.

Once these carbon fiber strips are installed, the homeowner should do the following to make sure the basement walls don’t bow again:

1. Keep the gutters clean.
2. Avoid pouring any new concrete or brick patios or walkways on the foundation.  
3. Remove trees planted near the foundation.
4. Keep plumbing maintained.

When someone thinks about any home foundation repair they fear spending an incredible amount of money to get it done. This is not the case at all. Once your carbon fiber strips are installed, your basement walls and home foundation should be solid again. 

M. Taylor Enterprise has experienced home foundation repair contractors who can install carbon fiber strips to your home efficiently and affordably. Call us at (301) 649-3406 for an appointment. We will do an assessment on your basement and foundation to see if a carbon fiber strap is needed. We serve  Montgomery County, Howard, and Prince Georges County, MD areas.

As the latest Farmer’s Almanac said, it will be a brutally cold winter in Maryland, so make sure your basement and home are protected.