Behncke Construction stabilized a failing foundation wall in Davenport with four steel I-beam braces set in continuous mortar, then tuckpointed and sealed the damaged mortar joints. The wall was stabilized in place rather than forced back.

Project photos

Project overview

A foundation wall in Davenport, Iowa had begun to fail. The crew stabilized it with four steel I-beam braces, using the same installation method Behncke Construction has relied on for decades, and repaired the damaged masonry at the same time.

Project details

Each I-beam was fixed in place against the wall, and mortar was installed continuously behind the beam, filling the gap between the steel and the block. That gives the brace contact and support along the full height of the wall rather than at a few isolated points, which is the main difference between this method and a simple bolt-on brace.

The wall was not forced back toward plumb. In the crew’s experience, pushing on an older wall can open new cracks and mortar joints and create problems that were not there before. The objective was to stabilize the wall and stop further movement.

The damaged mortar joints were then tuckpointed and sealed, so the block wall itself is sound again behind the bracing.

What homeowners should know

A steel brace works by carrying the sideways load that the wall can no longer carry on its own, transferring it to the floor framing above and the slab below. How well it does that depends on how the brace meets the wall. A beam that touches the block at only a few high points loads those points and leaves the rest of the wall unsupported. Bedding the beam in continuous mortar spreads the contact along the wall, so the brace and the wall act together.

Whether to push a bowed wall back or stabilize it in place is a judgment call that depends on the wall’s condition, how far it has moved, and what the soil outside is doing. Many contractors treat roughly an inch and a half of bowing as the point where bracing alone is the usual approach and anything more calls for a closer look. Older block walls with deteriorated mortar can be especially unforgiving of being pushed, which is why a stabilize-in-place approach is often chosen for them.

After bracing, the mortar joints matter as much as the steel. Open or crumbling joints let water into the block and weaken the wall between braces, so tuckpointing is part of the repair rather than a cosmetic afterthought. Homeowners can read more about how wall reinforcement works and about bowing basement walls before deciding on a repair.

Photo highlights

• Steel I-beams set against the block wall, with mortar packed continuously behind each beam.
• Setting a beam during the installation.

Related services

• Steel I-Beam Foundation Repair
• Bowing Basement Walls
• Masonry Repair
• Foundation Repair in Davenport
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