Foundation Tuckpointing and Drainage Repair — Moline, Illinois

Deteriorating and broken mortar joints in a Moline foundation were letting water into the home. Behncke Construction tuckpointed the damaged joints and improved drainage around the house so water stops reaching the foundation in the first place.

Project photos

Project overview

A homeowner in Moline, Illinois was getting water in through the foundation. The cause was visible on the outside: deteriorating and broken mortar joints in the block. The crew fixed both the masonry and the drainage conditions feeding it.

Project details

The deteriorated foundation joints were tuckpointed, removing the failed mortar and repacking the joints so the block wall is tight again.

At the same time, drainage around the home was improved so rainwater is directed away from the foundation rather than collecting against it. Fixing the joints without fixing the water would only have postponed the next failure.

What homeowners should know

Mortar is the weak link in a block foundation. It is softer than the block, it absorbs water, and in a Quad Cities winter that water freezes and expands inside the joint, pushing mortar out a little more every cycle. Once joints are open, water has a direct path into the wall and the basement, and the block itself starts to deteriorate.

The two problems reinforce each other, which is why this project addressed both. Tuckpointing closes the path water was using; grading and drainage reduce how much water arrives at the wall at all. Homeowners can check the basics themselves: look for cracked, loose or missing mortar, make sure gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the house, and confirm the soil slopes away from the foundation rather than toward it.

Signs that water is already getting in include damp basement walls, musty odors, and white mineral deposits (efflorescence) on the block. Repairing joints early is far cheaper than the structural work that follows years of neglect. See why we fix the drainage first.

Photo highlights

• Freshly tuckpointed joints in the block foundation.
• The tuckpointed wall along the side of the home.
• Broken and deteriorated mortar joints before the work.
• Soil regraded to move water away from the foundation.
• The foundation and bed after the drainage improvements.
• The corner where drainage was addressed.

Related services

• Masonry Repair
• Fix the Drainage First
• Lawn & Yard Drainage
• Efflorescence
• Our Work in Moline
• More recent project updates