Behncke Construction

An egress window allows air and light to access to your basement, this helps fight humidity and moisture. 1. Safety - Egress windows provide an escape route in case of an emergency, such as a fire. 2. Space - Egress windows allow your basement to be another area of living space. 3. Value - Egress windows add value to homes due to safety features and adding another habitable level to your home. 4. Comfort - Egress windows make your basement livable by adding natural light and air flow. An egress window is below ground, if the ground is not supported, it will eventually collapse onto your window.

Brick and block cracks are a result of house settling, which is normal but if left unchecked, there are chances that these can create serious damages to your home. Horizontal, vertical or stair step cracks in your foundation or brick facing show that your foundation is need of repair. Inside of your home, drywall cracks, stucco or plaster cracks, and ceiling cracks also indicate foundation concerns. Mortar is the material that binds brick and stone. The mortar joints begin to deteriorate after ears of weathering.

As you can see in the picture to the left, the entire wall slid forward causing the wall to not be fully seated on the footing. This can be repaired in different ways but it is a concern that should be addressed as soon as possible. Normally bracing the wall with steel I-beam supports is considered the standard repair however, if severe enough, the wall may need to be rebuilt. Bowing walls are usually caused by poor drainage from around the foundation. We have also seen where heavy equipment, stoops, traffic vibration or even a tree cause variations of this problem.