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Q: Why do you tell people how to fix basement issues instead of telling them not to build a basement in the first place? I built my own home in 1997 and decided basements are a stupid idea.

A: Yes, basements can be a pain sometimes. And while some homes are better built without basements because of moisture issues, there are still millions of existing basements that need help. The reason we have basements at all is because years ago people needed to have frost-free spaces before the days that heating systems kept homes above freezing all the time. Here, where I live, in rural Canada, there are still plenty of people who remember growing up in old farmhouses with an inch of ice on the water bucket every winter morning. Homes like these needed a basement to keep vegetables from freezing and spoiling. 

Of course, things today are different. Winter never enters our homes because we have powerful heating systems, but we’re certainly still in the basement habit as far as house design goes. All this said, while basements can be damp and mouldy, they don’t have to be. And while basement-free homes certainly make sense on one level, it’s very hard for me to pass up the added space they offer. If you’ve already got above-ground walls and a roof, having a basement underneath greatly increases the amount of space at very little added cost. My own basement is a case-in-point.

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It’s 1200 square feet, and I have it outfitted with shelves that store tools and supplies for my business. I built my basement with an outside entrance, so it’s easy to carry things in and out without walking through the house. My basement also houses electrical and plumbing systems, and there’s room for exercise equipment. Two of my sons use the space as a private gym. One of them earned a U.S. university scholarship in no small part because of the muscle he built in our basement. 

To match the level of utility that my basement provides, I would have to build another structure 30-feet x 40-feet. That would be a lot more costly than just digging out the area between my foundation walls back when I was building the house.

Q: What can I do to fix a tilting retaining wall? I had a 50-foot wall built behind my townhouse in 2000, and now I’m afraid it will collapse. I really don’t know where to turn for advice.

A: Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to fix a failing retaining wall. I see this kind of problem often. In fact, most of the retaining walls I see are in some stages of tilting outwards. It can take years for collapse to happen, if that’s any consolation. The only way to fix this problem is to have all the soil removed from the wall, rebuild the wall so it’s sloping inwards a little, then replace the soil so it can’t create outward pressure any more. Something called geogrid is the solution, though it’s hardly ever used when building retaining walls.

Imagine a mesh made of rot-proof, synthetic fibers. This is geogrid. Layers go down every 12” to 16” as the soil is replaced next to the wall. Geogrid adds tensile strength to the soil mass, preventing it from the downhill pull of gravity. It’s so effective that I’ve even seen 30-foot tall “retaining walls” built with no walls at all. Just soil going upwards, held in place by layers of geogrid and covered in vegetation.

Fixing your retaining wall should not be as expensive as building originally, but it won’t be cheap or neat. I wish I had a chance to advise you before the wall was build in the first place.

Steve Maxwell helps Canadians make the most of their homes, gardens and workshops. Visit BaileyLineRoad.com for Canada’s largest collection of online home improvement and workshop inspiration.

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