Block walls, split-levels and wet springs in Bethel Park
Most of Bethel Park was built after the war: brick ranches and split-levels on concrete block foundations. Block walls tell you when the soil is pushing on them, if you know what to look for.
Bethel Park, home to around 32,000 people in the South Hills, filled in during the 1950s and 1960s with the kind of house that defines the Pittsburgh suburbs: a brick ranch or split-level, an attached garage, and a basement or lower level built from hollow concrete block. Block is strong under the weight of the house but weaker against sideways pressure, and the clay along these streets supplies plenty of it.
The pattern we see most is a horizontal crack a few courses below the top of the block wall on the side facing the yard, sometimes with a slight inward lean, and white crust on the block where water has been seeping through the cores. Split-levels add their own twist, since the lower level is partly below grade on one side and the soil on that side does all the pushing.
Caught early, a block wall like that is braced in place with carbon fiber or anchors, and the water behind it is handled with downspout changes and, if needed, an interior drain.
What we see most in Bethel Park
Horizontal block cracks
The first sign of a wall starting to bow under soil pressure.
Split-level lower walls
The partly buried side taking the load on hillside lots.
Seepage through block cores
White crust and dark patches on the lower courses.
Garage slab settling
Attached garage floors and aprons that dropped toward the street.
Parts of Bethel Park we cover
- Library Road (Route 88) corridor
- South Park side
- Brightwood
- Fort Couch Road
- Highland Road area
- Bethel Church Road
- Irishtown Road
- Clifton area
Services for Bethel Park homes
- Crack repair, bowing walls and settling, with piers where the footing needs firmer ground
- Basement waterproofing, interior drains and sump pumps
- Crawl space repair, slab leveling and a free foundation inspection
Bethel Park questions
My block wall has a horizontal crack. Is it bowing?
Hold a straight board or string against the wall from end to end. If there is a gap at the crack, it is bowing. Even if not, a horizontal crack is worth having inspected, since it is usually the first stage.
Are split-levels harder to waterproof?
Not harder, just different. The lower level often needs attention only on the buried side, which keeps the cost down.
Can you fix our sinking garage floor?
Usually, with foam lifting. Badly broken slabs may be better replaced, and we will tell you which.
Nearby: Mt. Lebanon · Upper St. Clair · Moon Township · all areas