Hillside houses and basement garages in Penn Hills
Penn Hills is one of the largest municipalities in Allegheny County and one of the hilliest. Many homes are built into the slope, with the garage under the house and the soil pushing on three sides.
Around 40,000 people live in Penn Hills, east of the city, and much of the housing is 1950s and 1960s brick ranches set into hillsides, often with a basement garage opening onto a steep driveway. That layout puts a lot of earth against the back and side walls, and it puts the garage door opening, a weak point in any foundation wall, right where water runs down the drive.
Our Penn Hills inspections often find the uphill wall bowing while the downhill side stays fine, cracks spreading from the corners of the garage opening, and water entering at the base of the garage wall where the driveway meets the house. Retaining walls holding back the yard deserve a look too, since a failing one changes how much soil and water lean on the house.
Fixes are usually a combination: the wall braced with anchors or straps, a drain across the driveway or along the wall, and the downspouts carried down the hill rather than dumped at the top.
What we see most in Penn Hills
Uphill wall bowing
The back or side wall holding back the hillside, usually block.
Garage opening cracks
Diagonal cracks from the corners of basement garage doors.
Water off the driveway
Steep drives sending rain straight at the garage wall.
Retaining walls
Yard walls whose condition affects the load on the house.
Parts of Penn Hills we cover
- Rodi Road area
- Frankstown Road corridor
- Verona Road
- Universal Road
- Lincoln Park
- Rosedale
- Saltsburg Road
- Jefferson Road area
Services for Penn Hills 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
Penn Hills questions
Why is only one wall of my basement bowing?
On a hillside, the uphill wall carries far more soil and water pressure than the others. It is normal for it to be the only one moving.
Water comes in under my garage door. Is that a foundation issue?
It is a drainage issue that can become one. A trench drain across the driveway and a seal at the threshold usually stop it.
Do you repair retaining walls?
We assess them as part of the inspection when they affect the house, and we will tell you if a wall needs a specialist or engineer.
Nearby: Plum · Monroeville · Shaler · all areas