Steep streets and stepped yards in Shaler
Shaler's neighborhoods along Route 8 and Mt. Royal Boulevard climb hard. Houses here often sit well above or below the street, with long stairs, terraced yards and a lot of soil leaning on one side.
Shaler Township, home to about 28,000 people in the North Hills, includes Glenshaw, Elfinwild and neighborhoods stretching along Route 8. Many homes date from the 1940s and 1950s and stand on steep lots with long front stairs and stone-walled terraces. Older homes may have stone foundations; most postwar ones are block.
On lots like these, the side of the house cut into the hill carries far more pressure, and in wet springs the water moving downhill through the clay arrives at the foundation in a hurry. The common Shaler repair list is the one you would expect: an uphill wall bowing or cracked along a mortar joint, a damp basement that worsens with each thaw, and front steps and stoops that have settled or separated from the house.
We brace and drain the wall that needs it, extend downspouts so water leaves downhill rather than soaking in above the house, and lift or rebuild the steps where they have dropped.
What we see most in Shaler
Cut-side walls
The wall dug into the hill bowing or cracking first.
Spring seepage
Downhill-moving groundwater reaching the basement in March and April.
Settled steps and stoops
Front stairs and landings that dropped away from the house.
Stone foundations
Older homes with walls needing repointing and drainage.
Parts of Shaler we cover
- Glenshaw
- Elfinwild
- Route 8 corridor
- Mt. Royal Boulevard
- Burchfield Road
- Saxonburg Boulevard
- Wible Run area
- Spencer Lane area
Services for Shaler 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
Shaler questions
Why does my basement leak more each spring?
Wet soil on the uphill side keeps loading the wall, and each freeze and thaw opens cracks and joints a bit more. It tends to get worse until the water is managed.
Can you lift front steps that pulled away from the house?
Concrete steps can often be lifted and sealed. Masonry steps that have broken apart may need rebuilding, and we will say which.
Do you work on stone foundations in Glenshaw?
Yes. Repointing, interior drainage and bracing where needed are all routine on older stone walls.
Nearby: Ross Township · McCandless · Penn Hills · all areas