Are Bowed Walls Dangerous?

In short, yes. Bowing walls are not only a sign of structural damage, but they can cause further structural issues as well. You will recognize them by uneven leaning or bulging, especially in the middle of the wall.  Bowed walls are dangerous and can lead to a number of problems, including: 

• Dampness and Excessive Humidity

While this may not seem like the worst possible outcome when you have bowing walls, dampness is insidious and can quickly become dangerous to your home and health. Aside from the obvious issues of mold and mildew formation and pest attraction, dampness can damage the structure of your property quite seriously. 

If you have exposed wooden supports or beams, dampness can undermine their structural integrity and cause them to start rotting. When this happens, the wood will become soft or even crumbly, losing its ability to effectively provide support to the structure of your home. As a result, you may start to see sagging floors and ceilings in your home. 

• Collapse

The most serious outcome of bowing walls, of course, is the total collapse of a wall. As well as being incredibly costly to repair, a collapsing wall poses a real risk to the health, well-being, and even life of anyone who happens to be close by when it falls. If the wall in question is a basement wall, you also have to worry about the dirt, debris, and dampness that is likely to come in with the wall. 

The collapse of a wall, especially a basement wall, is also a cause for wider concern as these are load-bearing structures. This means that when a wall collapses, there is a very real risk of the room above being impacted. At best, the walls and floor above will be damaged; at worst, they too may collapse or sink.