Concrete basement walls are
designed to do two main
jobs. One job is supporting
the house; the other is
holding back the pressure of soil
against the side of the basement.
Considering the nature of concrete,
holding up the weight of the house is
the lesser worry. Concrete’s compressive
strength is much greater than it
needs to be to support a house. As
long as the soil under the footing has
adequate bearing capacity, the ability
of a concrete wall to carry the load is
not a question.
Soil pressure against the basement
walls, on the other hand, can sometimes
be a problem. A sideways force
against a basement wall puts one face
of the wall in tension (see