I have an existing unreinforced CMU basement wall with a horizontal crack halfway up the wall. The inward deflection is minor (less than 1/2 inch) and has not moved any more in 10+ years. The wall is 9ft tall, and the block is 9in wide. The top of the wall is covered by the house framing above. A local structural engineer inspected and confirmed that the deflection is minor and likely stabilized. Leaving it as-is and continuing to monitor is an option, but he recommended adding #4 rebar to five locations along the wall and filling the CMU cavities with 4000psi concrete. He provided a detail for this method and it sounds like a fairly standard method for strengthening the wall. I contacted a local contractor that is familiar with this repair and talked through the process.

I am considering attempting as a DIY (or at least getting more information on the process). Going with the contractor would be the fallback. I am looking for any information on how to perform this repair.

Specific questions:

- where should I cut out the block face shell in order to get the rebar into the cavity and eventually fill with concrete, top, bottom, half-way?

- I will likely need to split the rebar into two ~5ft sections to slide it into the block and then splice together once it is in there. What is the best method to do this? Will I need to have an extra wide face shell cut out where it gets spliced?

- What is the best method to keep the rebar centered in the cavity?

Any other feedback on the repair process is appreciated.