U.S. Foundation Repair offers free spring foundation inspections Houston
In the past two weeks, much-needed rainstorms have passed over the drought-stricken Houston area, and now our lawns, trees and gardens are coming to life. Although the showers aren’t enough to cause the serious soil shifting and expansion that’s unique to our area, there are still signs to watch for and steps to take to prevent serious foundation failure in your home, whether we experience drought conditions or have an extremely green spring.
How rain can affect a foundation
In the Houston area, our homes, for the majority of owners, are built on a slab foundation. A slab foundation- or a slab-on-grade- is a flat, thick piece of concrete that doesn’t feature any basement of crawl space. The building loads are transferred to the earth, very near the surface rather than featuring a range of depth like a deep foundation. In our area, we also build upon a soil type from Texas’ blackland prairies. The most volatile aspect of this soil is its clay properties that include permeability so that the minerals expand when wet and contract when conditions are dry. Combine slab-on-grade foundations and this fickle soil and we have Houston’s number one foundation problem. In cases and seasons where we receive ample amounts of rain, it’s a good idea to look out for the following signs of a failing foundation due to moisture:
- Cracks that begin in the corner of window and door frames
- Windows, doors and drawers that don’t fit right into their frames, and they’re hard to close or open
- Displaced moldings
- Cracked Sheetrock
- Separation around garage doors and windows
- Cracks on any interior flooring
- Exterior wall rotation
Free spring foundation inspections Houston
If you’re a local Houston homeowner, we’d love to come check on the stability and health of your foundation. Please contact us for a free spring foundation inspection.