If you own a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you’ve likely heard stories about foundation issues, and may even be dealing with them firsthand. Although a variety of issues can affect a home’s foundation, the primary culprit in North Texas is the region’s expansive clay soil. If you want to prevent serious damage to your property, it’s important to understand the root of the problem, what causes it, and what you can do to keep your home in great condition.
What Is Expansive Clay Soil?
Expansive clay soil is an integral part of the equation when it comes to foundation issues in the DFW area. In fact, the expansive clay soil under your home is the root of most foundation-related problems in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Understanding the nature of expansive clay soil is the first step in this process. Clay soil is an amazing material that can actually increase or decrease in volume and density depending on how much moisture is present in the ground.
Think of the clay soil underneath your home as a giant sponge. When there is heavy rainfall, or a lot of moisture, the soil soaks up the water and expands. During a hot and dry spell, the soil will evaporate some of its moisture and shrink, becoming much harder in the process. Over time, the expansive clay soil beneath your home will continue to expand and contract as the moisture content of the ground changes. As the ground shifts, it can place incredible pressure (often uneven) on your foundation.
How Clay Soil Damages Foundations
The expansion and contraction of clay soil during the wet and dry seasons can cause damage to your foundation in two primary ways. The two different soil-related problems are known as upheaval and settlement, and both are important to understand.
Upheaval: What Happens When There’s Too Much Moisture
Upheaval issues occur when the ground becomes saturated with too much moisture, such as during a wet spring season, following a period of heavy rain. Once the clay soil becomes oversaturated with water, the soil begins to expand. The swelling soil will then push upward against your foundation. If you have drainage issues in your yard, or if water tends to collect in certain low-lying areas of your yard, the upheaval may be even worse in some areas of your home’s foundation. This uneven movement places tremendous strain on the structure of your home.
Here are some common signs of upheaval damage:
- Doors and windows may stick, or become difficult to open and close due to your door frames no longer being square.
- Floors may begin to rise or dome.
- Wall may begin to crack, especially around doorways and windows.
Settlement: What Happens During Drought and Soil Shrinkage
Settlement is the opposite problem of upheaval and occurs during periods of drought, when there has been little rainfall for an extended period of time. The lack of moisture in the ground causes clay soil to dry out, shrink, and pull away from your foundation. As this process continues, it can leave large voids under your home. When the foundation is sitting on soft soil that has completely dried out in some areas, it can begin to sink or “settle” into the void, often causing more widespread damage to your home.
Settlement issues are often accompanied by warning signs such as:
- Stair-step cracks in brick or other exterior masonry on your home.
- Interior walls that begin to pull away from the ceiling, or from the floor.
- Floors that begin to slope, or feel uneven.
It is important to note that both upheaval and settlement can cause very real damage to your home. Uneven movement of one part of your home, while another area of your home remains stationary, is often enough to cause serious structural damage to the home’s concrete slab foundation, but can also damage plumbing lines and other parts of the home’s infrastructure.
Don't Let a Small Crack Become a Costly Nightmare
Steps Homeowners Can Take to Protect Their Foundation
As a homeowner, there are several steps you can take to protect your home and prevent foundation problems from getting worse. The key to preventative maintenance is to keep the moisture levels in the soil around your foundation consistent throughout the year so that the soil neither swells, nor shrinks.
Make Sure Your Drainage Is Working
During wetter seasons, one of the most important steps is to keep excess water from pooling next to your foundation. Once water pools near your foundation, it can quickly lead to an upheaval issue. Tips to help your drainage during heavy rains include:
- Maintain gutters to ensure that rainwater does not overflow and pool around your home.
- Install downspout extenders, and make sure water is running several feet away from your foundation.
- Make sure the ground around your foundation slopes away from your home’s walls to encourage natural runoff.
Be Careful with Landscaping
On the other hand, during periods of drought, your best defense against settlement issues is a regular watering schedule. Keeping your soil moist will help to prevent the clay soil from drying out and shrinking. For this to be most effective, you should lay out soaker hoses at least 18 to 24 inches away from the edge of your foundation, and water slowly and deeply. The goal is to get moisture deep into the soil without having runoff.
Trees and other large shrubs can be beautiful, but their roots can also suck moisture out of the ground near your foundation. Planting large shrubs and trees close to your foundation will only make the soil shrink more, and lead to a greater risk of settlement. Avoid planting trees and large shrubs close to your home. If you already have large trees close to your home, you may need to install a root barrier to keep the roots from growing under the foundation and pulling water right out from underneath your foundation.
When to Call in the Professionals
Foundation maintenance is key, but sometimes you just need a professional. If you begin to notice cracks in your home, sticking doors, or uneven floors, it may be time to get some professional help even if you’ve been vigilant about foundation maintenance. An experienced foundation repair contractor will be able to assess your property to help you figure out what’s going on and how extensive the damage may be.
If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it is critical to choose a contractor that is familiar with the issues caused by the clay soil found in Texas. Black Beard Foundation Repair is a local, experienced team of professionals that has the experience and tools needed to properly evaluate your property and make long-term, customized recommendations. By scheduling a professional inspection, you’ll have a much better idea of your foundation’s current state, as well as a plan for how to protect your most valuable investment for years to come.
