Foundation:

This is one of the most important subjects regarding your home, because foundation repairs can become very costly. Let's start by identifying the two common types of foundations in the Texas panhandle.  Pier and Beam foundations were commonly used in older homes. Pier and beam houses will have a space under the house between the ground and the floor called the crawlspace. You will also notice vents in the exterior wall just above the concrete perimeter beam. The perimeter beam and piers located in a pattern inside the perimeter beam support the house.  The most important maintenance issue with pier and beam foundations is providing adequate ventilation and preventing moisture sources such as plumbing leaks and poor drainage of rainwater around the foundation. It is important that the vents around the house not be covered. If the crawlspace stays wet, the wood framing will begin to rot. Concrete Slab foundations are used almost exclusively in new construction in the panhandle, and have been for several years. Most residential slab foundations in this area are constructed using a two-pour system. A concrete beam is poured around the perimeter of the foundation, slightly below the finish grade, and the slab is poured after the beam has cured. The brick ledge is usually the outside edge of the perimeter beam. Another type of slab foundation is monolithic, meaning the slab is poured all at the same time, and becomes a one-piece slab of concrete. Some parts of the slab will be thicker, particularly around the outside edge, under load bearing walls, and under fireplaces. Concrete has very high compression strength, so it is hard to crush, for example. But concrete also has relatively low tensile strength. This means that if you put tension in a bending action to concrete, it breaks easier. In order to increase tensile strength, concrete foundations must be reinforced with steel, which is high in tensile strength.  Sometimes you may notice small, hairline cracks in the surface of a concrete slab foundation. This is often just a crack in the surface that develops when the concrete hardens. This is common, and is probably not a cause for concern. There also may be cracks, or even chunks of concrete broken off at the corners of the foundation. This is caused when the brickwork expands, and the mortar that is stuck to the concrete “pushes” on the corner and breaks the concrete where it is not reinforced. These corner breaks are usually not a structural problem unless they are large enough that the brickwork is not well supported. The most important maintenance issue with concrete slab foundations is also soil moisture, but the issue is somewhat more complex. Most areas in the panhandle have clay soils with a high amount of a substance called montmorillonite. Montmorillonite changes in volume dramatically (10-14 times!) when it's moisture level changes. This makes the soil under the foundation expand and contract when the moisture level changes. The force of expansion can be amazing, up to fifteen tons per square foot! Your home weighs less than 500 pounds per square foot!  So what are you supposed to do? The objective is to keep the moisture content as stable as possible, and most important, keep it even across the foundation. The soil under the center of the foundation will stay moist, because the water can't evaporate. But if the soil around the edges of the foundation dries out, the edges will contract and not support the foundation evenly. The problem will be worse if some areas dry out faster than others do. If rainwater does not drain away from the house in some areas, those areas will stay wet longer. Also trees and large shrubs that are too close to the foundation will extract water from the soil, causing the same type of uneven soil support. To prevent uneven soil moisture under the foundation, the soil around the foundation must be watered.  When watering around the foundation, remember the objective is to keep the moisture even under and around the foundation. Too much water is as bad as not enough. The easiest way is to use a properly designed automatic sprinkler system. If your home doesn't have one, the next best solution is to use "soaker" hoses. Soaker hoses should be placed about two feet away from the foundation. During dry periods, the soaker hoses may need to run for several hours each week.  Rainwater drainage is a common problem in maintaining soil moisture content. The ground should slope away from the foundation for a distance of three to four feet all around the house, so rainwater will drain away. If water collects at the edge of the foundation in one area, the soil under the foundation in that area will become saturated the foundation will not be evenly supported. Rain gutters to carry away roof runoff can often be helpful in providing good drainage. Make sure the rain gutter downspouts have extensions and splash blocks, or the gutters may do more harm than good! Difficult situations can often be solved using swales or french drains. If your home has a drainage problem, consulting with a drainage specialist for correction can help prevent costly foundation damage.  Some signs of possible foundation movement include doors that do not close completely, do not latch, or swing open or closed. Also look for cracks in the exterior brickwork, in the side of the foundation, and in the sheetrock walls inside the house. Another common sign of foundation movement is uneven gaps around windows and doors. Uneven floors are another sign of movement, particularly with pier and beam foundations. Often, a limited amount of foundation movement can be controlled and easily tolerated. The cost of repairing the foundation may simply not be warranted. If you are concerned about foundation movement, you should have it evaluated by a structural engineer and drainage specialist. Often, corrective measures can be taken that will stop or control the movement at a tolerable level. [ Back to General Home Information ] Schedule Your Inspection Today