Foundation Repair Cure VS Fix

Foundation repair can be both the fix and the cure for your home but most of the time it is only the fix. The root cause of your home’s stress is vital to determine as any foundation repair fix can fail if there is a lethal problem causing foundation failure. To find the cure is to understand the cause of your homes foundation failure. Typically home owners want to blame the builder or the clay soil the home was built on, or perhaps minimum government oversight. We all wish that our homes could have been built as if they were a structure at UT, or a new Hospital with foundations that withstand the expansive clay soil and environmental conditions. However, that would be financially impossible for most homes. Home builders are not building structures with the same engineering guidelines, budget, or time allowances for compaction and settlement of soils as commercial structures are.

The main point is that for most home builders, the stabilization of the soil is modest at best, and minimal at the worst. Soil stabilization is the key to your foundation’s success. It does not matter how strong or re-enforced the homes foundation is if the soil below the foundation is moving. Sub-foundation movement will affect your building.

Understanding that your home is floating on unstable soil requires one thing more than any other; consistent moisture level maintenance of your homes foundation. Sounds simple, but it may be a lot harder to achieve than you imagine. And if your home is new, and part of your home is situated on fill dirt, even if it is expansive material before it was moved to your lot or cut and filled from your lot, it will not be expansive with water, it will be compressive for several years as moisture and space is removed between the soil particles. What this means is that water can hydrate and expand some of your home’s expansive soil foundation base, perhaps raising the elevation, while water can hydrate and compact another part of your foundation base and cause settlement in that area. The cure to foundation problems now or in the future is: Consistent soil hydration around the perimeter of your home. This means the entire perimeter all the same – not too wet and not too dry. Moisture maintenance means tree roots not sucking up moisture under the house slab because you are not watering them downhill from the home. It means no plumbing leaks and periodic checks to make sure there are no leaks. Roof gutters are essential but do not forget the downspouts need to route the rain water away from the foundation 6-10 feet away. Providing the right moisture to your foundation is the cure. Too much or too little water is the cause of many foundation failures in Central Texas, not the builder, and not the soil. Once your house foundation is repaired by our firm or any firm for that matter, consistent moisture level maintenance is still the key to the success of your repair. The “Cure” of foundation failure is always up to you, the home owner. Typically foundation repair is not the cure, it is only the fix. We are happy to help you understand what you can do to make a success of your foundation fix and maintain the “cure” for the life of your structure. In another area, we explain how to use soaker hoses to your best advantage.

Douglas Foundation Repair - 12510 Edwards Hollow Run - Austin, Texas 78739