Why North Texas Clay Soil Is So Hard on Foundations
If you live in Dallas–Fort Worth, there's a good chance your home sits on expansive clay soil. It's one of the biggest reasons foundation repair is so common in North Texas, and understanding how it works can help you protect your home.
What is expansive clay soil?
Expansive clay is soil that changes volume with moisture. When it rains, the clay absorbs water and swells. During hot, dry stretches, it loses moisture and shrinks, sometimes enough to open visible cracks in your yard. That constant swelling and shrinking puts stress on anything built on top of it, including your foundation.
How it affects your home
Soil rarely gets wet or dries out evenly around a house. The side that gets afternoon sun may dry faster. A downspout may dump water in one corner. A large tree may pull moisture from the soil on one side. When one part of the foundation moves more than another, you start to see cracks, sticking doors and uneven floors.
Simple ways to protect your foundation
Keep gutters clean and extend downspouts away from the house
Make sure the ground slopes away from the foundation
Fix plumbing leaks quickly
Keep soil moisture around the foundation as consistent as possible, especially in summer
Be mindful of large trees planted close to the house
When drainage needs more help
Sometimes the yard itself works against you. Drainage solutions such as French drains, surface drains, catch basins or a foundation drip system can help move water away from the house and keep soil moisture more consistent. Root barriers can also help where large trees are close to the foundation.
When it's time for an inspection
If you're already seeing cracks, sticking doors or sloping floors, the soil may have already moved your foundation. A free inspection from Onyx Foundation will tell you where things stand and whether you need repair, drainage improvements or simply monitoring.
Call us anytime at 214-876-0328.
Learn more about our foundation repair services or book a free inspection anytime.
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