Is my house settling?
East Texas clay soil swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry, and houses move with it. Some movement is normal. Here is how to tell when it is time to do something.
Common signs
- Doors that stick or will not latch, especially when the seasons change.
- Diagonal cracks running from the corners of doors and windows.
- Gaps between baseboards and the floor.
- Floors that slope or have a soft dip in the middle of a room.
Why it happens here
- Expansive clay soil swells in wet springs and shrinks in dry summers.
- Water dumping at the foundation from gutters and downspouts makes it worse.
- Older pier-and-beam homes can lose support as shims compress or wood rots.
What can be done
- Fix drainage first: gutters, downspout extensions and grading.
- Pier-and-beam homes can often be re-leveled from underneath by re-shimming and replacing supports.
- Slab foundations with significant movement need a foundation specialist.
- After leveling, rehang doors and repair the drywall cracks.