Droughts Also Affect House Foundations

As we posted about back in June, it is important to protect yourself and your home from the hot Houston summers.

Not only do you have to worry about fires and care of your lawn and gardens, but you should also be aware that droughts can also affect your home’s foundation.

When the moisture gets pulled from the soil beneath your home, the foundation is at risk of cracking and severely damaging your home.  To make matters more concerning, the drought has also led to many cities issuing watering restrictions.  This means the soil beneath your home is at an even higher risk of shrinking.  When soil shrinks under the weight of a house, it causes settlement. This is a concern for the safety of homes built before 1970, on a spread footing foundation as opposed to the more modern caissons. Caissons are sturdy beams anchored deep into the bedrock which allow for better support. Being anchored deeply, the beams won’t take a blow from the drought as badly in the shallow soil.

Foundation specialists typically start to get calls from homeowners in late August, toward the end of a long hot summer.  This season, due to the drought and water restrictions, those calls are coming much earlier.

Be proactive and have the foundation beneath your home inspected. The drought affecting the agriculture doesn’t have to affect your home’s foundation.

Visit Allied Foundation for more tips and information.

Also, check out the HGTV website for some self-help tips.