Is Your House Moving?

We are still in August and in extreme heat in this area of the country! We have been over 100° from July 31 to August 17.  We broke that record on August 18 and turned around and went back to over 100° forecasted unto the end of the month and maybe longer. It hasn't been this hot since 1998. When it is this hot, there is no rain and therefore our foundations begin to move. With our wonderful clay soil, it expands when it gets wet and contracts when it becomes dry. So your foundation is probably moving!

But don't get in a hurry to get it fixed. In my experience in talking with engineers and foundation companies, when you're going through a drought, you need to wait to see how the house settles out once we get rain. Of course if we get a lot of rain, your house could also move.

So the best thing you can do is to keep the outside of your house evenly watered. The sprinkler system does help but you need to make sure it is in working order and that it touches all parts of your yard. The biggest culprit of foundation movement are large trees and shrubs and bushes that are planted too close to the house. They suck up all the water right under your house where it is the most moist. Sometimes soaker hoses can help. But they should be put 6 inches away from the slab.

But now that we are in the restrictive watering schedule for most of our cities, you need to take extra care that your foundation is watered when you can get the water.