Points to Remember

Plumbing: when indicated, get hydrostatic pressure test on sewer lines. Clean out to be plugged. Commode should be pulled. Test should be at least two (2) hours, or until leak is found.


Drainage: positive water shed away from structure. No areas allowed to pond. Gutters kept cleaned out. Downspouts to provide positive water shed. Outdoor drains flushed at least quarterly.


Watering: sprinkler systems are for keeping grass green. Use soaker hoses to limit soil from shrinking under foundation. Soaker hose 10" to 12" from foundation. No water directly under foundation. The hotter and dryer it gets, the longer they should run. Soil should not pull away from foundation.


Pier and Beam: keep crawl space dry. Open and close vents with season. Floors can't normally be leveled without addressing perimeter beam and dry crawl space.



Additional Observations and opinions:

Find the cause of the problem, solve it, and then approach the task of repositioning the walls, if required.

Elevations: without originals, and without original benchmark, are of little or no value. Heaving causes as many foundation problems, in North Texas, as settlement.

Some concrete piers are good and some are bad. Some steel piers are good and some are bad. Chemical injection, mud jacking and pushed concrete piling are often bad.

Not all homes with foundation movement need piers.

Root barriers may be used in lieu of tree removal in some instances.

Every homeowner in DFW area should use my service because knowledge and maintenance help eliminate foundation problems.