Foundation Problems!? (Dallas, Duncanville, Cedar Hill: real estate, lofts, condos)

[Panam]

Greetings,

I moved to Dallas 2 months ago to buy a home and after visiting many of them (new and old) all over the metroplex something bothers me... the soil on which they sit on!
I have learnt that the soil under the whole metroplex is a clay till that frequently moves during the common hot/cold climate found in Dallas.
The result is homes that have foundation cracks/problems. I dont have to tell you what structural troubles are associated with a weak foundation. It seems that the soil here keeps shifting even 20 years after the structure was erected. Whether its new or old, its likely to/will have a foundation problem... this is what Dallasites have told me.

My friends told me to beware and that there is a reason why property values are cheap in Dallas. Could this perhaps be the reason? I am now reconsidering buying a home here. I am very interested in learning about your insights and experiences.

thanks and cheers

[Steel Man]

Hello Panam,

Clay soil problems in Dallas was discussed in earlier threads on this forum. You can scroll through the Dallas forum or use the 'search' function above.

[momof2dfw]

Yes, most of North Central Texas is on clay soil. This is not why homes are "cheap" in this area. As for the foundations not every house in the Dallas area has foundation problems, not even 1/2. I'm a native and personally have owned 3 homes in the Dallas area and only one of those had foundation issues and it was because of the what the builder did prior to the ground. We had it fixed before we sold it and it should not be a problem in the future as long as the homeowners take care of it. My parents have also owned 3 homes in the Dallas area from 1964 and only 1 had to have peirs put in about 10 years ago on a house built in the mid 70's. This was caused by a leaking showerpan and trees they allowed to grow too close to the foundation. Of all of the homes that all of my relatives have owned in the Greater Dallas area these are the only two that needed foundation repairs. You are correct that it can be years latter that a home may need some work done on the foundation and it is because of the ever expanding/shrinking clay we have.

But there are ways to prevent it from possibly happening. One is to water around your foundation especially during the summer but it should be done year round to keep the soil at the foundation a more consistent moisture level. You don't want it standing in water either. The best thing to do is have an automatic sprinkler system put in and you can have one done that will work just for the foundation. If you can not do this then you will need soaker hoses. You do NOT put them right up next to the foundation but rather about 16"-18" out from the foundation. Do not overwater but find that happy medium.

The other BIGGIE that you should NEVER do to keep your foundation from harm is do NOT plant trees too close to your house. The roots can grow up under the foundation for one. But the biggest issue is the roots will suck up the water for the tree that you need for your foundation. Same w/ large shrubs. People are bad about planting red tips and letting them grow up to the eaves of their house. This is REALLY BAD!!! Same issue, they are drinking the water you need for the foundation. So if you are looking at homes and they have trees planted w/in 10-15' of the house and large shrubs grown up way high you may want a foundation report. You can have something installed called a root barrier. This prevents the roots from the trees from going up under the foundation. It is very common however to see crepe myrtles planted up close to the house. Their roots are not as bad as something like an oak but you need to make sure that you keep plenty of water in the area so it does not go looking under your house for water.

If you find a house you like and want some peace of mind you can have an engineer come out and do a foundatin inspection as part of your inspections on the home. The costs run between $250-500. If it is something you are really concerned about I would suggest doing this. Also look for cracks in the sheetrock at stress points (around doors and windows), in the brick, doors and windows that don't close or open, close a door and look to see if it is square in the doorframe. Not that these are all sure signs that the house has foundation problems they can be an indicator of some problems.

If you find a house that has had foundation repairs, piers put in, that does not mean it is a bad house. It could make it better. Most foundation companines warranty their work for the lifetime of the home and the warranty is transferable to each owner.

[momof2dfw]

Oh, the other issue I have seen that can cause some foundation problems are extreme sloping of the yard very close to the house. If the dirt is not supported by a support wall but is allowed to have the extreme slope this can cause the dirt to move out from under on that side of the house. I saw a house that this happened to. The outside wall on that side of the house was pulling away. All that needed to be done were some piers under that wall and a retaining wall put in to hold the yard up.

[curlytop]

A lot of homes built after 1960 are concrete slab homes which are cheaper to build and make for cheaper homes to buy. The ground shifts here and if/when you have to do foundation repairs, a slab home is more expensive to repair. Pier and beam is mostly found in older homes and have the advantage of being easier to repair because of accessabiltiy. A $3,000 vs $13,000 advantage.

[i_catch_tree_bass]

momof2dfw just gave you a lot of good information. The soil in the North Central Texas area does pose some issues, but it's basically something that you just accept, and most of the things you will encounter aren't necessarily "problems." Keeping soaker hoses about 18" away from the foundation during the summer months are an EXTREMELY good investment, just as momof2dfw said.

Foundation problems are not the reason homes are "cheap" in the area. An abundance of land is the primary reason for that.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by curlytop

A lot of homes built after 1960 are concrete slab homes which are cheaper to build and make for cheaper homes to buy. The ground shifts here and if/when you have to do foundation repairs, a slab home is more expensive to repair. Pier and beam is mostly found in older homes and have the advantage of being easier to repair because of accessabiltiy. A $3,000 vs $13,000 advantage.

Not really true. However, most average tract homes ARE built on slab foundations. You will find though that there are many very good custom home builders that do put piers in. The average tract home builder is trying to keep costs down so that they appeal to more buyers (they will cut corners anyway they can). The lower end the builder is typically the less they are going to put into a home like a foundation w/ piers.

And no, this is NOT why houses in the Dallas area are "cheap". Why does that same word keep coming up? Our homes are not "cheap" but our market has stayed steady w/o the drastic spikes that some places have seen that are now in trouble w/ fear of a crash. Land has always been plentiful in the past but this is all changing. Many suburbs have already reached build-out or are w/in a few years of it. So the cities are starting to pay attention to what they allow to be built. With build-out being reached around here the prices are only going to go up. Take a look at what it costs to live in the downtown area of Dallas or in close proximity of it. Small lofts/condos/townhomes for over $400K. Why? Because there is no land left to build on and it is now prime real estate. The same is going to hold true for the suburbs that are "desireable" once build-out has been reached.

[ricwil]

momof2dfw, you know the North Texas area well. We see all these things happening around Cedar Hill. The master plan for the city estimates 70,000 citizens. They devoted a lot of land for parks to enhance the scenic beauty we are blessed with. High-end housing and retail are taking off but lagging in office parks and high-tech. etc.. The master plan for the city estimates 70,000 citizens. We're halfway now. All across the southwest side, we're seeing a boom in housing. Construction is everywhere you look. Desoto is close to build-out. Duncanville is already there. Lancaster looks to have the most "potential", but where you'll really see the dirt flying more than is already is down in Red Oak and Waxahachie as they widen I-35.


We have those Redtips and Crepe Myrtles near the house. Cut them wayback when we moved here for fear of foundation problems. The clay is thin here on top of several feet of chalk stone, can't say foundation problems are non existant as we get "sticky doors" but I'll emphasise this is very minor. I tend to look at city's with foundation problems when I drive their fairly new concrete streets and look at what shape their in. If they're buckling and the ride is bumby there must some major soil movement going on.

[ricwil]

Observe sidewalks buckling more so than the concrete roads as the newer ones are thicker, thus reducing buckling etc..

[Merlin]

I have seen many similar foundation problems in Texas. The problem is the slabs don't have proper footings The majority of foundation compression loading is near or at the edge of the slab. Many Texas type homes use stone or brick on the exterior walls that compound the problem with heavy mass on the perimeter. The foundation footing should extend beyound the focal point load area to distribute the load to the footing and beyond the slab edge.