watering in winter - foundation problems? (San Antonio, Anton: how much, house, neighborhood)

[Tropical Trouble]

I just moved to the area a couple months ago so this soil issue is all new to me.

I stopped watering my lawn a couple weeks ago when it started to get cold. Most of my neighbors seem to be doing the same as there are now a lot of half brown, unmowed lawns in the neighborhood.

I noticed today that my lawn seems to have sunk about 2 inches down (when compared to the surface of the driveway) and is separated from the driveway and sidewalk by 2-3 inches. The lawn is still right up against the house though, no separation there that I can see, but the driveway and sidewalk seem to be suffering because the wood that was down in between the driveway and the sidewalk, as well as between the driveway and my front steps has completely come out. There is also a difference in height between the sidewalk and the driveway of about an inch.

Should I still be watering regularly to keep this from happening, or is this normal for winter?

[Bo]

It's normal for times of extreme drought, which is what San Antonio is in right now. Whether you need to water your foundation depends on whether you're in a part of the city that has expansive soils. It sounds like you should do some watering, based on what you're observing.

[yosoyway]

Yes, definitely water. Especially around the foundation of your home.

[2DMaxx]

If you live in a brick home I would look for a expansion joint, mine looked like this recently.

[Tropical Trouble]

Thanks, but my house isn't brick, it's cement fiber siding (I think). My house seems to be crack-free for now, but the sinking lawn and cracking sidewalk are freaking me out. The house is 6 years old and the outside looked just fine when I moved in. I feel like I must be doing something wrong.

How many other people water through the winter?

[TexHwyMan]

I would recommend that you put soaker hoses around your foundation and along your sidewalk and driveway and run them once a day for 15-30 minutes to maintain proper soil moisture levels. No more than that-- you don't want the soil too wet, just moist. After a few days or a week of that, you should see the soil levels return to the pre-shrinkage positions. Then just continue that regiment daily (except on days when it rains.)

[banker]

Originally Posted by 2DMaxx

If you live in a brick home I would look for a expansion joint, mine looked like this recently.

That is terrible. Did you have foundation work done?

[2DMaxx]

Yes, I did, recently.

Before work...


After work...

[yosoyway]

Wow! How much did it cost you? You don't have to give an exact amount. Just something to keep in mind if we ever need something like that.

I water around the perimeter of the house in order to keep it moist during the winter. Especially with the long dry spell we've been through.

[2DMaxx]

It cost around 10k, I had 17 piers installed. The front of my house was ~2 inches lower than the center.