It is HOT and DRY in Texas so Water Your Foundation

The Austin American Statesman came out with an article today about watering around your home’s foundation to avoid damage to your home. The article focused on the current drought and how applying water around the foundation can avoid structural damage to the home.

The foundation, when the soil around it is excessively dry (like now), can sag around the edges regardless of whether you are on Austin clay or Hill Country limestone. The soil moisture can be gone during times of excessive heat and drought like we have been experiencing. When the soil is excessively dry it contracts, causing the foundation to have less support.   When the foundation around the edges sags, doors and windows can stick. Sliding glass doors can drag. Cracks can appear in sheetrock and even in brick and stone joints on the exterior of the home.

The solution, at least temporarily, is to keep the soil moist around the foundation. When Austin and Central Texas are in the middle of a record drought like we are now, watering the lawn basically stops. As such, it is easy not to think about little things like soil moisture. However, at the first sign of a sticky door, the right thing to do is hand water around the foundation. This can be done even during times or significant watering restrictions. Actually, the right thing to do is preventive maintenance by watering before noticing signs of trouble.

The funny thing about this article is the timing. I wrote about this in August, 2006 in my Austin Real Estate News Blog and again just a few days ago. The first post was called Water Your Foundation?  I also wrote about the same subject in 2009 on my ActiveRain Austin Real Estate Blog in a post entitled Got Sticky Doors? Water Your Foundation. Many people I have talked with about this subject look at me like I’m a bit crazy. Perhaps the Statesman article will help them to take me more seriously.

Questions about Austin real estate?  Call me at 512-293-2422.