Guide
Looking after a foundation on Wichita soil
A foundation moves when the soil beneath it changes, and around here that mostly means changes in moisture. The aim is simple: keep the ground near the house from getting very wet or very dry.
Twice a year, walk around the house
- Spring. After a hard rain, look for puddles at the wall, gutters spilling over and downspouts that have come apart.
- Late summer. Look for soil pulled back from the foundation, new cracks in brick or at door corners, and doors that have begun to bind.
- Any time. In the basement, sight along each wall, look at the posts under the main beam and check that the sump runs.
- Keep a few dated photos of known cracks so you have something to compare.
Gutters, downspouts and slope
A roof sheds a great deal of water in a Kansas thunderstorm, and all of it lands within a few feet of the footing unless gutters carry it off. Keep them clean and pitched toward the outlets, and lead each downspout out onto ground that falls away from the house. Where soil along the wall has settled into a dip, build it back up with compacted soil, never against siding or above a basement window sill. The page on water pooling by the house has a checklist for a rainy day.
Trees and planting
A large tree draws water from a wide area, and on clay that can dry the soil under the nearest corner of the house in a hot summer. That is no reason to fell a healthy tree: taking one out changes soil moisture too, in the other direction. When you plant, give a new shade tree room; its mature height from the wall is a common guide. Keep beds along the foundation from turning into basins, and aim sprinklers away from the wall.
Dry spells on clay
On the east-side clays, a long dry spell opens a gap between the soil and the foundation. Some engineers suggest light, even watering of that strip in a drought so the soil does not shrink away. Others caution that water poured into an open gap can run straight down the wall.
If your house is on clay and has a history of seasonal cracks, ask the person who inspects it what they advise for your lot. Whatever you do, do it evenly all the way round, because uneven moisture is what moves a house.
Indoors
Fix plumbing leaks promptly. A slow leak under a slab or beside a footing softens the soil in one place. Know where the main shut-off is. If the house has a sump, test it before storm season by pouring a bucket of water into the pit.
When upkeep is not enough
Maintenance slows movement. It does not reverse it. If cracks keep growing through a full year of good drainage, or a wall is leaning, it is time to have the house inspected.
Ready to have it looked at?
Talk to a foundation repair company near Wichita
Call and describe what you are seeing. You will speak with an independent local company that can arrange to inspect the house and give you its findings and its price.
Foundation repair for houses
Basement walls, settling, cracks, crawl spaces and sloping floors in Wichita and nearby towns.
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