Foundation drainage
In a place that gets around a foot of rain a year, the water that reaches your foundation often comes from the roof and the sprinklers. Here's what drainage work covers.
Soil that stays dry most of the year reacts sharply when one part of it gets wet. A downspout that dumps beside the garage, a sprinkler zone that sprays the brick every morning, or a flowerbed graded toward the house can keep one stretch of soil wetter than the rest. TDLR's bulletin on residential foundations over expansive soils names surface drainage, plant choices, sprinkling practices and long-term maintenance as important to limiting moisture swings. It also says water should drain away from the house on all sides.
Is your yard sending water toward the house?
- Downspouts that empty right at the base of the wall
- Puddles that sit along the beam for hours after a storm
- Sprinkler heads that hit the brick or pool at the slab edge
- Beds, rock or soil built up to the top of the slab
- A washed-out strip under the roof edge where there's no gutter
- Water collecting under a pier-and-beam house after rain
What does drainage work include?
- Gutters and extensions. Catching roof water and carrying it several feet out before it hits the ground.
- Regrading. Reshaping soil so it slopes away from the house.
- Surface and French drains. Collecting water in low spots and carrying it to a safe outlet.
- Irrigation changes. Moving or capping heads near the foundation and adjusting run times.
- Crawl space drainage. Keeping storm water out from under raised floors.
Why does caliche make drainage more important?
Water soaks through loose sandy soil quickly, then slows down when it reaches a caliche layer that sheds it. The Handbook of Texas describes the caliche under the Llano Estacado as impervious. Where that hard layer is shallow, water can collect in the soil above it and spread along it toward a foundation. Good grading moves water off the lot before it gets that chance.
Should you water near the foundation?
Keeping the soil around the house from drying to dust can limit shrinkage, but too much water causes swelling. Aim for even moisture, not a soggy strip. Check whether your city has outdoor watering rules in effect before you add soaker hoses, and ask your contractor what makes sense for your house.
Before anyone digs
Texas811 says excavators must contact 811 at least two business days before digging, not counting weekends and holidays, and homeowners need to make the same call. Anyone trenching for drains or digging beside a beam should make that call first, and it's fair to ask them to confirm it.
We don't quote prices. Foundation work can only be priced after someone measures the floors and works out why the house is moving, and the price is agreed between you and the contractor.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can drainage alone fix my foundation?
Not if part of the house has already dropped and needs support. But leveling a house without fixing the water problem leaves the repair exposed to the same cause.
Do I need gutters in a desert climate?
Often, yes. Storms here can be short and heavy, and without gutters the roof drops all of that water in a line right next to the foundation.
Related services
- Slab foundation repair
- Pier-and-beam foundation repair
- Foundation piers
- Foundation evaluation and crack repair
More background: Midland and Odessa foundation guide.
New cracks in the brick, or a door that suddenly drags?
Call and get connected with a foundation repair contractor who works in Midland and Odessa.