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Soil sometimes slides down a hill at a slow pace, perhaps several feet per minute.  Slow moving soil masses are called soil slips.  Soil slips can be small, a few square yards, or much larger, covering acres of land.   If your home is on a hillside, soil...

Q:  WHAT IS A SWALE?   A:  A swale is simply a shallow ditch that is used to carry off water.  Swales are often so wide and so shallow that you do not notice them.  On most city lots, where homes are 10 to 15 feet apart, there is a swale between the...

The primary cause of foundation movement is the shrinking and swelling of expansive clay soils as such soils alternately dehydrate and hydrate.  As expansive soils absorb water and swell, they typically exert upward forces measured in thousands of pounds...

During hot dry periods, in areas with expansive soils, cracks will appear in the ground.  In the Dallas and Fort Worth area, the cracks can become huge.  In some parts of Irving and Grand Prairie, we have seen cracks that were up to 6 inches wide and went...

Mudjacking is the process of lifting a building, driveway, or any object by pumping concrete (known as mud to people who work with it) underneath the item to be lifted. Different types of concrete can be used. Usually, a low strength concrete is used....

Fixing Slab Cracks Every foundation has cracks in it!  So, if you see cracks, do not jump to the conclusion that your slab is failing.  When concrete cures, that is as it hardens, it shrinks a small amount.  The shrinking can cause cracks of various...

Water by itself is not damaging to foundations.  Water that gets into the wrong types of soils can cause a lot of damage.  When I say “the wrong types of soils” I am referring to expansive clay soils.  Expansive clay soils absorb water like sponges.  Just...