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Even in the shade, sweat dripped from this 53-year-old construction worker.
After each scoop, he raised the shovel above his head – passing it to a man who tossed the black clay into a growing pile.
Salgado isn’t the only Victorian sweating because of home foundation problems.
Rain or shine, most homeowners here fight settling soil, cracked slabs and the repair bills that follow.
But does dry weather – which Victoria’s had this year – or rain – which poured last year – cause more problems?
The answer lies just beneath your feet. Many local foundations were poured atop black gumbo.
This dark, porous clay – perfect for the rice fields that were harvested here many years ago – contracts during dry spells and expands with water.
Settling gumbo can wreak havoc on your home’s slab.
Jesse Cano owns the home on Westwood Drive.
“It is frustrating. Over the last 20 years, I’ve leveled this whole house,” said Cano, 61.
Cano just paid $7,000 to level his slab, which settled, or sunk, another half-inch.
He pointed to cracked drywall and split front porch slab, and to the doors he labors to close.
“The thing about it is the cracking’s going to continue,” Cano said.
He may be right.
Danny McBride, owner of a local foundation repair company, said there is no cure-all to stop slabs from settling.
Homes built atop black gumbo – in areas such as the Victoria Country Club, Castle Hills West, near Victoria College, Tanglewood and others – are often at the shifty soil’s mercy.
To repair Cano’s slab, four men worked four days just to tunnel to beneath his home’s center.
Using hydraulic tools, they then forced concrete cylinders about 15 feet into the ground – stacking them to support the foundation.
The cylinders were pushed to depths not affected by topside moisture.
Is rain or drought worse?
McBride said many believe dry spells are worse than downpours on slabs.
Without rain, the soil contracts. Slabs can then settle unevenly and often crack.
But local data may show that rain is worse than the sun on slabs.
From January to June this year, 11 inches of rain fell locally. Victoria is in a drought.
So far, 30 permits to level slabs were filed with the city’s inspections department.
But during the same six months last year, the city received 35 inches of rain – and 49 permits were filed.
More permits were filed to level foundations during a rainy season than during this drought.
Not so fast, said Paul Whitney, a local engineer.
“You almost have to look at each house individually,” he said.
All things equal, soil that settles, wet or dry, could have similar effects on the slabs above it, Whitney said.
Other factors often determine if your slab cracks or if it weathers the shifting soil.
Whitney said these factors can contribute to soil shifting:
Nearby trees that sap water from the soil
Quality of your slab’s construction
Design of the slab
Weight distribution of your home
If your home is heavy on its west side, for example – and you have thirsty, mature trees on that side, too – a slab might settle there during a drought.
Tree roots can drink 350 gallons of water daily from the soil.
Shrinking soil, and a home’s disproportionate weight, are a recipe for cracking.
“But there just isn’t any yes or no, black and white answer,” Whitney said. “It’s all in a gray area.”
Whitney and McBride suggest homeowners call an expert if they suspect foundation settling or if they fear future problems.
One thing is certain: Homeowners can counteract a drought, but they can’t stop the rain.
During dry times, McBride said to place a soaker hose – porous hoses that drip water – 18 inches from the home’s slab to allow water to seep into the soil.
“You’re not going to stop all the sheet rock and brick cracks,” McBride said. “Using the soaker hose consistently is not a cure-all but it does help.”
To fight drought’s effect on soil:
Soak the ground for an hour a day, three days a week.
Install barriers to keep tree roots away from the slab.
Water trees on the side furthest from the house. Roots grow toward water.
But it’s water, rainfall, that leaves homeowners at nature’s mercy.
Black gumbo expands when filled with water, pushing slabs upward and often cracking them. Foundation settling can also crack water and sewer lines.
“I’m in the second best business,” McBride said. “The first is funeral homes. You’re going to die, but first you’re going to have foundation problems.”
Gabe Semenza is the Public Service Editor for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6519 or gsemenza@vicad.com.