Slab foundation repair
Most Texarkana houses built in the last several decades sit on a concrete slab. Here's how a slab that has dropped in clay soil gets stabilized.
A slab-on-grade foundation is a reinforced concrete slab with thickened beams around the edge and often under interior walls, poured right on the ground. The soil under the outer edge of the slab sees the most change: rain and roof runoff soak it, and summer sun and tree roots dry it. The soil near the middle of the house stays more even. Over years, the difference lets one corner or side settle below the rest, and the frame of the house bends to follow it.
What does slab settlement look like?
- Stair-step cracks in the brick, widest at the top or bottom near one corner
- Cracked floor tile, or a line telegraphing through vinyl plank
- Doors near the low side that rub at the top corner
- A gap between the brick and a window frame, or between trim pieces
- The garage door no longer sealing evenly against the slab
How is a dropped slab repaired?
- Floor elevations. The contractor takes readings across every room to map the high and low areas.
- Find the cause. They check gutters, yard grading, nearby trees and signs of a plumbing leak.
- Lay out piers. Piers go under the perimeter beam along the settled section, with interior piers only where readings call for them.
- Install and lift. Piers are installed to firmer bearing, then the slab is raised as far as it can safely go and set on the piers.
- Close up. Holes are backfilled and compacted; cracks are repaired after the house is stable.
What if part of the slab went up instead of down?
That's heave, and it's common on clay when water gets under a slab: a leaking supply or sewer line, a low spot where runoff collects, or a flowerbed watered every day against the foundation. Heave often shows as a hump near the middle of the house. Edge piers won't fix it. A plumbing test and a drainage fix might. Ask any contractor to show you on the elevation map whether they see settlement, heave or both.
How level will it get?
Slabs are rarely returned to perfectly flat, and a lift can crack tile or drywall as things shift. Ask what the target is, how they'll protect plumbing during the lift, and what cosmetic damage is and isn't covered.
We don't quote prices. The contractor prices the repair after taking floor elevations and figuring out why the house is moving, and any number given over the phone before that is only a guess.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Will they have to tear up my floors?
Usually not. Most slab piers are installed from outside along the perimeter. Interior piers, when needed, mean cutting through the floor at those spots.
Should I get a plumbing test before piering?
If the readings show a high spot in the middle of the house or near the bathrooms and kitchen, a pressure test can rule out a leak first. Ask the contractor whether they recommend one.
Related services
More background: Texarkana foundation repair guide.
Brick cracking, doors dragging, or a floor that's started to tilt?
Call and a Texarkana-area foundation contractor will come take measurements and explain what's moving.