Home Foundations Cracking Under Pressure of Arkansas Drought
By: Josh Berry
Updated: July 16, 2012
With this persisting hot and dry weather, homeowners have now felt the brunt of the drought in their homes.
Soil crumbling beneath people's homes has become an increasing problem foundation repair companies say is a result of the drought and it's pulling from the pockets of the homeowners.
Mashelia Broadway worries the front of her house may fall apart.
"It's gotten worse just in the last couple of weeks," she said
Broadway moved her family into the new house in Little Rock in 2003. Nine years later, she's wondering why they're seeing this now.
Her foundation has shifted so much, you can see the drywall and insulation, some say thanks to the drought.
"I don't know if it's bad foundation or I just got a bad lot... I don't know if we can control the ground or rain... obviously we can't."
She said if the rain comes down just the right way, her sheet-rock will get wet, presenting another problem: Mildew. It's something she's very concerned about.
"Mostly because this is my daughter's room right here."
American Structure Repair cut away at part of another house in Benton that's gotten so bad they'll actually have to rebuild the home's support.
Improper water flow through and around the home has left a visible gap between the foundation and the house.
The dryer it gets, the expansive clay shrinking and it just lets everything start going down," said Production Manager, Bob Bradford.
Bradford said the drought has increased the number of calls. It's a complicated process to fix.
They have to fill the voids to build back the foundation. They pump a sand and concrete mix into the foundation gaps to provide the needed support.
Whether it's just cracks in the structure, or a hole in the foundation, it's money that has to come out of the homeowners pocket.
"It's expensive to fix, it's gonna be expensive to fix," Broadway said.
Her homeowner insurance likely won't cover the damage and the builder/contractor can't be held responsible because she only had a year warranty on structure damage.
These projects can run customers upwards of $30,000, Bradford said it can be prevented with something as simple as proper gutters, a drainage system or landscaping scheme.
If money is an issue just make sure water doesn't pond or stand in pools around the house. That moisture will seep into the foundation and contract or expand the clay that Arkansas is so well-known for.
Soil crumbling beneath people's homes has become an increasing problem foundation repair companies say is a result of the drought and it's pulling from the pockets of the homeowners.
Mashelia Broadway worries the front of her house may fall apart.
"It's gotten worse just in the last couple of weeks," she said
Broadway moved her family into the new house in Little Rock in 2003. Nine years later, she's wondering why they're seeing this now.
Her foundation has shifted so much, you can see the drywall and insulation, some say thanks to the drought.
"I don't know if it's bad foundation or I just got a bad lot... I don't know if we can control the ground or rain... obviously we can't."
She said if the rain comes down just the right way, her sheet-rock will get wet, presenting another problem: Mildew. It's something she's very concerned about.
"Mostly because this is my daughter's room right here."
American Structure Repair cut away at part of another house in Benton that's gotten so bad they'll actually have to rebuild the home's support.
Improper water flow through and around the home has left a visible gap between the foundation and the house.
The dryer it gets, the expansive clay shrinking and it just lets everything start going down," said Production Manager, Bob Bradford.
Bradford said the drought has increased the number of calls. It's a complicated process to fix.
They have to fill the voids to build back the foundation. They pump a sand and concrete mix into the foundation gaps to provide the needed support.
Whether it's just cracks in the structure, or a hole in the foundation, it's money that has to come out of the homeowners pocket.
"It's expensive to fix, it's gonna be expensive to fix," Broadway said.
Her homeowner insurance likely won't cover the damage and the builder/contractor can't be held responsible because she only had a year warranty on structure damage.
These projects can run customers upwards of $30,000, Bradford said it can be prevented with something as simple as proper gutters, a drainage system or landscaping scheme.
If money is an issue just make sure water doesn't pond or stand in pools around the house. That moisture will seep into the foundation and contract or expand the clay that Arkansas is so well-known for.
