Signs of Foundation Problems in Wichita Falls, TX Homes

Small signs can point to a bigger problem

Most foundation problems start small. A door that sticks. A crack over a window. Many Wichita Falls homeowners notice these and wait. The trouble is that the soil under the house keeps moving, season after season.

Use this page to sort what you see into "probably fine" and "worth a look soon." If you are not sure, the inspection is free.

Signs inside the house

Doors that stick or will not latch. A door that used to close fine but now drags or will not latch is one of the most common early signs. Pay attention if it only happens in summer or only after heavy rain.

Cracks from the corners of doors and windows. Diagonal cracks that run up from the corner of a door or window frame often mean the wall moved.

Sloping or uneven floors. If a ball rolls across the room, or you feel like you are walking downhill, part of the house may have dropped.

Bouncy or soft floors. In older homes with a crawl space, a soft spot in the floor can mean a support below has sunk or rotted.

Cracked tile. Tile that cracks in a line across a room, especially on a slab, can mean the slab moved under it.

Gaps at the ceiling or baseboards. A gap where the wall meets the ceiling, or where the baseboard pulls away from the floor, is a sign of movement.

Windows that stick. Windows that are suddenly hard to open or close can point to the same problem as sticking doors.

Cabinets or counters pulling away. Kitchen cabinets that pull away from the wall, or counters that are no longer level, are worth a look.

Signs outside the house

Stair-step cracks in brick. A crack that follows the mortar lines like a staircase is a classic sign that part of the foundation under that wall moved.

Cracks in the slab edge. Look at the concrete you can see at the bottom of the house. Cracks there, especially near corners, are worth noting.

Brick pulling away from windows or doors. A gap between the brick and the window frame can mean the wall moved.

Soil pulling away from the foundation. In a dry summer, you may see a gap between the soil and the slab. It shows how much the clay shrinks here.

Water pooling by the house. Standing water next to the foundation after rain is not a sign of damage yet, but it is a common cause of it.

Chimney leaning or separating. A chimney that pulls away from the house can mean its footing moved.

Why these signs show up so often in Wichita Falls

The ground under most Wichita Falls homes is clay. USDA soil surveys show that common soils in Wichita County, like Tillman clay loam and Kamay silt loam, have subsoils that are 35 to 50 percent clay. That clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Tillman soil can crack more than 4 feet deep in a dry spell.

Wichita Falls gets about 29 inches of rain in a normal year, but it often swings between drought and heavy rain. From 2011 to 2015 the area was in a deep drought, and then 2015 brought 50.5 inches of rain. Swings like that are when many homes show new cracks or sticking doors.

Probably fine vs. worth a look soon

Probably fine:

• Thin hairline cracks in a slab or garage floor that have not changed
• Small cracks in drywall tape at corners
• One door that sticks in very humid weather

Worth a look soon:

• Several doors sticking at once
• Cracks wider than about a quarter inch
• Cracks where one side is higher than the other
• Stair-step cracks in brick
• Floors that slope or feel soft
• Cracks that grow over weeks or months
• New cracks after a big storm or long dry spell

Getting ready to sell?

A buyer's inspector looks for these same signs. If the buyer uses a VA loan, foundation cracks can also be flagged in the appraisal. If you are selling, or might move on short notice, a free inspection now tells you what a buyer will see.

What to do next

1. Take photos of each sign, with a ruler or coin next to cracks.
2. Mark the ends of cracks with a pencil and the date.
3. Note which doors stick and when.
4. Call (940) 468-1786 or send the short form for a free inspection.

The inspector takes floor level readings across your whole house and tells you if it is moving, how much, and what it would take to fix. You get a written price and decide from there.