Why floors slope in Wichita Falls
Two kinds of houses, two kinds of problems. The 1950s were the busiest building decade in Wichita Falls, and more than a third of today's homes were built before 1960. Many of those older homes sit on piers and beams with a crawl space and a wood floor. Newer homes mostly sit on a concrete slab. The inspector checks which one you have first, because the fix is different.
Clay that swells and shrinks. USDA soil surveys list common subsoils around Wichita Falls, like Tillman and Kamay, at 35 to 50 percent clay. Kamay has the swelling type of clay that pushes up when wet. When it dries, it pulls back. Under a slab, that can tip one side down or lift the edges. Under a pier-and-beam house, it can let one pier sink while the next one stays put.
Drought, then a soaking. From 2011 to 2015 a long drought dried out the ground across the area. Then 2015 brought 50.5 inches of rain. Swings like that move the soil a lot in a short time. Many homes that had been level for years started to slope after.
Old wood under older floors. In a crawl-space home, the floor rests on wood beams and joists, often with wood shims on top of the piers. Over decades, shims crush or rot, and joists can sag. The floor dips even if the soil has not moved much.
Water in the crawl space. Poor drainage around the house can leave a crawl space damp. Damp soil and damp wood both make floors drop.
