Foundation repair in Buffalo Gap
Foundation help for houses in Buffalo Gap and the hill country of southern Taylor County.
Buffalo Gap had 543 residents in the 2020 census. It's named for a natural gap in the Callahan Divide, the line of hills the Handbook of Texas describes as separating the Brazos and Colorado river watersheds. Bison herds once moved through the gap. The governor named Buffalo Gap the Taylor County seat in 1878, but the Texas and Pacific Railway passed it by in 1881, and Abilene won the county seat in an 1883 election. The old courthouse is now part of Buffalo Gap Historic Village. Jim Ned CISD serves the town, along with Tuscola and Lawn.
Why do hills change the foundation picture?
A house on a slope gets runoff from uphill every time it storms. Water that runs against the upslope side of a house can keep the clay there wetter than on the downslope side. On a cut-and-fill lot, part of the house may sit on undisturbed ground and part on fill. Both situations can lead to uneven movement, so drainage and grading deserve as much attention as leveling.
What kinds of houses need work?
Buffalo Gap and the roads toward Tuscola and Lawn have older homes on piers, ranch houses on slabs, and newer places on acreage. Crawl space houses may need supports reset and damp sills replaced. Slab houses on a slope may need the downhill corner supported.
Permits
Buffalo Gap isn't part of Abilene, so city of Abilene permits don't apply. Ask the contractor and the town about requirements for your address.
Common questions
Is Buffalo Gap too far out for contractors?
Not usually. Call with your address and we'll try to connect you with a contractor that works southern Taylor County.
Does a sloped lot change the repair?
It can. Runoff from uphill and fill soil under part of the house both affect movement. Ask the contractor to look at drainage across the whole lot.
Services in Buffalo Gap
- Slab foundation repairSupport and raise a section of concrete slab that has dropped, most often along an outside beam or a corner.
- Crawl space foundation repairRe-shim and add supports, reset sunken piers, and replace damaged sills and beams under pier-and-beam houses.
- Foundation piersPressed concrete, steel push and helical piers: how they differ and how to read a pier layout in a proposal.
- Foundation evaluation and crack repairFloor elevations, a read on which cracks are structural, and cosmetic crack repair once the movement is handled.
- Foundation drainageGutters, downspout extensions, regrading and drains that keep storm runoff from soaking the clay at the beam.
Nearby areas
Cracked brick, a sticking door or a floor that slopes?
Call and get connected with a foundation repair contractor who works around Abilene.