Slab foundation repair
A lot of Abilene houses are built on a concrete slab poured on the ground. When part of that slab sinks on drying clay, here's how it's usually handled.
A slab-on-grade foundation has a flat concrete floor with thicker beams around the edge and often a few running across the middle. The edges get the hardest treatment. The clay right outside the beam dries out in an Abilene summer, gets soaked by downspouts and storms, and sits in full sun on the south and west sides. The clay under the middle of the house changes much more slowly. That difference is what drops a corner or a whole side.
How does a sinking slab show up inside?
- Brick cracks that start low at one corner and climb toward the eaves
- Doors at one end of the house that drag along the top of the frame
- Windows on that same side that are hard to raise
- A straight line of cracked tile, or a crack in the concrete under old carpet
- Siding, trim or the frieze board pulling away from the brick
What does a typical slab repair involve?
- Measure. The contractor takes floor elevations in every room and sketches the high and low areas.
- Find the cause. They check gutters, downspouts, grading, trees close to the house and any sign of a plumbing leak.
- Plan the supports. Piers are placed under the beam in the low section at the spacing the system calls for. Interior piers are added only where the readings show a need.
- Raise and secure. The slab is lifted as much as it can safely go, then locked onto the piers.
- Close up. Holes are backfilled and packed. Cracks are finished after the house has settled into its new position.
What if the middle is high, not the edge low?
It happens on this clay. Water from a leak or poor drainage gets under the slab, the soil swells, and the center rises. Jacking up the edges to match can stress the house more. A careful contractor reads the full elevation map first, and may suggest a plumbing test before proposing any piers.
Will the floor end up perfectly level?
Usually it ends up flatter, but rarely perfect. A slab that's been out of level for years can crack drywall or tile as it moves back. Get the lift target in writing, and ask how the contractor handles door adjustments and cosmetic damage afterward.
We don't quote prices. A contractor can only price foundation work after measuring the floors and finding what's making the house move, and what you pay is agreed between you and that contractor.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Will my floors be torn up?
Most slab repair is done from outside, digging next to the perimeter beam. Interior piers, if they're needed, mean cutting small openings in the floor at those spots.
Should the plumbing be tested first?
If the high areas sit near a bathroom or the kitchen, a plumbing test can rule out a leak before you pay for piers. Ask the contractor whether they'd recommend one.
Related services
- Crawl space foundation repair
- Foundation piers
- Foundation evaluation and crack repair
- Foundation drainage
More background: Abilene foundation guide.
Cracked brick, a sticking door or a floor that slopes?
Call and get connected with a foundation repair contractor who works around Abilene.