Foundation repair for Abilene homes

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Call or send the form with your address and what you're noticing in the house.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent foundation repair contractor that covers Abilene and the towns around it.

3. They call you back

   The contractor looks at the house, explains what's moving and why, and prices any repair with you directly.

Who is this site for?

It's for homeowners in Abilene, Merkel, Tye, Buffalo Gap, Anson and the rest of Taylor and Jones counties who suspect the house is moving. Maybe you own a brick ranch house where one corner has started to sink, or an older house over a crawl space with floors that dip and bounce. You might be a buyer whose inspection report flagged the foundation, or a seller who wants a straight answer before listing. We don't do the repair. We connect you with a contractor who does.

Why do Abilene foundations shift?

Mostly because of clay and weather. The Handbook of Texas describes Taylor County's surface soils as loamy and reddish to brownish, over clayey subsoils that often hold lime deposits. The USDA's Abilene soil series was first set up in Taylor County in 1915. Its subsoil runs 35 to 50 percent clay, with lime starting 10 to 28 inches down. Close relatives in the same Rolling Plains region, like the Rowena series, are even more active. When Rowena dries, it opens cracks about half an inch to an inch wide that reach 20 to 30 inches deep, and USDA rates its shrink-swell potential as high.

Then add the weather. Abilene Regional Airport averages about 25 inches of precipitation a year under 1991 to 2020 normals. July highs average just over 96°F, and the record is 113°F. Long hot spells dry the clay along the edges of a house, and a hard storm soaks it again. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation puts it simply: wet expansive soil can lift a building, and dry soil can let it drop. A house on that ground gets worked back and forth year after year.

What should make you look closer?

• Stair-step cracks in brick that start at a corner, a window or the garage opening
• Drywall cracks running at an angle from the top corners of doors
• Doors that rub, won't latch, or drift open or shut on their own
• Floors that slope toward one wall, or a soft dip in the middle of a room
• Gaps opening between baseboards and floor, or between cabinets and the wall
• Floor tile cracking in a straight line across a room
• Cracks you patched last year that came right back after a dry summer

A single hairline crack in a garage floor is usually just concrete shrinkage. When several of these show up together, or they get better and worse with the seasons, it's time to have the floors measured. Our foundation evaluation page explains what that visit should include.

What repairs can a contractor offer?

• Slab repair. Supporting and raising a section of slab that has dropped, usually along the outside beam. See slab foundation repair.
• Crawl space repair. Re-shimming, adding supports and replacing damaged wood under pier-and-beam houses. See crawl space foundation repair.
• Foundation piers. Pressed concrete, steel and helical piers, and how to judge the count in a proposal. See foundation piers.
• Evaluations. Floor elevations, crack reading and a written explanation of the cause. See foundation evaluation.
• Drainage. Gutters, downspout extensions, grading and drains that move storm water away from the house. See foundation drainage.

Does every cracked house need piers?

No. Get the cause before you buy the cure. On swelling clay, part of a slab can rise instead of sink. That happens when a leaking pipe or a low spot by the back patio keeps the soil under it wet. Lifting the rest of the house to match a high spot can make things worse. Ask the contractor to show you the elevation map and walk you through why the low areas are low. If the proposal is big and the explanation is short, a licensed professional engineer can give you an independent opinion before you sign.

What can you do before the evaluation?

• Photograph each crack with a tape measure in the shot, and write the date down
• Make a list of doors and windows that stick, and note whether it's worse in summer or winter
• Watch where water goes during the next rain, especially at downspouts and the back patio
• Look back over your water bills for a jump you can't explain
• Keep the soil near the foundation from drying out completely, within the City of Abilene's watering days and hours

Are you a foundation repair company?

No. Abilene Foundation Repairs is a referral service. When you call or fill out the form, we connect you with an independent contractor that serves your address. That contractor inspects the house, writes the proposal, does the work and backs it up. Before hiring anyone, read how the referral works and what to ask, and check the Abilene foundation guide for local permit and soil details.

Areas we cover

• Abilene
• Merkel
• Buffalo Gap
• Anson

Planning ahead? Read our Abilene foundation guide.