Atascocita, Texas is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Houston and it shares the same soil characteristics and foundation repair problems as its larger neighbor. It an area of development that is also bordered on the east by Lake Houston and follows the general route of farm to market road 1960. It is considered an upscale area with many golf courses, country clubs, and parks. Large scale development began in the 1970s and at one time Atascocita was considered one of the fastest growing areas in the Houston metro area.
The population of Atascocita in 2010 was approximately 40,000 and 88% of all homes were owner occupied. Atascocita also had a median selling price of $190,910 for vacant for-sale houses and condos in 2009.
For more information about Dawson Foundation Repair services, see the following:
· Browse a comparison of the foundation repair methods commonly used in Atascocita, Texas.
· See a step-by-step walk through of the foundation repair process.
Atascocita Soil Characteristics as they affect Foundation Repair
Atascocita is located in Harris county and consists of 27.6 square miles of flat land at an elevation of 72 feet. The soils in this area are the result of river deposits that have accumulated over thousands of years. These sediments are primarily clays, clay shales, and poorly cemented sands. The primary characteristic of these soils is their plasticity, which is a measure of how much the soil swells or shrinks with changes in moisture content. When the soils are wet or saturated they will swell dramatically in volume. When the soils are very dry they will shrink dramatically in volume. This swelling and shrinking of the soild creates soil movement under concrete slab foundations and is the primary culprit of foundation damage.
The United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, in cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station issued an extensive report about the soils in Harris County area. This is a technical report written by engineers but it does have useful information for the non-engineer. On page 63 of the report is a specific reference to soil movement and foundations. Below that paragraph is reproduced for your benefit.
Foundations
Special attention needs to be given to the soils in determining if a site is suitable for foundations. In Harris County, some of the soils are montmorillonitic clay, which swells when wet and shrinks and cracks when dry. The pressure can be so great that walls and foundations crack even when specially reinforced. Damage because of shrink-swell potential is most likely to occur on Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Vamont soils. Other soils that have montmorillonitic clay in the lower layers are Bernard, Edna, Harris, Ijam, Kaman, and Midland soils. Other limitations to the use of soils for foundations are flooding, ponding, poor drainage, low strength, and high corrosivity.
Service Areas For Home Foundation Repair In Atascocita Texas
Dawson Foundation Repair will provide FREE home foundation repair inspections and estimates in the Atascocita, Texas area (free for homes not involved in real estate transactions).