Katy Offers Long Term Growth Trends For Home Services Companies Which Includes Foundation Repair
Age And Time Deliver Cracks And Damage To Home Foundations
As the houses in Katy begin to mature a disturbing trend is being observed by homeowners and their neighbors. Their homes’ concrete slab foundations are failing and it is very worrisome.  Dawson Foundation Repair has seen this many times before. When houses in the Katy neighborhoods pass the 10 year mark their concrete foundations begin to fail. Sometimes the home foundations fail at the 5 year mark. But the majority of homes with a foundation issue will see the damage between the 10 and 20 year range. Homeowners are told the same thing each time, that is, home builders have been shielded from serious liability by politicians and therefore they build slab foundations that are “minimally functional“. The home builders in Texas have no liability after 10 years to pay for foundation damage and damage to the home itself. Homes are built with too little concrete and too little steel rebar.
Dawson Foundation Repair is the premier foundation repair company in Katy, Houston, and Texas. They are one of the very few contractors in Texas, and the only company in Katy or metro Houston, that installs high quality Bell Bottom Piers. The company has stuck with this repair method because the Bell Bottom Piers are time-tested, proven, and permanent. According to Mr. Dawson, other repair methods are faster and cheaper but they are low quality and almost always fail within five years.
Mr. Dawson is critical of the common “Pushed Piles” method of foundation repair because of its high failure rate and the worthless warranties issued by the companies that install them. The warranties issued by other companies have a host of exclusions, including that soil movement is not covered by the warranty. Well, that is the original problem that the other companies were supposed to address. In addition, these companies now charge their customers to re-level their houses after the Pushed Piles have failed.
Dawson does their best to educate the customer. Once the customer understands the limitations and disadvantages of the quick and cheaper Pushed Piles foundation repair methods they will usually decline them. Dawson also encourages potential clients to read the engineering reports and studies from independent structural engineers on their website.  A-1 Engineering has described the various Pushed Piles repair methods as “useless and ‘temporay”.
Flood Risk In Katy, Texas
According to RiskFactor.com 76.5% of properties in Katy have a risk of flooding in 2024. In 30 years 74% of properties in Katy will have a risk of flooding. Hurricane Harvey impacted 3949 houses in Katy in 2017. However, most of the homes in Katy do not flood on a regular basis and Hurricane Harvey was an unprecedented and historical weather event.
However, flooding is one of the major risk factors for homeowners in Katy. Over the recent decades much of the water absorbing soil has been covered with concrete and asphalt. Flood risks are important because they affect the long-term health of a slab foundation. A flood will saturate the clay soils under and around a concrete slab foundation. The clay soils absorb water and expand dramatically, putting great stress on the slab foundation. These stresses can crack a concrete slab foundation. Months later when Katy is experiencing hot, drought-like conditions during the summer months, the clay soils will lose most of their moisture due to evaporation. This will cause dramatic shrinkage of the clay soils and put the slab foundation under great stress. Soil shrinkage often leads to gaps and voids under the foundation. When the voids become too large portions of the concrete slab will “settle” or crack and fall until they reach the shrunken soil. This process is called settlement and it is the most common reason home foundations and houses experience damage.
Droughts In Katy, Texas
One of the worst droughts in Texas history was in 2011. It was the driest year ever recorded in Texas. Lakes, ponds, and creeks dried up and the ranching and agricultural industries were devastated. It was also an extremely stressful time for Texas homeowners because many experienced extremely dry clay soils under and around their houses, resulting in settlement of their homes’ slab foundations.
Looking forward into the future, the foundation repair business will be critical for homes in Katy, Texas. Dawson Foundation Repair’s new Katy office will be close and ready to help. As long as home builders construct “minimally functional” foundations that are inadequate to resist the natural forces of the area’s clay soils there will be a need for foundation repair services.