If you’ve ever bought a house in East Austin, you may have heard a realtor say, “anything east of I35 is built on clay.” I’ve said it myself from time to time, and have helped people purchase homes after foundation repair work has been completed and before it has been completed. It’s a bit of a simplification, true, but it’s better than asking a buyer to read the USDA Soil Survey of Travis County - a weighty tome indeed.
One document I have found useful, in both its (relative) brevity and accessibility, is the Foundation Performance Group’s “Homebuyer’s Guide For Foundation Evaluation“. It is designed for use by people buying in Houston, but it does give some general terms and ideas which can be used here in Austin.
Especially useful are the questions it recommends a potential homebuyer ask of the seller, though it stresses that getting an expert opinion can be invaluable. For example, a home inspection of a new build in Mueller today revealed that the inspector was concerned about the relative proximity of the houses and the potential drainage problems this might cause. Where the yard had not been sodded, groundwater is less able to drain, and may result in pooling and uneven expansion and contraction of the soil around the home.
Pertinent advice straight out of a foundation engineers report is to maintain positive drainage through adequate grading, make sure all gutters drain away from the foundation, and keep the soil at a constant level of moisture. That way, when you come to sell, you’ll get a clean bill of health from the next buyer who has read the Homeowners Guide.
