Still, I have absolutely no blogging ambition. Ya, I think of producing a post, and then, think again, and get nothing done. So, I thought, come hell or high water, I should actually sit down at my laptop and construct a post! This is it.
Last month, I mentioned at the first week of August we were scheduled to have some construction done on the house. There were a lot of guesses on what was going to be done, but NONE were even close. Okay, let me start at the beginning. A couple of weeks prior to me calling engineers to get estimates on the repair work needed, we had high winds. I noticed a whistling noise when the wind blew through the house. At first I didn't pay too much attention; afterall it was just wind. Then, as days lingered and still high wind warnings, the whistling got louder and I became concerned what was causing the noises. It was coming from around the patio doors [sliding two pane]. I got up and pulled the blinds away from the glass doors and dear lord...it freaked me out!! In the upper left hand corner, the door frame along with the glass panel was pulling away from the wall!!!! We had [the stationary frame, not the one that slides open] a two inch gap, the house was sinking. Okay, to expand the story a bit, Texas has very high content clay soil. When there is a drought [which we've had for months on end] the clay shrinks. If it rains or we use our soaker hose around the foundation the soil expands. Just like a blacktop road, when wet/icy/freezing, etc. the soil under the blacktop shrinks, expands, and result is potholes or even worse, sinkholes. Our foundation needed to be lifted up. To make a long story short, the engineers started working the day after we signed the contract. First, they came out and marked where the brick was cracking, also measured the walls and doors around the house. Even the patio in part was sinking. The next day we had seven young guys out all digging holes around the foundation. 17 holes around the entire house [Two holes were going to have to have a jack hammer to them since they were located where the concrete was - patio and driveway]. It took those men two days to get the holes deep enough for piers to be placed strategically under the foundation. On the fourth or fifth day it was time to use the hydraulics to lift the house's foundation in synch. Each man at one hole and lifting at the same time at counting intervals as the boss was inside with Bud keeping an eye on the progress of moving the glass patio door frame back to the wall. When that was all done, piers were set, cement was poured, landscaping was replaced -some tossed at my 'command', etc. Nearly a week passed, great crew and the job was done. The cost? Exhorbitant, and, no insurance coverage for foundation repair. With labor and man power close to 1k per pier...17 piers. [But a heckuva lot cheaper than buying a new home!!] The house is once again level. And no more whistling wind. Now we have drywall cracks here and there to patch and the entire interior to paint. Next expense will be a new roof. Ugh.
Of course I was outdoors once the lifting of the foundation began...watching, and taking photos...
But, I ask myself, why on earth, since they know about texas soil, ...why don't they put the piers UNDER the foundation of ANY house being built in the first place?!! Answer: Too costly for the builder. Let the home owner pay for it later when the house begins to collapse!!!!! That's the American Way.
