The short answer
Don’t plan around the calendar. Plan around the signs: if a crack is widening, a door has started to stick, or there is a leak, get it looked at now. If nothing is changing, you have time to collect written plans and compare them.
San Antonio’s weather swings both ways
The Handbook of Texas puts Bexar County’s average annual rainfall at 31 inches inches. Averages hide the range. The National Weather Service ranks 1917 as the driest year on record, at 10.11 inches, and lists the wettest, 1973, at 52.28 inches. The record single day was 11.26 inches, on October 17, 1998.
Clay swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it’s dry, and swings between the two move a slab. That means a house can show new cracks after a drought or after a flood year, and neither season is “safe”.
Water rules can limit your options
During a drought, SAWS restricts watering by stage. Stage 1 starts when the aquifer falls to 660 feet above mean sea level feet; Stage 3 at 640 feet above mean sea level. In Stage 3, soaker hoses move to once a week, while a hand-held hose is allowed any time on any day. The watering guide covers the details, and it matters for timing because the ASCE guidelines tell owners that keeping near uniform soil moisture on all sides of the foundation is the goal.
What to do first, whatever the month
- Stop the water problems. Extend downspouts: ASCE suggests going well past the edge of the foundation and past any planting beds. Check grading: the guidelines recommend a minimum slope of 5 percent (6 inches in 10 feet) for the first 10 feet.
- Test the plumbing if you see sudden changes. See the leak page.
- Take elevation readings so you can tell whether the house is moving. The inspection page explains how.
- Hold off on trees. ASCE warns that removing trees near a foundation may cause upheaval.
When waiting is a mistake
- A crack or gap is visibly growing.
- Doors or windows are jamming week by week.
- A pier and beam floor is sagging or the crawl space is wet.
- A known leak runs near the foundation.
When waiting is reasonable
- The signs are old and not changing.
- You’re gathering written plans from more than one contractor, as the Attorney General advises.
- A drainage or watering fix should come first, and you plan to re-measure afterward.
The ASCE guidelines also warn that perfection is not attainable, so don’t expect doors to be perfect afterward, and it is unlikely that lifting will fully level the house.
Want a contractor to look at it? Call to schedule an inspection.