Foundation repair in Portland, TX
The ground under Portland
Soil maps from the Natural Resources Conservation Service show more than one kind of ground beneath the town. Parts are mapped as Victoria clay and Banquete clay, which the agency rates as very limited for houses because they shrink and swell. Other parts are Calallen sandy clay loam, a lighter soil it rates as only somewhat limited.
For a homeowner that means a neighbour's experience is a weak guide. A house a few streets away may stand on different soil and behave differently in a drought. Type your address into the agency's Web Soil Survey ahead of the visit and pass along what comes up.
What Portland asks for on a foundation permit
From the city's permit requirements checklist. Permits are handled by Development Services at 601 Moore Avenue, (361) 777-4550.
- With the application
- A detailed description of the project, saying whether plumbing or electrical work is involved, and engineered, stamped plans.
- About the plumbing
- An engineer's letter confirming that no plumbing systems were affected by the foundation repairs.
- To close the permit
- A stamped engineering certificate accepting the foundation work.
- About the contractor
- Portland wants every contractor on its register ahead of any construction activity.
The checklist and the online application portal are linked from the city's permits page. Its list asks for state windstorm forms on roof, window and siding permits. They are not listed under foundation work.
What that means when you get a proposal
Ask each company three things. Who is the engineer that will stamp the plan and the final certificate, and is that fee in the price? Does the price include the plumbing test behind the engineer's letter? Is the company already registered with the city?
Keep the closed permit and the engineering certificate with your house papers. If you sell, the Texas seller's disclosure form asks about previous structural repairs and about work done without permits, and those two documents answer both questions.
Ready for someone to measure the house?
Dial the number and say what you have noticed. A foundation repair firm covering your part of the Coastal Bend answers, books a visit, and afterward sends its report and price under its own name. That firm is a separate business from this website.
Wall, ceiling or floor shifting while you watch? Gas in the air? Get everybody outdoors, then phone 911 or the gas utility.
House foundations only
Call (361) 217-1905Corpus Christi Foundation Repairs refers callers and repairs nothing itself. Calls may be recorded. Details: referral disclosure.