Foundation repair in Robstown, TX

West of Corpus Christi the land is farmed for a reason: deep, dark clay. That same clay is hard on foundations.

Victoria clay in the soil survey

Natural Resources Conservation Service map samples in Robstown show Victoria clay. Check your own parcel in the soil survey rather than assuming every lot is the same. The agency's description of that soil says that when it dries it opens cracks from under half an inch to about three inches wide, reaching five feet down or more, and that the cracks stay open for ninety days or more in a typical year.

A slab poured on that ground is sitting on something that changes volume with the weather. Long dry spells pull support away from the edges of the slab. A wet season, or a leak, swells the clay and pushes back up.

What homeowners here tend to notice

A gap between the soil and the slab edge in late summer, wide enough to slide a hand into.
Cracks in brick or drywall that open in dry months and partly close after rain.
Doors on the outside walls sticking at the end of a drought.
On raised wood-floored houses, piers that have tilted as the clay around their pads moved.

Seasonal opening and closing is typical of this clay. Book an inspection for the crack or tilt that grows and never retreats.

Permits in Robstown

Building permits and inspections inside the city are handled by Robstown's Building and Development Department at 101 East Main Street, (361) 387-4589, option 5. The department's page links to its online permit portal and to a contractor registration form.

The city does not publish a checklist for foundation repair the way some neighbours do. Before work starts, ask the department whether it wants an engineer's plan with the application, and get the permit number from your contractor as soon as one exists. The department notes that work done without a permit can bring administrative penalties.

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) 217-1905

Corpus Christi Foundation Repairs refers callers and repairs nothing itself. Calls may be recorded. Details: referral disclosure.