Affordable housing options, continued job growth, cultural diversity, and world-class attractions are some of the factors that make Houston a great place to live. Sadly, we cannot say the same thing about its soil. Having a high clay content, Houston’s soil is extremely vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations, which cause it to significantly expand during the winter and shrink just as much in the summer.

If you’ve recently noticed cracks in your drywall, you probably ask yourself whether they’re dangerous or not. Although we’ll try to answer all of your questions about drywall cracks in this blog post, let’s start off with some good news: drywall cracks aren’t always flagging a serious problem. Cracks can form in drywall due to various reasons, such as improper drywall installation, changes in humidity and temperature, and normal settling of the home.  

Has Houston been experiencing long periods of time without rain? If so, then you need to act accordingly for the health of your foundation, as periods of extreme weather can damage the structure of your home.

Although the hurricane season is fast approaching, it’s not too late to prepare your home before a big storm heads your way. While there are different things you can do to hurricane-proof your property, lifting your home is the most efficient way to reduce its risk of flooding during hurricanes, tropical storms, or heavy rains. Since hurricanes and tropical storms are expected to occur more often in the future, elevating your home as soon as possible is critically important in order to protect your living space from flood-related damage and avoid all the hassles and costs associated.

The foundation is one of the most important structural components of any building. Because the foundation plays a crucial role in the overall construction quality as well as the building stability and durability, it must be strong enough to support the weight of your home and withstand the stresses resulting from temperature fluctuations, slight soil movement, and hydrostatic pressures. For this reason, experts always consider specific elements, including the home design, climate, and type of soil on which the home will sit when designing and building a foundation. But regardless of how well-designed and well-built a foundation is, or when it’s been constructed, protecting it from specific factors is imperative in order to ensure it will stand the test of time. 

Although snowfall is quite rare in Houston, the cold weather can sometimes bring freezing temperatures, ice, and copious amounts of snow. What’s more, specific factors, such as cold air interacting with relatively warm, humid air, could cause a winter storm to occur unexpectedly, just as it happened in many locations across Texas a few weeks ago.

Not only do sewer overflows lead to unpleasant odor problems, but they can also cause property damage and unhealthy living conditions. In addition, the clean-up and drying out process after a sewage spill can take several weeks in enclosed spaces, like your home or crawlspace. The failure to clean and dry out your crawlspace and living areas properly and as quickly as possible could lead to musty odors that may persist in your home long after you’ve finished cleaning. As well, mold could develop underneath your flooring, inside your walls, cabinets, and in any other enclosed spaces that have been exposed to sewer water. 

If you live in Texas, you already know that droughts can have a devastating effect on the environment. But what many Texans don’t know is that a prolonged drought can adversely impact our homes as well. In an effort to combat the adverse effects of droughts, water use restrictions are put into place by local governments throughout the year. These restrictions along with specific strategies, such as the inter-basin water transfers, are helping us to better address the cyclical pattern of droughts and floods while meeting the water needs of the entire region. Despite these positive aspects, water conservation practices in conjunction with recurring drought conditions often lead to lower soil water content, which in turn can compromise the structural integrity of our homes.

In addition to giving you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your loved ones are protected during flood events, home elevation allows you to continue living in your own home and in the same neighborhood while saving you a lot of money that you would otherwise spend to repair your home every time it’s damaged by a flood.

While the internet abounds with blog posts, articles, and tutorials offering advice and tips on how to prep your Houston home for the winter, there is very little advice on what you can do in order to keep your home in tip-top condition during the winter months. Even if you have already prepared your home for the chilly weather, here are a few simple maintenance tasks that could help you prevent damage to your home during the last few weeks of winter.