Foundation repair in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us your town, which side of the state line you're on, and what you've noticed.

2. We connect you

   We connect you with an independent foundation repair contractor that serves your address.

3. They call you back

   They measure the house, explain what's moving and why, and quote the work directly to you.

Who is this site for?

Homeowners in Texarkana, Texas, Texarkana, Arkansas, Wake Village, Nash and the smaller towns of Bowie and Miller counties who think their foundation may be moving. That includes brick ranch houses on concrete slabs, older crawl space houses on piers and beams, and anyone holding a home inspection report that says "recommend evaluation by a foundation specialist." Texarkana is one metro split by State Line Avenue, so we take calls from both states and send each request to a contractor that works there.

Why do Texarkana foundations move?

The short version: clay that changes volume with moisture, and a climate that keeps changing that moisture. Texarkana, Texas averages about 52 inches of precipitation a year, and the average July high is about 93°F. Wet springs soak the ground; long, hot late summers pull water back out of it.

Several soils mapped in this corner of northeast Texas are smectitic clays, the mineral family that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. The USDA's Texark series, described from the Sulphur River bottom in Bowie County, is a very-fine clay that opens cracks up to 2 inches wide and more than 20 inches deep in dry seasons. Annona and Woodtell soils, described from neighboring Red River County, have clayey subsoils with the same shrink-swell (vertic) features, and Annona is very slowly permeable, so rain can stand in the soil above the clay after a storm. When that clay is wet on one side of a house and dry on the other, the foundation moves unevenly.

Not every lot is the same. Some upland soils in the area, like the Bowie series, are sandy and loamy rather than heavy clay. That's one reason two houses on the same street can behave differently, and why an evaluation should look at your lot, not just the neighborhood's reputation.

Which signs are worth a call?

• Stair-step cracks in brick veneer, often near a corner, window or garage door
• Drywall cracks angling up from the corners of doors and windows
• Doors that drag, swing on their own, or no longer latch
• Floors that slope, dip in the middle of a room, or feel springy
• Gaps opening under baseboards or along crown molding
• Windows that are suddenly hard to open, or brick separating from the frame
• Cracks that reopen after they've been patched

One hairline crack in a garage slab is usually nothing. Several of these at once, or signs that get worse over a season, are the reason to have the house measured. Our evaluation and crack repair page explains what a proper evaluation includes.

What kinds of repair are there?

• Slab foundations with a dropped corner or edge are usually supported with piers under the perimeter beam and lifted back toward level. Slab repair.
• Pier-and-beam houses are often leveled from the crawl space by adjusting shims, adding or resetting interior piers, and replacing rotted sills or beams. Pier-and-beam leveling.
• Pier systems vary: pressed concrete, steel push and helical piers each have tradeoffs. Compare pier types.
• Water control, meaning gutters, grading and drains, keeps the clay around the house at a steadier moisture level. In a place that gets this much rain, it's often the most important step. Foundation drainage.

Does it matter which side of State Line Avenue I live on?

Yes, for permits and contractor rules. Texas has no state license for foundation repair companies, and inside Texarkana, Texas, building permits come from the city's Inspections and Code Enforcement office at 220 Texas Boulevard. In Arkansas, a contractor repairing an existing single-family home must hold a license from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board unless the job costs $2,000 or less, and the City of Texarkana, Arkansas runs its own permits. Wake Village, Nash and the other small towns each have their own rules too. Ask any contractor which permits apply at your address and who will pull them.

Is piering always needed?

No. In clay soils, some movement is seasonal: a house drops a little in a dry August and recovers after fall rains. Some movement is heave, where part of a slab rises because the soil under it got wetter, sometimes from a plumbing leak. Piers don't fix heave, and piering a house that's mostly heaving can lock in a problem. A careful contractor looks at drainage, trees, plumbing and the pattern of floor readings before recommending piers. If the plan calls for a lot of piers and the reasoning isn't clear, a second opinion or an independent engineer is reasonable.

What should I do before someone comes out?

• List which doors and windows stick, and roughly when it started
• Photograph cracks next to a tape measure and keep the dates
• Walk the house in a heavy rain and watch where the gutters and yard send water
• Note any big trees within about one house-height of the foundation
• Check recent water bills for a jump you can't explain
• Find any old repair paperwork or warranty from a previous owner

Are you a foundation repair company?

No. Texarkana Foundation Repair is a referral service. We connect you with an independent contractor that serves your address, and that contractor evaluates, prices, performs and warranties the work. Before you sign anything, read our tips for choosing a foundation contractor and the Texarkana foundation repair guide.

Areas we cover

• Texarkana, TX
• Texarkana, AR
• Wake Village
• Nash

Planning ahead? Read our Texarkana foundation repair guide.