It is natural to picture a foundation problem as something under the house breaking. This post is about the other possibility — the ground under it changing. It sticks to what published soil sources actually say, and leaves the diagnosis of any particular house to an evaluation.
Soil that changes size
The LSU AgCenter describes Louisiana’s heavy clay soils as swelling when they are wet and cracking open when they dry — the kind of movement that makes building foundations difficult.
Picture what that means for a house sitting on top. Ground that swells as it takes on water and cracks open as it dries is not a constant support. If more water reaches one side of the house than another — a downspout emptying there, a low spot that holds rain — the support can become uneven, and uneven support is the kind that cracks walls and jams doors.
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Not every soil is the same
The LSU AgCenter counts more than 300 kinds of soil in Louisiana, and notes that river-deposited soils range from sandy and silty to heavy clay.
That variety is why no website — this one included — can tell you what is under your house. Two houses a short drive apart can sit on very different ground. The answer for your lot comes from an evaluation, and you can do some homework of your own before then.
Look up the soil mapped near you
The USDA’s Web Soil Survey, run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, lets anyone outline an area on a map and read descriptions of the soils mapped there.
Soil survey data uses a measure called linear extensibility to rate how much a soil shrinks and swells. Treat what you find as background for your conversation with a specialist, not as a reading of your own lot.
Water is the part you can control
LSU AgCenter guidance for a water-managed foundation is to slope the ground so rainwater moves away from the house and to drain groundwater before it reaches the foundation.
You cannot change the soil, but you can change how much water reaches it unevenly:
- keep gutters clear so roof water does not pour off one edge;
- carry downspouts away from the foundation instead of emptying beside it;
- keep beds and soil against the house sloping away from the wall;
- notice low spots that hold water after rain and mention them to a specialist.
When those simple fixes are not enough, a French drain is one of the usual next steps; published Shreveport ranges put it at $24 to $37 per linear foot. The drainage and crawl space page covers the options.
Slab houses and raised houses feel it differently
A slab sits right on the ground, so uneven soil shows up as cracks and doors that bind. A raised house sits on piers, so the same movement shows up as sloping or bouncy floors — and the crawl space adds a moisture question of its own. If you are not sure which you have, start with pier and beam vs. slab.
Signs that follow the weather
Because moisture drives the movement, symptoms can come and go with the seasons. A door that binds in a dry stretch and frees up after a wet week is a clue, not a false alarm. Keep a dated log, and see the signs of foundation problems checklist for what to record.
What this means for a repair
Because the soil is part of the cause, a good repair plan deals with water as well as structure. On a written quote, drainage belongs on its own line, separate from the piers. If a plan fixes the structure and says nothing about water, ask why. For a slab house, the slab foundation repair page explains how both parts fit together. Questions? Call (318) 515-7853.