Foundation repair · Garland, Texas
Foundation Repair in Garland, TX
Free inspections for Garland homeowners. No obligation.
If you've just found a new crack or a door that won't close, you're not alone. Foundation repair in Garland, TX is common, and there's a clear reason for it. It's the ground under the city, not something you did.
Published Dallas Fort Worth range for foundation repair: $3,338-$7,118. What drives the price
- Free inspectionIt costs nothing
- Written findingsMeasured, then put in writing
- Engineer-sealed plansThe engineer's plan goes to the city
- No obligationStopping after the inspection is fine
Tell us what you're seeing
Garland sits on some of the most active clay in North Texas. The USDA soil survey finds Houston Black clay under about a third of the city, and Ferris clay under another sixth. Both rate "very high" for shrink and swell. So the ground under your slab doesn't sit still. It swells when it rains and shrinks back when it dries out.
Most Garland houses were built before anyone planned for that. The typical home here went up in 1978. Of the city's 84,954 homes, 63.3% were built between 1960 and 1989. Most of those likely sit on plain concrete slabs, poured before post-tension cable became normal in Texas.
Put older slabs on very active clay and a lot of houses end up needing some help. The good news is that the movement can be measured, and most of it can be fixed.
Request a free inspection from a foundation repair professional serving Garland.
What Foundation Problems Look Like
Most people notice something small long before they think about the foundation. These are the signs that tend to show up first:
- Doors that stick or won't latch
- Stair-step cracks running through the outside brick
- Gaps where trim meets the wall or the ceiling
- Floors that slope or feel soft underfoot
- Cracks above door frames and at window corners
- Windows that stick or won't lock
One hairline crack isn't a reason to panic. Most houses here have a few, and one on its own isn't an emergency. What tells you more is how wide a crack is and whether it's growing. If a dime fits in it, it's worth a look. If it's grown since spring, it's worth a look soon.
Seeing more than one sign from that list? That's a good time to get it measured.
Why Garland Foundations Move
Soil scientists have a number for how much a soil swells. It's called linear extensibility: the percent a soil changes size as it gets wetter or drier. Under 3 is low. Over 9 is very high.
Garland's two main soils both measure 17.
Houston Black clay sits under roughly 32% of the city, and Ferris clay covers another 16%. Both are heavy, dark clays that soak up water and let it go slowly. In a wet spring they swell and push up. In a dry August they shrink and pull away from the edge of your slab.
That's why damage usually starts at the corners and edges. The soil there dries fastest, while the soil under the middle of the house stays damp longer. Your house ends up resting on ground that's moving by different amounts, and that uneven movement is what tilts it.
Three things tend to make it worse, and each one is worth a quick look around your own yard:
- Big trees close to the house. A mature tree pulls a lot of water out of the ground. Keep an eye on anything within about 20 feet of the slab.
- Water pooling beside the foundation. Downspouts should carry water at least three feet away. If one side stays wet while the other dries, the house feels it.
- A leak under the slab. A cracked sewer or supply line keeps one patch of soil wet all year. It's easy to miss, and no amount of pier work will fix it, so it's worth ruling out early.
Our Foundation Repair Services
- Slab foundation repair for the poured slabs under most Garland homes.
- Pier and beam repair for older houses with a crawl space.
- House leveling when the floors have gone out of level across the whole house.
- Foundation inspection to measure what's really happening before anyone quotes a repair.
- Foundation drainage to fix the water problem that started the movement.
What Garland Homes Are Built On
The census puts Garland's median build year at 1978. About 11.4% of homes went up before 1960, another 63.3% between 1960 and 1989, and about a quarter in 1990 or later.
Your home's age is a helpful clue to what's under it.
Before about 1960, pier and beam was common in Texas. From around 1960, builders moved to poured slabs. Post-tension cable came later: that's where steel cables are pulled tight inside the slab. The Post-Tensioning Institute has published approved methods since 1976, and the method spread through Texas after that.
So a 1978 Garland house is most likely on a conventional slab with rebar, and a 2005 house is more likely post-tension. That's a pattern, though, not a promise about your house.
It's worth knowing which one you have, because the repair differs. Post-tension cables run through the slab under heavy load, and nobody should cut into them blind. Anyone drilling into that slab needs to know first.
You can usually find out in one of two ways. Check your closing paperwork or builder documents, or look for a stamped plate or warning label near the edge of the garage slab. If neither turns anything up, an inspection will settle it.
- 1978Median year Garland homes were built
- 11.4%Built before 1960
- 25.3%Built in 1990 or later
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Permits for Foundation Repair in Garland
Garland requires a permit for foundation repair once the value of the work reaches $2,000.
That's a low bar. Pressed concrete piers in North Texas commonly run several hundred dollars each installed, and most jobs use more than a handful. So it's safest to assume your repair will need a permit.
The city asks for three things with the application:
- An engineer's letter setting out the planned repairs
- A stamped pier diagram
- A foundation and elevation assessment plan
The permit fee is $45, which is $30 plus a $15 processing fee.
When the work is done, the repair company has to send the engineer's final report to the city, confirming the repairs match the engineer's plan.
All of this works in your favor. It means a licensed engineer looks at your house before the work starts and signs off after it's finished. If a contractor ever suggests skipping the permit, that's a good reason to call someone else. Garland Building Inspection can confirm the current rules at 972-205-2300.
How the Process Works
1. Call or request an inspection. Tell us what you're seeing and how long it's been going on. There's no wrong way to describe it.
2. Get a free inspection and a written assessment. Someone measures floor heights through the house and checks the outside: the brick, the drainage and the slab edge. You get the findings in writing.
3. Repair under permit, with engineer sign-off. If work is needed, the engineer's plan goes to the city, the permit is pulled, and the repair follows that plan.
There's no obligation at step two. Plenty of people get an inspection, learn that the movement is within a normal range for this soil, and do nothing at all. That's a perfectly good outcome, and you'll have a baseline to compare against later.
Areas We Serve
We serve Garland and nearby cities across Dallas, Collin and Rockwall counties, including Rowlett, Sachse, Richardson, Mesquite, Wylie, Murphy, Sunnyvale, Balch Springs, Plano and Rockwall.
Soil can change quickly across this area. Balch Springs, for example, has a sandy topsoil sitting on reactive clay, which behaves differently from the clay right at the surface in Garland. See all service areas.
What Foundation Repair Costs in Garland
It's natural to want a number first. The honest answer is that the price comes down to a short list of things:
- How many piers the engineer specifies
- How deep those piers have to go to reach stable ground
- Whether the crew can work from outside, or has to come through the house
- Whether the slab is post-tension
- Whether drainage work or a plumbing test belongs in the job
A house that needs eight piers along one outside wall is a very different job from one that needs thirty around the whole perimeter. That's why a fair quote comes after someone measures your floors, not before.
Common Questions
Is a crack in my brick always a foundation problem?
No, and that's good to know before you worry. Brick moves a little on its own, and small cracks are common on older Garland homes. The ones worth measuring are stair-step cracks that follow the mortar joints and keep growing.
Should I water my foundation?
In a dry summer, yes, and evenly. What you want is steady moisture all the way around the house, not a soaked flower bed on one side. Uneven watering can cause the same tilting as no watering at all.
How long does the repair take?
Most home pier jobs take one to three days of work on site. Getting to that point takes longer, because the engineer has to assess the house and draw up the plan, and the city has to issue the permit.
Do I need an engineer, or just a contractor?
For a permitted repair in Garland, you need both. The engineer's letter, stamped pier diagram and elevation assessment go in with the application, and the engineer signs off at the end.
Will my insurance pay for it?
Usually not for clay movement, which most Texas policies exclude. A sudden covered event, like a plumbing leak under the slab, can be a different story. More on insurance and foundation repair.
How do I know if my slab is post-tension?
Check your builder paperwork, or look for a stamped warning plate near the edge of the garage slab. If you can't find either, an inspection will confirm it. It's good to know before anyone drills.
Get a Free Foundation Inspection in Garland
Tell us what you're noticing, and we'll take it from there. Someone will measure it, put the findings in writing, and walk you through your options. It costs nothing, and you're under no obligation.
Tell us what you're seeing