Heavy rains cause problems for East Texas homeowners

TYLER – Torrential downpours that have hit East Texas recently are causing foundation issues for homeowners, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

Trust Foundation and Repair in Tyler is getting more calls for problems underneath houses and mobile homes.

“Normally we’ll get a little bit of rain a few days dry. This year we’ve gotten drastic amounts of rain over and over and over again,” Trust Foundation and Repair project manager Timothy Wilson said. “It allows moisture to enter and start rotting out the beams in the sub-floor on the homes,” Wilson said.

The unchecked water can cause washouts underneath the home and exterior issues like cracks in bricks. Other signs of foundation issues are cracks above doors, windows and malfunctions in those areas. Wilson’s advice is to divert the water away from the home.

“You want to divert the water away from the home, so it’s not falling right next to it. Gutter systems are very important, but even on those, you want to put a diverter to take the water as far away from the house as you can,” Wilson said.

When the sun finally comes out, the water evaporates and gets caught as it rises with nowhere to go.

“You don’t know it until it’s a major problem, there’s no way to see it, so the key is, just to keep the water away from the home completely,” Wilson said.

To get ahead of any potential problems, he advised property owners to walk around their home and document any early issues, so they don’t have to pay too much in the end.