Foundation guides for Collin County homeowners
Start with what you're seeing or deciding. Each guide explains how foundations on North Texas clay behave, what the options are, what they cost and when to bring in an independent engineer. General information only: none of it is a diagnosis of your home.
Signs of foundation problems
The common warning signs on Collin County's expansive clay, from sticking doors to stair-step brick cracks, what engineering groups say is often cosmetic, how the seasons change what you see, and when to call an independent engineer.
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Foundation cracks: what's normal
What Texas engineering groups say about hairline, shrinkage and stair-step cracks, the crack traits they pay attention to (width, offset, pattern, growth), cracks often blamed on the foundation that have other causes, and a simple way to log a crack over time.
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Foundation repair cost
Sourced, dated price ranges for foundation repair, with national figures kept separate from local contractor figures, plus the engineer, permit and testing costs that often sit outside the headline price.
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Estimate checklist
A line-by-line checklist for a written foundation repair estimate, built from the engineering guidelines Texas engineers use, the city permit rules in Collin County and Texas construction payment law, plus a fair way to compare two bids.
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Insurance and foundation repair
What Texas homeowners policies usually say about foundation settling and earth movement, the plumbing leak exception and the court case behind it, tear-out coverage, seepage time limits, and the questions to ask your insurer, using the Texas Department of Insurance's own guides.
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Engineer report vs free inspection
What you actually get from a repair company's free inspection, a home inspector's report and an independent structural engineer's report, what Texas rules say about who can diagnose a foundation, and why the difference follows you to resale.
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Pier types compared
A neutral look at the four pier types you'll see in Collin County foundation repair bids: how each goes in, what engineering groups say about it, the trade-offs, and published price ranges, plus why the choice for a given house belongs to an engineer.
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How to water your foundation
Why foundation watering matters on Collin County's expansive clay, how to place a soaker hose or drip line, the mistakes that make things worse, and what Plano, Frisco, McKinney and Prosper currently allow during watering restrictions.
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Drought and foundations
Why late-summer drought moves houses on Collin County clay, what the 2026 drought looked like week by week, what a gap between the soil and the slab means, why doors stick in summer, and when seasonal movement is a reason to call an independent engineer.
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New home settling and warranties
For owners of newer Collin County homes: what early foundation movement usually looks like, how the typical 1-2-10 builder warranty is structured, why post-tension slabs must not be drilled, the Texas Residential Construction Liability Act notice process, filing deadlines, and when to bring in an independent engineer.
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Warranties and resale
What 'lifetime transferable' usually means on a foundation repair warranty, the risk when a company is sold or closes, what the Texas Seller's Disclosure Notice asks about, and the permit and engineer paperwork that makes a repaired house easier to sell.
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Pier and beam vs slab
How to tell which foundation your house has, how slabs and pier and beam floors each respond to expansive clay, the repairs engineers typically consider for each, what a post-tension slab is, and what housing age by city suggests.
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Slab leaks and foundation movement
Why plumbing under a slab and foundation movement are linked in both directions, the free water meter check, what hydrostatic and pressure tests do, and why engineering guidelines call for plumbing tests when a house is lifted.
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Describe what you're seeing once and we'll connect you with an independent local foundation repair company. Our referral service is free to use, and we may be paid a referral fee.
Collin County Foundation Guide is a free referral service. We connect you with independent local foundation repair companies and may be paid a referral fee. We are not a contractor or engineers. How it works