Walk around in the rain
Next time a real storm rolls through, put on a jacket and walk the outside of the house while it’s coming down. It tells you more than any diagram. Where does the roof water land? Does it run off across the lawn, or sit in a puddle against the brick? Is there a flower bed edged in a way that holds water right at the slab?
Most drainage problems are simple once you see them. A downspout that empties straight onto the foundation, or a patio that was poured sloping toward the house instead of away.
Common fixes, cheapest first
- Clean gutters and add downspout extensions so roof water lands several feet out from the wall.
- Rebuild flower beds and soil along the house so the ground slopes away.
- Regrade low parts of the yard that hold water near the foundation.
- Install surface drains or a French drain where water collects and has nowhere to go.
- Fix plumbing leaks under or near the slab, since a steady leak does what a storm does, only every day.
Why it belongs with foundation repair
Piers support the parts of the house they sit under. The rest of the slab still sits on soil that swells and shrinks. If water keeps pouring into one corner, that soil keeps moving, and so does the part of the slab no pier is holding. A company that only talks about piers and never mentions where your water goes is skipping part of the job.
Our guide to Panhandle weather, soil and foundations covers watering and drainage around a slab in more detail.