Southwestern Hills Homes: Built on History, Protected by JLB

What Foundation and Waterproofing Challenges Affect Southwestern Hills?

In Southwestern Hills the foundation problems tend to gather at the lowest point of the house, and the terrain explains why. This quiet Southside enclave of 1970s-90s homes sits on notably hilly ground, with many split-levels stepping down the slopes.

On grades this steep, the whole house slowly works downhill. The clay-rich soil shifts toward the low side through the wet-dry seasons, and foundations drift with it in the 'downslope' settlement common here. That movement concentrates stress at the lower-level wall joints of a split-level — exactly where groundwater running down the slope also collects — so those joints tend to both crack and leak, the two problems arriving at the same seam.

JLB stabilizes the slide and seals the joint. We pier the settling, downhill portions of the foundation to stable strata that isn't migrating, stopping the drift, and we waterproof the lower-level wall joints with interior drainage and sealing so the water coming down the hill is captured instead of seeping through. The house is held and the low corner is kept dry.

A split-level in Southwestern Hills has to fight both gravity and groundwater at its lowest wall. We pier against the downslope movement and seal the joint the water exploits — keeping the lower level stable and dry on a hillside lot.

In Southwestern Hills the trouble gathers at the lowest wall of a split-level — the joint that both cracks from the downslope drift and leaks from the water running down at it. We treat the two as one problem during an inspection, since sealing the joint without stopping the slide, or the reverse, leaves the lower level exposed to the half that wasn't fixed.