How Louisiana Clay Soil Affects Your Foundation

Soil is the foundation under your foundation. In the Baton Rouge area, a lot of that soil is clay, and clay behaves differently depending on how wet it is.

Swell and shrink

Clay soaks up water and swells when it is wet, then shrinks and cracks when it dries. A yard that is saturated in spring and baked in late summer goes through this cycle every year, and a foundation on top of it moves with the soil.

Why drainage matters

When water collects beside the house, soil there stays wetter than soil farther away. Uneven moisture means uneven movement, and uneven movement is what cracks walls and tilts floors.

Trees and moisture

Large trees near the house draw water from the ground. During dry spells, soil near roots can shrink faster than soil elsewhere.

What homeowners can do

• Keep gutters clean and downspouts discharging away from the house
• Make sure the ground slopes gently away from the foundation
• Avoid letting water stand beside the slab or in the crawl space
• Water evenly during long dry spells if a contractor advises it

None of this guarantees a foundation will never move, but steady soil moisture reduces the swings that cause most damage.