Foundation repair in Placedo, Texas
Foundation inspections and repair for Placedo and the coastal prairie along U.S. 87 in southeastern Victoria County.
Placedo is a small community of 625 people (2020 census) on U.S. Highway 87, about fourteen miles southeast of Victoria. It is named for Plácido Benavides, who ranched in the area and organized volunteers during the Texas Revolution. A railroad station opened here in 1860, the town was platted in 1910, and a 1925 hurricane did heavy damage. Children attend Bloomington ISD schools.
The clay named here
The USDA's official description of Laewest clay, one of the region's cracking Vertisols, uses a site near Placedo as its type location. Laewest formed in clayey Beaumont Formation deposits on broad, nearly flat coastal plain. In summer it cracks open, with centimeter-wide cracks commonly reaching about 1.2 meters deep, and it forms gilgai, a natural pattern of small mounds and dips. Houses on soil like that need steady moisture around the foundation more than most.
Common jobs around Placedo
- Leveling older raised houses and replacing worn shims and sills
- Piering slab corners that dropped after a long dry summer
- Moving roof water and yard runoff away from the house on very flat lots
- Inspections for buyers looking at rural property
Permits
Placedo is unincorporated. City of Victoria permits don't apply, but Victoria County's floodplain rules may if the property is in a mapped flood zone.
Common questions
Do you cover Placedo?
Yes. Call with your address and we'll connect you with a contractor who works in Placedo and southeastern Victoria County.
Why does Placedo clay crack so much?
Soils like Laewest clay are rich in smectite, which swells when wet and shrinks hard as it dries, opening deep cracks in summer.
Services in Placedo
- Slab foundation repairStabilize and lift slab homes where a corner or edge has dropped as the clay underneath dried out.
- Pier-and-beam foundation repairLevel older raised homes by re-shimming, resetting or adding piers, and repairing sills, joists and beams.
- Foundation piersPressed concrete, steel push, helical and drilled piers: how each works and how to compare bids that use them.
- Foundation drainage and moisture controlGutters, downspout lines, grading and drains that keep the clay around your house from swinging between soaked and dry.
- Foundation inspections and crack repairFloor elevation surveys, a plain reading of what the cracks mean, and crack repair once the house is stable.
Nearby areas
Cracks in the brick, a door that won't latch, or a floor that feels off?
Call and a foundation contractor who works in Victoria County will come measure the house and explain what's moving and why.