GREENFIELD -
Your dry lawn could be the least of your drought-related worries this year. Some major damage is being discovered at Indiana homes.
Extreme drought has scorched our grass, fried our fields and sapped our water supply. And now, another big problem. The drought and lack of rain is hurting our homes, literally striking at our very foundations.
Charles Bennett's house fell victim to the drought.
"Well, we found some foundation cracks," Bennett explained. "They've been growing ever since we moved in. It's been expanding and quickly."
Those cracks developed into gaping holes, which are now in need of help from the pros.
"The soil, it's drying out so deep that it's leaving a void under the foundation. Here (at Mr. Bennett's home), the foundation has dropped and the wall is just tipping out," said John Clark, general manager of Indiana Foundation.
Experts say they are getting double the number of calls this summer about foundation problems. The cracks, the damage, are all blamed on dry weather. Clay soil shrinks in a drought and sometimes forms air pockets underneath foundations.
Experts say it can happen to any home, regardless of age, size or structure.
"There's probably a lot of damage people haven't noticed yet and we'll be getting calls on those for the next few months," said Americrawl owner, Mark Ralph.
The good news: these problems are fixable. The bad news: it's not cheap.
"Anywhere from a $1,000 to $40,000, depending on how severe," Clark said.
The job at Bennett's home will cost him $6,000, for six piers that crews place in the soil to lift the foundation back up.
Some experts say using a sprinkler around your foundation can help prevent damage, as long as no cracks currently exist. With water bans, that's just not an option for many people this summer. So experts say the best advice is to walk around your home and look for signs of trouble.
"Look for doors that are sticking, windows that stick, drywall cracks," Clark explained.
Clark says catching the problem early will ensure the structure is safe and could save you big time cash.
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