Why are there big soil gaps around my foundation?
Clay soil shrinks and pulls away from foundations during hot weather, creating large hand-sized gaps that can lead to structural shifting and cracked tiles inside the home. Homeowners are left uncertain whether to immediately fill these trenches with soil or sand, or wait until the ground stops moving before attempting a fix.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1installing drip-lines around the foundationDid this help you?
- 2watering the soil around the house rather than filling the cracks directlyDid this help you?
- 3backfilling along the drivewayDid this help you?
- 4using a soaker hose to wet the soilDid this help you?
- 5consulting a civil engineer or foundation repair companyDid this help you?
- 6manually installing soaker hoses to water the foundationDid this help you?
- 7running soaker hoses around the entire foundation low and slow with a pressure gaugeDid this help you?
- 8adding dirt later in fall or winterDid this help you?
- 9filling in the hole with backfill or spray foamDid this help you?
- 10checking for cleanouts or animal activityDid this help you?
- 11getting the line smoke testedDid this help you?
- 12Hydraulic cementDid this help you?
- 13Replacing flex hose with rigid PVCDid this help you?
- 14filling holes with bags of dirtDid this help you?
- 15waiting for pest control services and bait boxes to completeDid this help you?
- 16Filling in the gap with dirtDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“However, I just noticed a gap that seems larger than what I would consider normal—the opening is about the size of my hand.”source ↗
“What should I do about it? Should I fill it back in with sand or soil? Or should I leave it alone until the soil stops shrinking and then fill it?”source ↗
“Can anyone advise me on what I should do with this gap?”source ↗
“Have this along portions of 2 sides of my house where there is a significant gap between the soil and the foundation. Should I just fill in with dirt until it’s no longer exposed and call it a day?”source ↗
“Aside from daily watering, what’s the best way to prevent this?”source ↗
“HVAC company drilled hole one brick below sill plate. Rather large hole too. What should the hole be filled with? I'm worried about structural issues this is an old house.”source ↗
“I noticed this happening to my home. Tile started cracking in our home. Small hairline cracks across 6 tiles . How do I fix this?”source ↗
“The concrete slab patio is sinking on the east side. Also seeing some dirt/soil contraction from the foundation.”source ↗
“it is worrying me being a relatively new homeowner.”source ↗
“Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do to fix it?”source ↗
“What should be my next steps with holes in the dirt at base of foundation. 4-5 spread across the front of the house in the mulch.”source ↗
“Bags of dirt don't seem like they would properly fill crevices.”source ↗
“Anything I can do to prevent this from reoccurring?”source ↗
“We do have down sprouts that are underground but not on that side of the house.”source ↗
“I was cutting my grass and seen the hole”source ↗
“We are on a slab.”source ↗
“yeah after I did it I was saying to myself that probably wasn’t the best idea lol”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Foundation vent won't fit because of rebar in the way
- 4How to fill a wide gap between garage floor and driveway
- 5Sinkhole appeared in my yard near the house
- 2Did I use the wrong soil for foundation grading?
- 28How to fix concrete cracks near garage foundation
- 6How to fix yard grading under existing paving stones