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Across the Fence:  For Texas Gals - Watering Your Foundation?  |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 08:58:10 AM
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Wasn't sure where to put this -- hope it's ok here!
I have a friend who recently moved to Azle, TX (just north of Ft. Worth) and built a new home. She called me the other day and in conversation mentioned that she had been out "watering her house". I thought she was joking. She said no that you have to keep the foundation watered or the house will settle. Is this just for new homes or do you all have to water your foundations all the time?
I think it's interesting the things that people do in different parts of the country that are just a part of their every day lives. We have so much rain here we'd never have to "water our house". LOL!
Visit my blog at http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
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lvg4him
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Colorado
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 09:09:24 AM
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| OOOOOHhhhhhhh I am interested in this as well. WE are moving to Texas in two months. I have NEVER heard of this before. We lived in TX for 18 years while I was growing up and I never remeber my parents doing this, but then again, when they were watering the lawn, I was usually inside watching movies or playing on the computer. |
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santa_gertrudis_gal
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Kim
Groesbeck
Texas
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 10:04:33 AM
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Yeppers! We water our house, too! It actually depends on where you live in Texas on whether the foundation has to be watered. It all depends on the soil type. When we lived in East Texas the land our house was on didn't shift as the soil dried or became wet. In the Houston area our soils shift drastically and the foundations need to be watered to keep the shifting from occuring. The same is true of the soils on our ranch (Groesbeck) so when we build our house and ranch office we will be using soaker hoses to water those foundations. I guess because I grew up where foundations shift I wouldn't dream of purchasing a home without asking about the soil conditions and whether they shift or not. I would also make sure I had the inspections done for shifting and making sure the slab or pier and beam was built properly for a shifting soil.
On a side note. The house across the street from us at the ranch was a beautifully custom built home. They didn't build the slab correctly. In the great room there is a difference of about six inches in the center of the room and the edge of the walls. The slab has sunk, and most likely it was compromised as a result. The house was abandoned. Such a shame.
Kim
Kim
Heaven is a day at the ranch with my Santa Gertrudis! |
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sandi
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
fairview
tx
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 10:46:08 AM
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| Hi Kay, yes we are at the heighth of foundation watering here in Texas this summer. I live north of Dallas and we have such hot, dry summers that the ground around the house dries and cracks & actually will pull away from the foundation if not watered. Old houses as well as new are at risk. It is soooo hard keeping that from happening when we go for months with no rain at all and high temps. We are also water rationed (water-source lakes are very low!) and can only water once a week but can use soaker hoses against the house more often. We have a Little House about an hour north of here and you should see the huge cracks in our meadow! No hay at all this year - just brown meadow with big deep cracks. Used to have the soccer team just spit their gum down the cracks before their games - ha! - no telling where those little wads eventually landed!! We sooo badly need rain.......sandi |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 11:39:40 AM
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Thank you so much for all the answers. I had never heard of this before. Sandi -- where is Fairview? My friend just moved to Azle. My husband applied for a job at a car dealership in Ft. Worth. We are considering moving to TX. Looking for someplace less expensive to retire. We won't retire for about 15 years but would like to move now so we can get a house and get it paid for. I can't believe how inexpensive the homes are in that area. So I guess if I moved there I might have to water my foundation. Good information to know.
Visit my blog at http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 11:50:56 AM
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Here in west Texas we don't have to water our houses, we're in the desert and our soil is sandy. My understanding was always that it needed to be done in areas where there is a high clay content in the soil because clay will shrink if it becomes dry therefore, the foundation can crack. I'd never heard of this before moving to Texas either.
"Let us, together, sow seeds for a better harvest-a harvest for hope."
Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope |
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sandi
Farmgirl in Training
35 Posts
fairview
tx
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 1:58:28 PM
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| Kay, Fairview is about 30 miles due north of Dallas. Hubby & I lived very near downtown for 25 years, just moved to a planned retirement community in Fairview a little over a year ago. Love it here - nice and quiet but close enough to Big D for a visit to the city. Azle is northwest of FW, I think. Don't know too much about the FW side of the Metroplex - it may be called D/FW Metroplex but we are separated by so much congestion and so many people!! It is very nice to be able to get out of the city into towns like Azle and Fairview. Yes, if you move here you will be watering your foundation right along with the rest of us! And, as Dar says, it has to do with our heavy clay soil - dries brick hard and crackly in the summer! sandi |
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santa_gertrudis_gal
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Kim
Groesbeck
Texas
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 07:29:29 AM
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Sandi, silly me I read Fairfield instead of Fairview. I've not heard of Fairview but Azle I have.
Kay, I read, again, your blog...I love your writings. I see wonderful pictures in my head when you write. Then your pictures of Washington are so beautiful. If you move to Texas you will surely miss the beauty of Washington. As for Fairview I wouldn't want the commute to FW on that one. Azle is beautiful, but I love Aledo and Weatherford on the west side of FW in Parker County. Both are growing rapidly. I have a dear friend on the NW side of FW and I so admire her ability to drive every morning to teach school in innner city FW. FW is actually a little drier then Dallas. Dallas may reach 100 and FW will be 102. I love Fort Worth, as it comes in 1st place for Texas cities, then it is San Antonio. Living just south of Houston most of my life I don't particularly care for Houston much. Dallas, and no offence Sandi, I don't like at all. I find Dallas snobbish. My brother lives like Sandy NNW of Dallas in McKinney and he loves Dallas. He loves being a socialite so Dallas fits him perfectly. Shopping in Dallas is better then Ft. Worth, it has ALL of the upscale stores, and wonderful boutiques because of the fashion district. I'm delighted to be only 90 minutes away from DFW for the shopping. I know I will make several trips to the Stockyards in Ft. Worth to spend time really going through and learning the history of them, as they made Ft. Worth and Dallas what they are today.
If you think housing is inexpensive in Texas, you should see rural Texas, but well paying jobs are few and far between. I love this site when I'm wanting to find a particular newspaper, and thought you might look up the Groesbeck Journal from it. You'll find housing much cheaper in Limestone County, and if you wanted to be on Lake Limestone, they become more reasonable in comparison to other lake properties around the state closer to the cities. I've heard from several of the locals around us that Dallasites and Houstonians are purchasing land as fast as they can in Limestone County. The next get away place to be in Texas from what I'm reading, too. As I love the Groesbeck Journal, I watch how fast land is moving and it's amazing to me how quickly it sells, especially the larger tracks. When our property was in contract another individual called the owner and offered him 50% more then he was asking if he would forfeit our contract. I have no doubt he could have sold it for that.
Ok, the site for anyone interested in any newspaper in the country is:
http://www.usnpl.com/txnews.html
usnpl.com has all of the states, so enjoy looking at your own state.
Kim
Heaven is a day at the ranch with my Santa Gertrudis! |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 08:16:48 AM
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Kim -- thank you so much for all the information. I also was not aware that Texas has so many lakes. From the real estate ads I've read it seems like most people want to be near or live on a lake. I have a friend in Garland and they just bought property on a lake that is east of her. That's where they're going to retire in 5 years. I'll look up the newspapers.
Visit my blog at http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
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lvg4him
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Colorado
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 09:59:40 AM
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| KIM - thanks for the info!!! It will make finding our homestead MUCH easier! We are planning on moving to Texas in two months and have no idea WHERE yet! :D |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 10:52:30 AM
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Hey Farm Girls!!!
OH MY GOSH KAY, I AM SITTING IN THE AZLE, TEXAS PUBLIC LIBRARY RIGHT NOW. I STOPPED TO USE A COMPUTER WHILE I WAS OUT RUNNING ERRANDS. I AM SHARING THE COMPUTER/MEETING ROOM WITH A WONDERFUL GROUP OF WOMEN WHO HAVE A SPINNING/KNITTING GROUP THAT MEETS WEEKLY. I live in Springtown which is 15 minutes west of Azle, but I am in Azle all of the time to do errands since Springtown is so tiny. My next stop is the feed store.
I would love to meet your friend. It would be wonderful if you moved to Fort Worth where I work.
Exciting news. My phone # is 817 905 7692 if she would like to call me.
Connie
cozycottage |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 10:55:06 AM
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Hey Farm Girls!!
It's me again. Kim Your description of the D/FW area is perfect. Dallas is very SNOBBY. My sister lives in Dallas, and I love her dearly, but it is a very snobby place. She and her husband have lots of $$$ and love it there. Spend and go, spend and go!!! My nephew goes to a private school and many of his friends have received $85,000 Mercedes as presents for their 16th birthdays! He was upset because his parents bought him a used Volvo. I lived there for 23 years; best thing that I ever did was to move to rural Parker COunty!!
Eagle Mountain Lake is right in the Azle area. Rural prop is dirt cheap, but good jobs are rare. I work in Fort Worth for that reason. The commute is not bad at all even though it's 70 miles rt. No rush hour; I just go up and down HWY 199 W which your friend would know.
I also know where Fairview is--right by McKinney. I am involved online with a Sustainability/Permaculture group that is based there.
I am so excited about all of this.
If any of you are interested in real estate in Parker or Tarrant County, I would suggest the Dunn and Elam Real Estate agency in Azle. They have "been around" for years and know absolutely everyone. If any agency would be aware of great deals and have lots of info, it would be Dunn and Elam. Believe that their email address would be www.dunnandelam.com. If not, you can google it. If you contact them, ask to work with the Dunn's daugher whose name is Leila, I thinnk
Connie
Texas Farm Girl
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Edited by - connio on Aug 01 2006 1:09:41 PM |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 6:45:33 PM
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Connie -- I can't believe that you actually live that close to Azle. I'm sure my friend would love to talk to you -- although she's a bit shy. She's really having a hard time adjusting to the different climate, learning her way around a new place, and she's lonely -- misses me and I miss her. I will give her your number and will also email you privately with her email address. Thanks for the referral on the real estate agency.
Visit my blog at http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2006 : 3:37:34 PM
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Hey Farm Girls!!
I think that we should schedule a Texas Farm Girl get-together in Dallas or Fort Worth in the fall when it gets cooler. Kim is 90 miles from DFW; I am 45 miles from Fort Worth and 80 miles from Dallas. Sandi is just North of Dallas, and Lacy (sp?) lives in Dallas. I think that Dawnn has moved out of Dallas but is not far away. Fran is in Bonham and has mentioned a get together at her farm in Bonham. If that won't work due to distance perhaps we could convince Fran to come to DFW just for a day or weekend. If Kay moves to Texas, we will have another farmgirl in our vicinity and perhaps she would bring her friend in Azle. Erin won't be far down in the Hillsboro/Waco area.
If I have forgotten anyone in the North Texas area, please forgive me and speak up. Want to include everyone. If the fall did not work, perhaps we could schedule in around the Fort Worth Stock Show in early 2007--now that would be a true farmgirl event!!!
Could we convince the other Texas Farm Girls to join us?
I will be waiting to hear from ya'll.
Connie
Texas Farm Girl
cozycottage |
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Across the Fence: For Texas Gals - Watering Your Foundation? |
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For Texas Gals - Watering Your Foundation?
