Foundation repair · Seguin, Texas
Foundation Repair in Seguin, TX
Older homes, deep clay and a permit you may be able to pull yourself.
If you've found a new crack in an older Seguin house, you're probably wondering whether the house is finally showing its age. Sometimes it is. But in Seguin, the ground usually has more to say than the calendar. Two in every five of our USDA soil sample points in Seguin landed on Branyon clay, one of the most active soils in the area, and the median Seguin home was built in 1984.
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- Free inspectionIt costs nothing
- No obligationStopping after the inspection is fine
- Town-by-town soil dataFrom the USDA soil survey
- Referral service, disclosedWe pass requests to local pros
- Call (830) 500-5898Or send the short form
That mix of deep clay and older homes is what makes Seguin different from New Braunfels, just up the road. It also shapes the repair, the permit and even how you water. Here's what the records say, and what it means for your house.
Clay or Rock: The Ground Under Seguin
We sampled the USDA soil survey at 25 points across Seguin. Unlike the Hill Country towns to the north-west, none of them landed on bare rock. Seguin sits on clay and loam:
- Branyon clay, 40%. Its shrink-swell reading, called linear extensibility, peaks at 13.0, where anything over 9 counts as very high. The survey shows that layer from about a foot down to past 6 feet, with no rock in the top 80 inches.
- Barbarosa silty clay, 24%, reading 7.5 (high) from the surface to about 6 feet down.
- Queeny gravelly loam, 16%, reading 4.5. Here the survey finds a cemented layer only about 9 inches down.
- Lewisville silty clay, 12%, reading 7.5 (high).
- Seguin silty clay loam, 8%, reading 4.5 (moderate).
That's twice the Branyon share we found in New Braunfels. It's the same clay, with the same readings in the survey, so a slab in Seguin is more likely to be sitting on ground that swells in a wet spring and shrinks back in a dry summer.
Yes, there really is a soil named Seguin. The USDA maps it as "Seguin silty clay loam, flooded", and that last word is worth noticing. If your lot sits low, it's a good idea to look it up on FEMA's flood map before planning a repair. Seguin's building codes include the city's own flood ordinance and FEMA guidelines.
What Seguin Homes Are Built On
The US Census counts 12,565 homes in Seguin, with a median build year of 1984. About 22.4% went up before 1960, more than twice New Braunfels' share. Another 34.6% date from 1960 to 1989, and 43.0% from 1990 or later.
The 1950s stand out. Seguin built 11.2% of its homes in that decade, the highest share of any of the 27 towns we studied around New Braunfels. Add 6.1% from the 1940s and 5.1% from before 1940, and Seguin has a real stock of older houses.
The Census records build years, not foundations. Still, a house from before about 1960 is more likely to sit on pier and beam, with wood beams over a crawl space. That's usually a different and often smaller job than lifting a slab. A 1970s or 1980s Seguin house is more likely on a conventional slab, and a newer one may be post-tension. Those are trends, not facts about your house, and a foundation inspection will tell you which you have.
- 1984Median year Seguin homes were built
- 22.4%Built before 1960
- 43.0%Built in 1990 or later
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Permits and Rules in Seguin
Seguin requires a permit to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair" or move a building. Minor repairs to a home are exempt. The city's permit page doesn't name foundation repair either way, so it's safest to treat it as a repair that needs a permit, and to confirm with the Permits Department at 830-401-2435.
Here's what's different in Seguin:
- You may be able to pull the permit yourself. If you own the house, live in it, have it registered as your homestead with the Guadalupe County Appraisal District, and do the work yourself, the city lets you apply. That's not allowed for foundation repair in New Braunfels.
- Otherwise, a licensed contractor applies, and submits the plans for review. Every contractor has to be registered with the city's Development Services Center before a permit is issued.
- The city uses the 2021 International Residential Code, along with its flood ordinance and FEMA guidelines.
Most foundation work isn't a do-it-yourself job, so for most owners the homestead rule matters less than it sounds. It's still good to know the choice is yours.
Watering Rules in Seguin
Seguin's water rules come from the city's own drought plan, not New Braunfels Utilities. Its 2024 plan doesn't mention foundations at all.
What it does say applies year round. Outdoor watering is banned from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except with a handheld hose, a handheld watering device or a drip irrigation system, which you can use at any time. For a foundation, a drip line or a handheld hose is the simplest way to stay inside the rules.
In Stage 3, watering lawns and plants moves to two days a week by address, between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. Even-numbered addresses water Sunday and Thursday, and odd numbers water Saturday and Wednesday. The plan doesn't say whether a foundation falls under that schedule.
If a drought stage is in force, the Water Department at 830-379-3212 can tell you. Our foundation watering guide covers how much is enough.
Foundation Repair Services in Seguin
- Slab foundation repair for slabs on Branyon and Barbarosa clay
- Pier and beam repair for Seguin's older raised houses
- House leveling when the whole house sits out of level
- Foundation inspection to measure before you decide
- Foundation crack repair to tell a settling crack from a structural one
Seguin Foundation Repair Questions
Can I pull a foundation repair permit myself in Seguin?
Possibly. Seguin lets an owner apply if they live in the house, have it registered as a homestead with the Guadalupe County Appraisal District, and do the work themselves. Otherwise a licensed, registered contractor applies. The Permits Department at 830-401-2435 can confirm how this applies to your job.
Is there really a soil called Seguin?
Yes. The USDA maps a "Seguin silty clay loam, flooded", and it turned up at 8% of our sample points. It reads 4.5 for shrink and swell, which is moderate. The bigger story under Seguin is still Branyon clay, at 40%.
My Seguin house is from the 1950s. Is it on pier and beam?
It may well be. Seguin built 11.2% of its homes in the 1950s, a bigger share than any other town we studied, and pier and beam was more common in that era. An inspection, or a look for a crawl space vent around the base of the walls, will tell you.
Is Seguin's clay the same as New Braunfels' clay?
It's the same Branyon clay, with the same survey readings. What differs is how much of it there is: 40% of our Seguin sample points against 20% in New Braunfels.
Nearby Towns We Serve
We serve Seguin and the towns around it, including New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo, Converse and San Marcos.
Schertz shows how much the rules can change in a short drive. It charges a $225 permit fee and asks for an engineered pier plan before the work and a sealed engineer's letter after it. Seguin's page lists neither. See all service areas.
Get a Free Foundation Inspection in Seguin
Let us know what you're seeing, and we'll pass it to a foundation repair professional who works in Seguin. They'll take a look and explain your options. It costs nothing, and there's no obligation.
Tell us what you're seeing