Expansive Soil

Related terms

• Foundation

  The structure (slab, crawl space, or basement) that transfers the building's load to the ground. Foundation condition underlies the feasi…

• Exterior Waterproofing

  Excavating to the footing and applying a membrane/coating plus drainage to the outside of the foundation — the most thorough (and costly)…

• Expansion Joint

  A deliberate separation that lets adjacent concrete or structure move with temperature and load without cracking or buckling.

• Flitch Beam

  A composite beam of steel plate sandwiched between wood members, used where a slim but very strong beam is needed.

• Egress Window Well

  An excavated, retained, and drained well allowing a code-compliant egress window below grade — required to make a basement bedroom legal.

• Footing Drain / Drain Tile

  Perforated pipe in gravel along the footing that collects groundwater and routes it away or to a sump, relieving pressure on the foundation.

• Efflorescence

  White mineral deposits left on masonry or concrete as water migrates through and evaporates. A sign of moisture movement to investigate,…

• French Drain

  A gravel-filled trench with perforated pipe that redirects surface and groundwater away from the structure.