Minnesota Homeowners Coping With Sinking Houses

Homeowners in Waseca, Minn., area say their houses seem to be sinking, and they blame this year’s drought.

Pat and Howard Edwards say they started noticing problems this spring – doors and windows that wouldn’t close properly and cracks in the walls and foundation. They had contractors return the structure to level footing, at a cost of $40,000.

Victor Barke owns Complete Basement Systems of Mankato. He says soil shrinks as it dries, and areas that don’t have enough moisture-retaining clay to stabilize things can see houses begin to tilt. Contractors say the problem hit at least 20 homes in the Waseca area.

A Free Press of Mankato report says insurance rarely covers the repairs, which involve driving steel piers into the ground until they reach load-bearing soil.