Short answer: do the walk-around once when the clay is driest (late summer), write down every crack and sticking door with a date, then measure again after the winter rains. A crack that has widened, lengthened or offset between the two checks is the one to have measured professionally.
Foundation Repair Baton Rouge gets more calls in late summer than any other time of year, and there’s a simple reason. By August and September, months of heat have pulled moisture out of the clay around your slab. Clay shrinks as it dries, the edge of the slab drops a little, and the doors that were fine in March start to stick.
That makes right now the best time of year to see what your foundation is doing. Here’s a 15-minute walk-around.
Inside (5 minutes)
- Doors and windows. Open and close each one. Note any that stick, rub at the top corner or won’t latch. Seasonal sticking that’s worse than last year is worth noting.
- Door and window corners. Look for diagonal cracks running up from the corners of openings.
- Floors. In tile rooms, look for cracks running across several tiles in a line. On raised homes, notice any slope or bounce.
- Ceiling lines. Look for gaps where walls meet ceilings, especially on exterior walls.
Outside (10 minutes)
- Brick. Walk the perimeter looking for stair-step cracks along mortar joints, especially near corners and under windows.
- Soil gap. In very dry weather, soil can pull away from the slab edge. A visible gap tells you that side is drying out.
- Downspouts. Where does each one empty? Anything discharging right at the slab is a problem in the wet season, and this year El Niño rain is forecast to follow the drought.
- Trees. Large oaks and pines close to the house draw water from under the slab in dry spells. Here’s how tree roots cause foundation damage on Baton Rouge clay.
- Garage apron and walks. Note any panels that have dropped relative to the slab.
Write it down
Photograph each crack with a tape measure for scale, note the date and width, and pencil-mark the ends. Compare in the winter. If cracks have grown or new ones appeared, see how big is too big for a foundation crack. If they haven’t changed, our step-by-step guide on how to fix foundation cracks covers sealing them.
Your crack log: record it once, re-measure after the rains
The point of a late-summer check is the comparison. Copy this table into your notes app and fill in the first row today. Re-measure each crack in January or February, once the soil has re-wetted.
| Where | Date | Width (use a crack card or ruler) | Length | Door or window nearby sticking? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: front brick, left of window | Sept. | 1/16 in. | 8 in. | No |
How to read the second measurement:
- Unchanged or narrower: the crack opened and closed with the soil’s moisture, which is normal seasonal movement on clay. Keep the log.
- Wider than 1/4 inch, longer, or one side higher than the other: have it measured. Our guide to crack width and when to worry explains the thresholds, and types of foundation cracks shows which patterns matter on Baton Rouge clay.
- New cracks or sticking doors that appeared after the rains: that points to uneven wetting or drainage, so check downspouts and grading first. See foundation drainage.
Update, November 5, 2026: the dry months this post describes are behind us, so the useful next step is the re-check above. Don’t wait for spring to compare your two measurements; a crack that grew during the fall is easier to document now.
Should you water your foundation?
On high-clay soils, keeping moisture steady around the perimeter during long dry spells can reduce shrinkage. Use a soaker hose a foot or two from the slab, not a sprinkler spraying the wall, and never create standing water. Fixing downspouts matters more. Our October 2026 drought update covers watering your foundation during a severe drought step by step.
If the walk-around turns up several signs, our free evaluation includes a laser elevation survey. Before you hire anyone, check the contractor’s LSLBC license and insurance. Late summer is a good time for it — the readings show the house at its lowest point of the year.