Faith Village is classic Wichita Falls postwar development — largely 1950s and 1960s, built during the growth wave that followed Sheppard Air Force Base's expansion. It represents the transition period in local construction, so you'll find both early slab-on-grade homes and late pier-and-beam ones.
Early Slab Construction Has Its Own Character
Slab-on-grade in the 1950s and early 60s wasn't built to today's standards. Slabs were often thinner, reinforcement lighter, site preparation less rigorous, and perimeter beams shallower than current practice. None of that means the houses are unsound — many have performed fine for seventy years. But they have less reserve capacity when soil moves, and they show movement earlier than newer slabs do.
The typical presentation is perimeter settlement, most pronounced on the side with the worst drainage or the most sun. Read more on slab foundation repair.
The Cast Iron Question
Homes of this era were plumbed with cast iron drain lines, and cast iron in soil has a service life. Sixty to seventy years in, a great many of these lines are corroded, cracked, or separated at joints.
This matters enormously for foundations, because a leaking drain line under a slab does two destructive things at once: it saturates the clay in one localized spot, causing heave or erosion, and it does so invisibly for years.
If your movement is central rather than at the perimeter — or if you have heave rather than settlement — ask for a static plumbing test before anyone installs a pier. On a Faith Village-era home this is not an upsell, it's basic diagnosis. Piering a slab that's being pushed up by a leaking sewer line does not fix the problem and can compound it.
Drainage After Seventy Years
The other constant here is grade that has quietly gone flat or negative. Seven decades of adding mulch to beds, replacing driveways slightly higher, pouring patios, and installing fences across drainage paths adds up. Water that used to run away from the house now pools beside it.
On many Faith Village homes, correcting grade and extending downspouts is the highest-value work available and costs a small fraction of piering. See drainage correction.
What We See Here
- Perimeter settlement, typically on the south or west exposure
- Stair-step cracking in brick veneer near window and door corners
- Doors and windows that stick seasonally, worst in late summer
- Heave or central movement traceable to under-slab plumbing leaks
- Negative grading from decades of landscape buildup
- Downspouts discharging directly at the slab corner
Start with a free inspection. See also the Wichita Falls page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have an under-slab plumbing leak?
Signs include an unexplained jump in the water bill, a warm spot on the floor, the sound of running water with everything off, damp or discolored flooring, and movement concentrated in the middle of the house rather than the perimeter. A static plumbing test confirms it definitively.
Are 1950s slabs weaker than modern ones?
Generally they were thinner with lighter reinforcement and shallower perimeter beams than current practice. That means less reserve capacity when soil moves, not that they're failing. Plenty have performed well for seventy years — they simply show movement sooner than newer construction.
Should I replace my cast iron plumbing?
If it's leaking, yes — and doing it as part of foundation work is often more efficient than doing both separately. If it's intact, a camera inspection tells you its condition and lets you plan rather than react. Either way, find out before you pier.
Foundation Services Available Here
- Foundation Repair
- Slab Foundation Repair
- Pier & Beam Repair
- House Leveling
- Foundation Crack Repair
- Free Foundation Inspection
- Steel vs. Concrete Piers
- Drainage & French Drains
- Commercial Foundation Repair
- Warranties Explained
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