East band · The Colony, Texas
Foundation Repair in The Colony, TX
The most very high clay of any town we studied, and more 1970s homes too: what that pairing means.
Of the 33 towns we studied around Denton, The Colony had the largest share of its land points on soil rated very high for shrink and swell: 84.2%. It also has the largest share of homes built in the 1970s, at 18.6%. If your house is one of those and a crack has just opened up, it's fair to ask whether the ground, the age of the house or both are behind it.
- Free inspection
- No obligation
- Town-by-town soil data
- Referral service, disclosed
- Call (940) 535-7201
What have you seen?
Both matter, and both are worth a closer look before anyone talks about piers. Here's what the public records say about foundation repair in The Colony, and what each one tells you.
The Ground Under The Colony
The Colony sits on the east band of Denton County. On the state geologic map, 64% of our 25 sample points landed on the Eagle Ford Formation, a black shale. Another 16% fell on terrace deposits, and the rest on open water.
The USDA soil survey puts 19 of the points on land, and 18 of those read high or very high. Only one, a sandy loam, reads moderate. These are the soils that showed up most:
- Ferris clay, 6 points. It formed in weathered shale of the Eagle Ford. It's 52.5% clay and reads 17 on the USDA scale from the surface down to dense bedrock about 43 inches below. Nothing in our whole study read higher.
- Branyon clay, 6 points. A river-laid clay carried down long ago from mudstone, it reads 9.9 in its top foot and 13 below that, all the way to 80 inches.
- Vertel clay, 2 points. This one is 70% clay and reads 17 down to dense bedrock about 33 inches below the surface.
The rest were single points of Heiden and Houston Black clay, both very high, and Altoga and Ovan, which read high. On the USDA's scale, anything at 9 or more is very high, and the USDA says a soil rated even moderate can damage buildings as it shrinks and swells.
So what follows from all that clay? Clay this active can pull back from a slab in a long dry spell and push up when it's soaked. A Foundation Performance Association paper, from a Houston group of engineers and repair firms, warns that piers won't stop that upward push unless they're designed to. In The Colony, that's a fair question to put to anyone quoting a repair. Lots vary, even within one town, and the lookup in our soil and rock guide takes a few minutes.
The Colony Homes by Decade
The Colony has 19,022 homes, and the median one was built in 2000, the Census says. The 1970s brought 18.6% of them and the 1980s 17.2%. The 1990s added just 9.8%, then the 2000s 24.0% and the 2010s 24.8%. Only 1.5% are older than 1960.
That 1970s share matters in two ways. First, the Post-Tensioning Institute dates its design method for house slabs on expansive soil to 1980. A slab poured in the 1970s was built before that method existed, though that alone doesn't tell you how yours was built.
Second, age changes how you read a crack. HUD's rehab inspection guide says a half-inch crack in a building 50 years old may mean very slow movement, about 1/100 of an inch a year. In a brand-new house, a crack that wide points the other way, toward settling that's happening fast. A 1970s house in The Colony is right around that 50-year mark.
- 2000Median year The Colony homes were built
- 1.5%Built before 1960
- 60.4%Built in 1990 or later
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Permits and Rules in The Colony
The city puts it plainly: for residential foundation work, a permit is required, and plans stamped and sealed by a licensed engineer must be submitted. Its fee schedule for October 2026 to September 2027 lists $75 for a foundation repair permit.
That works in your favor. The repair plan comes from a licensed engineer, not only from the company doing the work. Texas doesn't license foundation repair companies, and a 2013 bill to create a license didn't pass, so the engineer's seal is the main check on the job.
Lake and Flood Notes for The Colony
A good share of our sample fell on open water, and FEMA's flood map reaches into town too. Of our 20 land points in FEMA's check, 5 fell in the 1%-annual-chance floodplain. Our points are more than a mile apart and take in creek valleys and shoreline, so that tells you nothing about any one street. To check your own address, look it up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.
If your lot backs onto Lewisville Lake, there's one more thing to know. The Corps of Engineers holds a flowage easement on private land below the 537-foot contour around the lake, which is the right to flood it. Homes aren't allowed on easement land, and other structures need the District Engineer's approval. The easement can be left out of a deed when a property changes hands, but it still applies.
The lake's normal level is 522 feet, so the line sits 15 feet higher. The Lewisville Lake Office, at 1801 North Mill Street in Lewisville, is the place to ask.
Foundation Repair Services in The Colony
- Foundation inspection to measure a slab on Ferris or Branyon clay
- Slab foundation repair with piers planned for very active clay
- House leveling when a 1970s floor has drifted out of level
- Foundation crack repair to read a crack against the age of the house
- Pier and beam repair for raised floors over a crawl space
The Colony Foundation Repair Questions
Is my house in The Colony on the worst soil around Denton?
It may be. In our sample, The Colony had the highest share of very high soil of all 33 towns. Ferris and Vertel clay both read 17, the top reading we found. Your own lot can differ, so it's worth looking up.
Will the city want an engineer's seal on the plan?
Yes. The city requires plans stamped and sealed by a licensed engineer with the permit.
My house was built in the 1970s. Should I worry?
Not by itself. A house that has stood for about 50 years has already been through a lot of wet and dry seasons. What's worth a look is a crack that's new or still growing, which a pencil mark and a date will show you.
Nearby Towns in the Same Band
Close by on the east band: Frisco (84% of land points high or very high), about 6 and a half miles away, and Little Elm (85.7%), about 7. Lewisville, about 5 miles west, sits mostly on river deposits, and 80% of its land points read high or very high. See all service areas.
Get a Free Foundation Inspection in The Colony
Very active clay and a house of a certain age are both good reasons to measure. Tell us what you've noticed. A foundation repair company that works in The Colony can check the floors and explain the readings, at no cost and with nothing to sign.
What have you seen?