SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
If there's one thing Bill McAnally knows, it's houses.
"I've got about 40 years of experience in the building industry. I was an instructor at a community college for about 20 years in construction," said McAnally, a building consultant for an Iowa State Extension office in Woodbury County.
Because of widespread flooding last summer and the drought this year, several older houses were put under a lot of stress. So, McAnally is looking at some homes to see just how much damage was done.
"When the ground does a lot of expansion and contraction, we see a lot more cracks, more visible cracks especially in the doors and the windows maybe not functioning the same way," said McAnally.
Adrienne Jansen works in an Iowa State Extension office, so she'd heard a lot about her colleague's work. Several of the beams that hold her home up, have been cracked because of the drought.
"When I started having problems in my foundation and in my house, I knew that I really wanted him to come out and take a look at my house," said Jansen.
One issue is a door that's been jammed closed for several weeks.
"Some wood is dried out and maybe the foundation is settled just a little bit, and they'll be able to re-level and re-plumb the door, re-square it, and it's going to be just fine," said McAnally.
McAnally says it's important to keep tabs on your house, and document things to see if changes are substantial. By doing that, folks like Jansen can learn whether these problems are long-term or merely cosmetic.
"What I found is actually comforting," said Jansen. "I thought it was worse than it is."
And those damaged beams? McAnally says those can be replaced with steel.
Bill McAnally checks out several beams that hold this home up, have been cracked because of the drought.
