What is clay soil???

Since coming into the business of selling homes in 1993 I have always thought of the issues with clay soil under wet conditions. Now with this 100 year drought it is fascinating to see similar issues with dry conditions.
Clay soil swells with water. The soil literally is like a sponge and expands. This action of swelling will push a house up and move a foundation to points of damaging pipes inside the cement foundation. Corrections can include foundation repair but not usually and not always. Adding gutters, running a sprinkler system, landscaping a certain way with a good amount of caliche dirt as base are some of the remedies.
With the lack of rainfall our clay soil is turning to dust. This dust is compacting and moving as well, going down and shrinking. This shrinking has the same affects of damaging pipes and the outside cement fascia plus interior sheet rock (usually just the tape n float seems). Water rationing is part of restrictions during a drought which ends up affecting the sprinkler system being a tool. This is new to me since I have only been in the business around 18 years and this drought is a 100 year cycle.
My point is don't panic. Don't immediately think you have a major issue requiring a foundation company. Exterior cracks in a home can typically demonstrate soil influence. Interior cracks could also mean settling but could mean a plumbing issue. After turning off your water from the street and watching the usage on the meter, a plumber could be the first and best call to test the water pressure. Then you call a structural engineer, then you get referred to a foundation company.
Regardless of wet or dry conditions you don't start with a foundation company. You systematically run through a check list that could include a foundation company.