another one on foundations

Currently with one of the worst drouths ever recorded in Texas I see another reason to post some reminders about home foundations. This current dry weather pattern/lack of rain means the obvious, less moister in the ground for the same clay soil that swells with rain fall. The soil settles-compacts-shrinks, basically "drops" a little here and there.
I hear adds on the radio about foundation work. These adds can prey on fears that our foundations are caving in and they outline how "their piers and drilling go deeper than other foundation companies". Hitting bedrock is the final goal of a drilled pier, sometimes we don't need to go that far. How one company states "going deeper than any other" seems odd to me... Hiring a foundation company to "fix the problem" is not the first step. THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR YOUR FOUNDATION QUESTION IS A RECOMMENDED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER TO ASSESS THE ISSUE. So some points to keep in mind are; Investigate your down spouts, the down spouts of your neighbors on either side of your home, the integrity of curbs (curbs and the way our driveways are created should keep water from entering your yard, should influence the water flowing down the streets), clean your french drains & gutters, look for areas in your yard where landscaping can improve water flow, consider location of trees next to your home.